94 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE TO ORGANISATIONAL
CHANGE IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED
ENTERPRISES
Pe e Ka ácsony1, Zdenko Me zke 2, Tihana Vasic3,
Judi Pe a Kol ai4
1 J. Selye Uni e si y in Komá no, Facul y o Economics and In o ma ics, Depa men o Economics, Slo akia,
ORCID: 0000-0001-7559-0488, [email p o ec ed];
2 Tomas Ba a Uni e si y in Zlín, Facul y o managemen and Economics, Cen e o Applied Economics Resea ch,
Czech Republic, ORCID: 0000-0002-6962-2428, [email p o ec ed] (co esponding au ho );
3 Széchenyi Is án Uni e si y in Győ , Facul y o Economics, Doc o al School o Regional and Business
Adminis a ion Sciences, Hunga y, ORCID: 0000-0001-5917-5479, [email p o ec ed];
4 Széchenyi Is án Uni e si y in Győ , Facul y o Economics, Depa men o Economic Analysis, Hunga y,
ORCID: 0000-0003-3817-3030, [email p o ec ed].
Abs ac : The c isis caused by he co ona i us pandemic a ec s he daily ope a ion o o ganisa ions,
which also b ings changes in he li e o hei wo k o ce. Managing o ganisa ional change has been
a signi ican challenge o o ganisa ions o se e al decades. The aim o he esea ch is o assess
he beha iou o a ec ed employees owa d o ganisa ional change. I is examined how di e en
g oups o employee’s expe ience change in gene al and wha hey hink abou o ganisa ional
change. Fu he mo e, i is explo ed whe he employees unde s and he mo i a ion behind he
change and how does he change impac hei o ganisa ion. To answe he esea ch ques ions,
a comp ehensi e ques ionnai e su ey o small and medium-sized en e p ises in Hunga y was
conduc ed in au umn 2021. The sui abili y o he applica ion o ac o analysis e alua ing he
dependence o selec ed a eas o he ques ionnai e was suppo ed by Ba le es a C onbach’s al a
coe icien . Fo indi idual hypo heses wo-sample - es , con ingency able analysis, and Pea son’s
Chi-squa ed es , we e applied. The e alua ion o he 215 ques ionnai es shows ha he beha iou
o employees owa d o ganisa ional changes is di e en . The di e ence in a i udes o he bene i
o o ganiza ional change o employees we e iden i ied, bu no o en e p ise. Fu he mo e, he
di e ence in a i udes be ween employees who ha e unde gone o ganiza ional change in he
en e p ise and hose who ha e no unde gone o ganiza ional change, we e iden i ied oo. I is
in e es ing ha con ingency be ween he ex en o which manage s play a ole in change and he
well-execu ed na u e o change we e de ec ed. The p ac ical usage o he esea ch can be help ul
o SME managemen , especially in he HR ield. The managemen can conside ha employees
may be a aid o he changes i hey a e ahead o hem, bu i he change is handled well, people
will hink posi i ely o i .
Keywo ds: Employees, o ganisa ional change, SMEs, HR managemen , Hunga y.
JEL Classi ica ion: J01, J21, J24, M12, M51, M54, O15.
APA S yle Ci a ion: Ka ácsony, P., Me zke , Z., Vasic, T., & Kol ai, J. P. (2023). Employee
A i ude o O ganisa ional Change in Small and Medium-Sized En e p ises. E&M Economics
and Managemen , 26(1), 94–110. h ps://doi.o g/10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
E+M_01_2023.indb 94 28.2.2023 10:02:47
95
2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
In oduc ion
The pape ’s aim is, in a b oade sense, hu-
man esou ce managemen in he con ex
o change managemen . Di e en g oups o
indi iduals manage change di e en ly. The e-
o e, i is essen ial, app op ia e and expedien
o examine he pe cep ion o change in he
21s cen u y. Changes a e happening mo e and
mo e equen ly due o scien i ic and echnical
p og ess. Changes a e pa o he li e o e e y
single membe o socie y o e e y o ganisa ion.
