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The study aims to drive conceptual clarity around resistance to information technology projects, integrating multiple facets of the phenomenon from earlier studies.

The study conducts a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies on resistance to technology projects; it analyzes those studies at a case-specific level, compares and contrasts emergent concepts against each other, and “translates” those to the rest of the studies. The study uses the seven-step meta-ethnography method by Noblit and Hare to reciprocally translate emergent concepts to construct the conceptual model.

Through meta-synthesis, the study derives a new conceptual model for resistance to information technology projects, exemplifying how the identified antecedents create user resistance and how the phenomenon progresses within organizations.

This study enriches the observations and conclusions of past individual studies while explicating various facets of the mechanisms that generate and progress technology resistance within organizations. It offers fresh insights into the equivocal nature of the phenomenon and the distinctive ways it progresses from individual to group level.

Many ambitious and costly digital transformation efforts do not succeed due to user resistance. Understanding the mechanisms that create user resistance can help organizations manage technology projects better, thereby reducing the technology assimilation gap and protecting returns on related investments.

There have been extensive studies on technology acceptance (enablers) within organizations, while those relating to technology inhibitors are somewhat limited. However, the symmetry of understanding between enablers and inhibitors is vital for organizations to assimilate promising technologies and transform their business models. This model uses a new lens of sensemaking theory to explain how the antecedents trigger perceived threats and resistance behavior; it highlights the nuances around the development of resistance within individuals and its progression to groups. The resultant model offers better generalizability in organizational contexts.

This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of resistance to change (RTC) by examining the role played by organisational commitment (OC) as a potential predictor and moderator in the analysis of RTC.

First, alternative models of OC were developed, first as a co‐predictor of RTC, and then as a moderator of the relationship between key established antecedents of RTC and resistance itself. The main established antecedents of RTC examined included employees' perceptions of the benefits of change (PBC), their involvement in the change process (IIC), and their overall attitudes towards the change (ATC). The alternative OC models were tested using data from a sample of over 300 middle managers from an Italian public sector service provider company undergoing a radical process of change.

Results showed that OC, along with PBC and IIC, had a significant negative direct and indirect effect on RTC. The indirect effect was mediated by employee attitudes to the change. Contrary to expectations, however, commitment did not moderate any of the antecedents‐RTC relationships.

Although based on self‐report cross‐sectional data, this paper suggests that, while OC has a main significant effect on RTC, it does not have a moderator effect in relation to RTC.

The results suggest that OC is not a substitute for the effective management of change, but rather that management would be well advised to give due consideration to both factors when planning and implementing change.

The implications outlined above apply to a wide range of change initiatives, including the implementation of major social and economic programmes.

This paper adds to existing knowledge in the area of RTC, showing that employee attitudes towards the change is a key mediating mechanism through which OC may help to reduce resistance.

This research aims to investigate whether the uncertainty of gaining legitimacy from organizational change is an important antecedent of resistance to change and to explore why some enterprises are reluctant to choose institutional entrepreneurship for transformation when the uncertainty of gaining legitimacy from organizational change is high.

The hypotheses are tested by multiple regression analysis and structural equation model, using data collected from a big company with 14 subsidiaries undergoing organizational change.

Uncertainty of gaining legitimacy from organizational change not only results in resistance to change through the mediating variable – organizational readiness for change but also is an important influencing factor for enterprises’ choices of change strategy.

Transformational change may alter original organizational legitimacy so that some enterprises prefer isomorphic change and decoupling change to maintain original organizational legitimacy, rather than institutional entrepreneurship to seek new organizational legitimacy.

To foster innovation and a new form of creation for firms, governments should provide enterprises with legitimacy in time by establishing a rapid legitimacy learning mechanism to supplement institutional voids, whereas enterprises should promote organizational readiness for change to reduce the negative influence of the uncertainty of gaining legitimacy.

This research reveals that the uncertainty of gaining legitimacy from organizational change is an antecedent of resistance to change and enriches antecedent categorical presupposition of resistance to change. These findings provide valuable insight for explaining why enterprises in economic entities with institutional voids such as China chose similar change strategies rather than institutional entrepreneurship.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contributors to individual resistance to diversity-related organizational change (DROC) and how it might be reduced.

From survey data collected through three separate samples of the US population, the study tested the antecedents and outcomes of resistance to DROC and the moderating effect of organizational justice on these relationships.

Findings reveal that attitudes about workplace diversity are influenced by individual factors (sex and race), which in turn are significantly related to individual resistance to DROC. Independently, organizational justice moderated the effects of employee attitudes and perceived threats on resistance to DROC, suggesting that resistance is increased when employees perceive they are treated justly.

This is the first known study to investigate resistance to DROC as well as its potential antecedents and outcomes. Findings suggest that organizational justice is an important consideration in implementing DROC.

Resistance to change (RtC) is widely recognized as the main reason of failure, when it comes to change initiatives. Despite its importance, there is still a rather limited knowledge concerning the factors that trigger this behavior at the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors affecting RtC in healthcare organizations (namely, hospitals) and specifically, in emergency departments (EDs).

An original conceptual framework (research model) has been developed and empirically tested using primary data collected from EDs of six Greek hospitals. In total, the actual sample incorporates the responses of 158 ED health professionals who completed a structured questionnaire.

