Managing Employee Withdrawal During Organizational Change

TLDR

The study investigates how employees’ threat appraisal during organizational change is influenced by antecedents and predicts withdrawal outcomes. The authors assess the impact of positive change orientation and change‑related fairness on threat appraisal and subsequent withdrawal behaviors such as quitting intentions, turnover, and absenteeism. Results reveal that higher threat appraisals are linked to lower positive change orientation and fairness, and are associated with increased absenteeism and quitting intentions that drive voluntary turnover, with threat appraisal moderating the antecedent–outcome relationships.

Abstract

This article examines antecedents and consequences of employees’ threat appraisal during organizational change. Positive change orientation and change-related fairness are examined as antecedents of threat appraisal and multiple forms of employee withdrawal as outcomes (intentions to quit, voluntary turnover, and absenteeism). Structural equation results show negative relationships between threat appraisals and positive change orientation (change self-efficacy, positive attitudes toward change, and perceived control of changes) and change-related fairness (distributive, procedural, and interactive). Threat appraisals are positively related to absenteeism and intentions to quit, which predict voluntary turnover. Threat appraisals have differential intervening effects on relationships between the antecedents and outcomes.