The e o e, a s udy o his issue mus be consid-
e ed jus i ied. This pape p esen s he esul s o
esea ch ocused on small and medium-sized
en e p ises. Employees o small and medium-
sized en e p ises in he s udy e alua ed he
e ec s o possible changes in en e p ises
om hei wo k and o ganisa ion. The a icle
examined in mo e dep h pe sonal pe cep ions,
especially hose who ha e no ye unde gone
a change. The second g oup su eyed a e
employees who ha e al eady passed h ough
he g ound in hei p o essional li es. When ex-
amining pe sonal obse a ions, he a en ion is
paid o he impo ance o leade ship (company
manage s) in o ganisa ional changes, e.g., em-
ployees’ a i udes on his opic. This pape
highligh s wha d i es o ganisa ional change
in Hunga ian SMEs. This s udy assesses he
causal ela ionship be ween o ganisa ional
change and employee managemen .
One o he mos impo an asks o man-
agemen is o pe o m o ganisa ional changes
in line wi h global changes o achie e op imal
pe o mance. The ul ima e goal is o main ain
o imp o e o ganisa ional pe o mance by
in luencing o ganisa ional cha ac e is ics. This
is especially impo an o companies in di icul
si ua ions due o he c isis caused by he cu -
en co ona i us pandemic.
Speaking o o ganisa ional change, he
esea che s can dis inguish be ween ine i able
change and change ini ia ed by membe s o an
o ganisa ion (Pe ig ew e al., 2001). Ta ge ed
o ganisa ional changes, which a e c ea ed by
he en i onmen and by own in e nal conscious
s eps on he pa o manage s and employees,
a e he esul s o he de elopmen and adap -
abili y o a pa icula o ganisa ion.
Nume ous pape s (Alqa awenah, 2018;
Mendy, 2020; Sil a e al., 2019) ha e eme ged
in he con ex o o ganisa ional change in ecen
decades ha in es iga e he opic om a no el
app oach o hose in ol ed in o ganisa ional
change. I was demons a ed ha he e a e di -
e ences o simila i ies be ween indi iduals who
ha e p e iously unde gone a change bu ha e
no ye been a ec ed by he change. Ba ilana
e al. (2010) also examine whe he a pa icula
job posi ion and manage s play a ole in he
ou come o o ganisa ional change. The esul s
o some s udies (Lines e al., 2015; S ojano ic
Aleksic e al., 2015) indica e ha one o he
mos commonly easons o ailu e o o ganiza-
ional change is esis ance employee o o gani-
za ional change. On he con a y, he esea ch
o Kash (2014) deals wi h he success ac o s
o changes om he poin o iew o exis ing
models. P e ious esea ch emphasizes he
impo ance o add essing he issue and shows
a esea ch gap. The aim o he p esen ed wo k
is o iden i y he employee’s pe cep ion o o -
ganisa ional changes in Hunga ian SMEs. Sub-
sequen ly, he beha iou o a ec ed employees
o o ganisa ional change is assessed and a
he same ime, he iden i ica ion o a i udes is
desc ibed, how di e en g oups o employees
expe ience change in gene al, and wha hey
hink abou o ganisa ional change. A pa ial
aim o he esea ch was also o examine he
ques ion whe he employees unde s and he
mo i a ion behind he change and how does
he change impac hei o ganisa ion.
The esea ch ia a comp ehensi e ques-
ionnai e su ey occu ed in he au umn o 2021.
The da a a e e y cu en , e lec ing he cu en
si ua ion in he coun y, also de e mined by
COVID-19. Simila esea ch has no ye been
ca ied ou in he s udy a ea. The e o e, i was
jus i ied o ill he esea ch gap and iden i y he
si ua ion in he coun y unde in es iga ion.
The pape con ained om ollowing s uc-
u e: in he heo e ical pa he li e a y e iew
esul s a e p esen ed, which can be con on ed
wi h ob ained da a. The nex pa o he a icle
p esen s he aim o he wo k, me hodology and
scien i ic hypo heses. In he esul s sec ion, he
esul s p esen ed and he compa ed wi h o he
s udies. In he end, he p elimina y esul s o
he esea ch a e o mula ed.