The findings verified the initial assumption that “disposition towards change (DtC),” “anticipated impact of change (AIC)” and “attitude towards change (AtC)” mediate the impact of various personal and behavioral characteristics on “RtC.” The results suggested that “RtC” is (indirectly) influenced by four main factors (“employee-management relationship,” “personality traits,” “employee participation in the decision-making process” and “job security”).

This study investigates how several factors affect, both directly or indirectly, employee reactions toward “RtC.” It also examines the mediating effect of three factors (“DtC,” “AtC,” “AIC”) that capture three different dimensions of individual evaluation toward change, something that goes beyond previous work. In addition, the present study examines a wide range of antecedents of RtC, including both personality-related and job-related factors.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate individuals’ attitudes toward organizational change, considering each phase of a business process management (BPM) implementation and some antecedents of resistance as hierarchical position, sector and trust in management.

The study examines employees’ attitudes toward BPM change in the Brazilian market. To measure resistance to organizational change, the research adopted the change attitude scale developed by Oreg (2006). As potential antecedents for resistance, hierarchical position, sector and trust in management were considered. Five control variables were included: gender, company size, educational background, educational level and age range. The application of the survey considered three main parties: BPM implementers, BPM end-users and developers of BPM systems. The survey data, drawn from 113 useable questionnaires, were analyzed by structural equation modeling with partial least squares estimation.

The results of this research showed some interesting insights. First, hierarchical position has no significant effect on the reduction of resistance to process improvement changes. Contrary to what was expected, results showed that being in the manufacturing sector has no significant effect on the reduction of resistance. Finally, only trust in management has a significant effect on employees’ attitudes toward BPM implementation, and as phases go by this effect increases.

The paper could support BPM decision makers by providing a better understanding of employees’ attitudes toward BPM change. In this sense, the study could also provide real-life application, by facilitating the task of allocating priorities and supporting process-related decisions.

The research could incentivize a closer relationship between BPM implementers and BPM end-users, promoting opportunities, respect and mutual trust.

User resistance to change has been identified as a significant cause of information system (IS) implementation failure. Previous studies have proposed antecedents of user resistance to change. However, whether project leadership (e.g. authoritarian leadership) can lead to user resistance to change remains unclear. By drawing on project leadership, affective event theory and contingency theory of leadership, the authors address this void by empirically examining whether authoritarian leadership can lead to user resistance to change through the mediation of negative emotion and whether the magnitude of this mediation depends on the power distance level.

This study examines the authors’ research model that integrates authoritarian leadership, negative emotion, power distance and user resistance to change using data from a matched-pair survey of 278 users and their supervisors involved in IS project implementation in China.

Negative emotion plays a mediating role in the relationship of authoritarian leadership and user resistance to change. In addition, power distance moderates the relationship between authoritarian leadership and negative emotion and the indirect effect of authoritarian leadership on user resistance to change in IS project implementation through negative emotion.

The authors’ research provides a comprehensive understanding of the antecedents of user resistance to change in IS project implementation and ultimately contributes to the IS project implementation literature and practice.

Electronic books (e-books) have been in the market for decades but have been unable to replace paper books. Previous studies on e-books have failed to identify significant factors affecting the adoption and diffusion of e-books. This study develops a theoretical framework to explain the adoption behavior of e-books from the perspective of user resistance.

After a pilot test with 50 e-book users, the research model is validated using a partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. A web-based survey method is used to collect data from a sample of 350 people – selected from Korean e-book users and nonusers – during a week in March 2017. This study tests the reliability and validity of the integrated model of planned behavior and resistance theory and tests the hypotheses with bootstrapping resampling.

The results show that four barriers – usage, value, risk and image – cause resistance to change and users with higher resistance have lower intention to use. The moderating effect of self-efficacy between resistance to change and intention to use is confirmed. Self-efficacy interacts not only with the encouraging factors but also with resistance.

This study expands the understanding of users' adoption behavior of e-books by examining inhibiting factors using a novel integrated model. The findings of this research provide insights for digital product providers, especially e-book publishers, to understand why digital products have not been successful in the marketplace.

Consumer loyalty has long been recognised as a key consideration of marketing strategies focused on customer retention. While the importance of the loyalty construct is widely recognised, the conditions and variables that foster consumer loyalty for a specific service may vary. This paper explores the variables that influence fan attendance at a professional sporting event. It extends prior research by conceptualising both a behavioural and an attitudinal component of loyalty, as well as considering fan involvement with the sport and attraction to the sport. The findings suggest that psychological commitment and resistance to change mediate the effect of fan attraction and involvement on behavioural loyalty in a professional sports context.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate why salespeople resist change and the impact of resistance to change on customer responsiveness and performance outcomes.

Survey responses derived from 233 salespeople from three large financial institutions in Mexico are used to test relationships involving salespersons’ resistance to change.

Salespeople are more likely to resist change if they believe that change increases their workload. They are less likely to resist change when they have higher levels of job autonomy and self‐efficacy. Resistance to change has a negative impact on customer responsiveness and salesperson's performance.

This study makes an important contribution to the literature by identifying factors that explain salesperson's resistance to change. Study findings rely on salesperson survey responses collected in one country and industry. Future research is needed to assess the generalizability of findings and causality of the proposed relationships.

Resistance to change affects the salespersons’ capacity to respond to customer demands and ultimately undermines performance. Managers can help reduce resistance to change by providing salespeople with greater job autonomy and by explaining how change affects their workload.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper linking salesperson resistance to change to job performance.