1. Theo e ical Backg ound
O ganisa ional change is one o he essen ial
concep s in managemen (Budhi aja, 2021).
In ou esea ch he o ganiza ional change is
pe cei ed in he same way as in esea ch o Ba-
balola e al. (2016), Aslam e al. (2018), Chang
(2021), Skea (2021), and Blackman e al.
E+M_01_2023.indb 95 28.2.2023 10:02:47
96 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
(2022) as any ans o ma ion ha occu s in one
o he essen ial cha ac e is ics o o ganisa ions
(p ocesses, echnology, ou pu s, s uc u e, cul-
u e, powe ela ions, beha iou ), i is a p ocess
ha se es o enew he o m and goals o an
o ganisa ion o se e he in e es s o he o gan-
isa ion’s in e nal and ex e nal s akeholde s. Re-
cen ly he e exis many ypes o esea ch ha
in es iga e o ganisa ional change om di e en
poin o iew (e.g., Gem a e al., 2022; Kemen
e al., 2021; Khan e al., 2022). Acco ding o
Dob o ič and Timko á (2017) o ganisa ional
changes ha e a meaning ul impac on co po a e
g ow h, su i al, e iciency o compe i i eness.
Roche ille e al. (2021) desc ibe how communi-
ies ex e nal o o ganisa ions can also ini ia e
change wi hin o ganisa ions. S ou en e al.
(2018) e iew bo h c i ical ene s o widely used
p ac i ione -o ien ed change models. An icipa-
ion o o ganisa ional change was esea ched
by K ogh (2018) and Ra e y and Res ubog
(2017). Beycioglu and Kondakci (2021) discuss
he meaning o o ganisa ional change, change
dynamics, and he cu en s a e o deba es
on o ganisa ional change in schools. G aham
e al. (2022) examines o ganisa ional change
schola ship wi hin human se ice o ganisa ions
be ween 1968 and 2020. Wol e al. (2022)
in es iga ed he in e ela ionship be ween o -
ganisa ional lea ning and o ganisa ional cul u e
change. I an o ganisa ion is o be success ul,
i mus be able o emb ace he concep o o -
ganisa ional change o op imise pe o mance,
because i s eng hens he en e p ise o ace
he di icul ies o bo h ex e nal and in e nal
p oblems (Alsha a i, 2019).
In his ega d impo an issue o he o ga ni-
za ional changes is managemen o s akeholde s
ela ions, including employe b and de elopmen
(Samoliuk e al., 2022) and changes in CRM
using ad anced IT ools (Roshchyk e al., 2022).
In he cu en COVID-19 si ua ion, i is e en
mo e impo an o alk abou he changes in
he o ganisa ions as i has b ough change in
wo k-li e, managemen , and na u e o he wo k
(Amis & Janz, 2020). The global pandemic
o ces companies o espond o highly u bulen
condi ions and cons an ly adap o changing
condi ions (Hi ka e al., 2021). As unce ain y
abou he u he de elopmen o a global
pandemic emains e y high, o su i e and
s ay in he ma ke , business manage s a e
o ced o look o comp ehensi e solu ions
ha suppo he op imisa ion o hei business
and ans o ma ion p ocesses (Kucha číko á
& Mičiak, 2018; Lo inco a e al., 2022). En e -
p ises mus build an e ec i e s a egy o help
hem succeed in a highly compe i i e en i on-
men (Belas e al., 2020a; Hi ka e al., 2018;
Lo inco á e al., 2016). The e o e people in
business mus deal wi h addi ional s ains om
s akeholde s and socie y (Ga u o a e al.,
2020; Kozubiko a e al., 2015; Smekalo a
e al., 2014). To achie e a posi i e esponse
om employees, i is necessa y o in e connec
ac i i ies wi hin indi idual unc ions o human
esou ce managemen wi h desi ed alues, a -
i udes and wo k beha iou (Rozsa e al., 2022;
S acho e al., 2017; U banco a & V abco a,
2020). Acco ding o Hi ka e al. (2019) and S a-
cho e al. (2021) key manage ial compe encies
a e o c ea e a mo i a ing wo k en i onmen
and posi i e wo k a mosphe e.
O ganisa ional change is conside ed by
Aslam e al. (2018) as any ans o ma ion ha
occu s in one o he essen ial cha ac e is ics o
o ganisa ions (p ocesses, echnology, ou pu s,
s uc u e, cul u e, powe ela ions, beha iou ).
I is a p ocess ha se es o enew he o m and
goals o an o ganisa ion o se e he in e es s o
he o ganisa ion’s in e nal and ex e nal s ake-
holde s (Babalola e al., 2016). I can include
me ge s, acquisi ions, ou sou cing, downsizing,
o gene al o ganisa ional ans o ma ion (Ba -
ilana & Cascia o, 2012). The changes occu
as a esul o he conscious in e en ion o he
o ganisa ion’s managemen (Laza e ić e al.,
2020; Ne es e al., 2018). I he o ganisa ional
change was planned co ec ly, i is ul ima ely
success ul. On he o he hand, i he change
is no scheduled co ec ly, i is no success ul.
Change planning can be seen as a necessa y
pa o implemen ing change in en e p ise
(Dob o ič & Timko á, 2017). Some au ho s
desc ibe o ganisa ional changes as a neces-
si y o gain compe i i e ad an age. O cou se,
o al en e p ise imp o emen (inc easing pe -
o mance) is a sui able measu emen ool o
an o ganisa ional change (Ma inez & Po luka,
2015).
O ganisa ional changes o en equi e
sol ing decision – making asks on he use o
ou sou cing p inciples, o managemen o sup-
po business p ocesses by he o m o acil-
i y managemen (D o ský e al., 2020). In his
con ex , he esea ch esul s o Po kány e al.
(2021) and Kamodyo á e al. (2020) poin ed
ou he po en ial o imp o ing he quali y o
E+M_01_2023.indb 96 28.2.2023 10:02:47
97
2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
en e p ise p ocesses’ quali y and c ea ing
space and ime o manage he co e business
ac i i ies. The discussion abou bene i s esul -
ing om implemen a ion o acili y managemen
o o ganisa ional changes is p esen ed in he
esea ch o Goulden and Spence (2015) and
Pheng Low e al. (2019). Wha is essen ial when
i is possible o use he p inciples o ou sou cing
is cos sa ings. Po kany e al. (2016) deal wi h
he me hodology o quan i ying cos sa ings
om ou sou cing. The bene i s, and isks o his
manage ial app oach o change ha e also been
highligh ed. The e exis simila esea ch deal-
ing wi h he use o ou sou cing managemen
p inciples in p ac ice such as he esea ch o
Cal o (2018), and Kim e al. (2018).
The e can be a ious easons o o ganisa-
ional change. When an o ganisa ion decides
wha i wan s o change and wha p ocesses
and s uc u es i wan s o op imise, i is called
in e nal o olun a y change. In his case, he
o ganisa ion has he igh and oppo uni y o
plan he change, c ea e he p ope s uc u e o
achie e i s goals and op imise i s p ocesses.
Ex e nally d i en change is based on an ex e -
nal componen , o en e e ed o as coe cion o
p essu e. Acco ding o Ba ends e al. (2013)
an ex e nal ac o can be poli ical, economic,
o social p ocesses and hei impac on an o -
ganisa ion. An ex e nally igge ed change can
o en be con using o an o ganisa ion, as he e,
he s a e o equilib ium is dis up ed, which he
sys em hen ies o es o e. I is wo h adjus ing
he ac o s ha depend on us so ha he sys em
mo es in a di ec ion ha sui s us as a esul o
he e ec o he componen s ha bo h ely on us
and a e independen o us. I is impo an ha
he ha mony o s uc u es and p ocesses can
be el and ound in he o ganisa ional sys em.
O ganisa ional change can ans o m he
a i udes and beha iou o hose wo king in an
o ganisa ion (Muldoon, 2019). Indi iduals who
ha e p e iously unde gone changes a e mo e
likely o adap o change and he new sys ems
ha come wi h i mo e easily han indi iduals
who i s encoun e o ganisa ional change
(Lines, 2004). The leade in ol ed in he change
p ocess mus he e o e conside how o ensu e
ha employees do no ace sudden change
and ha he ques ion o why speci ic changes
ake place should o should no be add essed
(Ba ilana e al., 2010). The change mus be
communica ed o he employees, and a he
same ime, he employee mus unde s and hei
du ies o cla i y he ac i i ies ha s/he should
do and which s/he is esponsible o (Olexo a
& Gajdos, 2016). Un o una ely, change can
o en esul in esis ance o change in an o -
ganisa ion. Acco ding o Sup iya i e al. (2019)
i can ha e pe sonal o o ganisa ional easons.
Pe sonal easons can be mainly aced o psy-
chological ac o s: ea o some hing new, cling-
ing o he s a us quo, a oiding insecu i y. When
some hing new happens, man o en hinks he
cu en s a e is igh , and he does no know i he
will ge a be e o wo se pic u e wi h he change
a hand, so he decides he does no wan change
o happen. A simila a i ude is sha ed by Dahl
(2011). A man is no o en econciled o change
because he eels ha he will no be able o
comple e he new, unknown asks in ol ed a
he cu en (app op ia e) le el, so his may a -
ec his income. A mo e po en e sion o his
eason is when a man ea s educed income
and he job i sel . Resis ance can hen peak, as
losing one’s job can lead o exis en ial h ea s.
In such cases, a slowdown a wo k o a s ike is
ypical. In his con ex , Sil a e al. (2019) iden i-
ied eigh easons why people esis change in
an o ganisa ion. They a e he ollowings: loss o
s a us o job secu i y in he o ganisa ion, poo ly
aligned (non- ein o cing) ewa d sys ems, su -
p ise and ea o he unknown, pee p essu e,
a clima e o mis us , o ganisa ional poli ics,
ea o ailu e, aul y implemen a ion app oach,
so lack o ac o poo iming.
Tha is why he manage s mus in ol e
each o ganisa ion membe (i possible) in he
change p ocesses. The employees a e c ed-
ibly in o med abou he indi idual s eps (Ca e
e al., 2013). Leade s ha e an impo an ole in
managing o ganisa ional change and success-
ully managing esis ance o i . To unde s and
o ganisa ional change, i is necessa y o look
a o ganisa ions as li ing o ganisms ha canno
be disassembled and hen pu oge he in an-
o he way. An o ganisa ion is simul aneously an
occupa ional, o ganisa ional policy and a ional
esou ce alloca ion sys em, in which all employ-
ees o he o ganisa ion a e membe s o all h ee
me hods. O ganisa ions a e complex sys ems
in which essen ial o ganisa ional cha ac e is ics
mu ually de ine o in luence each o he . Thus,
du ing o ganisa ional changes, se e al o he
c ucial a ibu es o he o ganisa ion change
simul aneously (Heckmann e al., 2016).
In mos cases, he ex en o he change in
o ganisa ional cha ac e is ics is no o he same
E+M_01_2023.indb 97 28.2.2023 10:02:47
98 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
in ensi y. Du ing he changes, some aspec s
domina e and e en de e mine he change i sel .
Howe e , he manne and ex en o he impac
o hese cha ac e is ics on each o he a e di i-
cul o plan, and pe haps he mos complex ask
o manage s o o ganisa ional change is o ad-
d ess his complexi y (Wiedne e al., 2017).
2. Resea ch Me hodology
This pape aims o demons a e wha d i es
o ganisa ional change in Hunga ian small and
medium-sized en e p ises. This s udy in ends o
in es iga e he causal ela ionship be ween o -
ganisa ional change and employee beha iou .
The da a was collec ed using a ques ion-
nai e om Hunga ian small and medium-sized
en e p ises. The selec ion o ques ions was
based on a comp ehensi e li e a u e e iew.
In o de o con i m he ace alidi y o he
ques ionnai e i was p o ided o a g oup o
academics and expe s who p o ided eedback
on leng h, ele ance, cla i y, wo ding, con en ,
and o ma . A e inco po a ing he eedback in
he ques ionnai e, a pilo s udy was conduc ed
among Hunga ian SMEs (N = 15). In o de o
ensu e ele ance and consis ency o answe s
C onbach’s alpha coe icien was calcula ed o
he Like scale esponse op ions and Kude -
Richa dson Fo mula 20 (KR-20) was applied
o bina y ques ions. In o de o inc ease he
eliabili y o he su ey, wo ques ions had o
be elimina ed om he ques ionnai e due o
lowe in e nal consis ency alues. The coe -
icien alues o he inal lis o ques ions was
abo e 0.70, which is conside ed o be accep -
able (Co ina, 1993).
Con enience sampling has been selec ed
o he da a collec ion o his esea ch, and a o-
al o 420 pape -based ques ionnai es we e dis-
ibu ed o andom employees o he e alua ed
o ganisa ions. The employee pa icipa ing in he
su ey was selec ed using a andom numbe
gene a o based on he lis o employees. Du -
ing he da a collec ion he ques ionnai es we e
illed in h ough ace- o- ace in e iews. O he
dis ibu ed ques ionnai es, 215 we e e aluable,
esul ing in a comple ion a e o 51%. To a oid
disc epancy, e e y esponden was b ie ed
abou con iden iali y and he pu pose o he
esea ch. The su ey was conduc ed in he all
o 2021.
The a ge companies we e add essed
acco ding o he ollowing c i e ia: companies
ope a ing in Hunga y, small and medium-sized
en e p ises, he esponden mus be an
employee o he en e p ise, a limi o one
employee pe en e p ise was se o ill in he
ques ionnai e.
The inal ques ionnai e consis ed o o al
o 30 ques ions. The su ey s a ed wi h i e
demog aphic ques ions ega ding he espon-
den ’s gende , age, occupa ion, posi ion and
yea s ac i e a p esen wo kplace. This was
ollowed by he main body o he ques ion-
nai e consis ing o wo pa s. The i s sec ion
ocused on ques ions conce ning he espon-
den ’s pe sonal eelings and a i udes ela ed o
change in gene al (e.g., expe iences ela ed o
change, pe sonal de elopmen due o change).
The second pa add essed ques ions ega d-
ing o ganisa ional change a p esen wo kplace
and he leade ’s ole in his p ocess. These
ques ions ocused among o he s on he im-
po ance o change o bo h he employee and
he o ganisa ion, he in o ma ion- low e c. Re-
ga ding he composi ion o he ques ions, he
ques ionnai e con ained mul iple-choice ques-
ions, Like -scale ques ions and dicho omous
ques ions. The ques ionnai e in ol ed con ol
ques ions in o de o emo e he esponden s
who did no i he su ey c i e ia o mis epo ed.
The collec ed ques ionnai es we e abula -
ed o do he da a analysis p ocess. A e wa ds,
s a is ical me hods we e used. Mul i a ia e
s a is ical me hods we e used o e i y he
hypo heses whe e mainly wo-sample - es ,
con ingency able analysis and Pea son’s Chi-
squa e es we e applied. The SPSS S a is ics
so wa e was used o he e alua ion. Fac o
analysis is no a single s a is ical p ocedu e bu
a collec i e e m ha e e s o a se o mul i a i-
a e s a is ical echniques. The me hod is used
o da a comp ession and s uc u e explo a ion
and agg ega es he numbe o ini ial a iables
in o so-called ac o a iables ha a e no di-
ec ly obse able. Fac o analysis is used in
many cases as he i s o mul i a ia e analyses,
one eason being o il e ou mul icollinea i y
be ween a iables. Fac o analysis se es an
excellen pu pose in his case, as he esul ing
ac o s do no co ela e wi h each o he a all.
The a icle in e es was o e i y hese hypo h-
eses (H1–H4), which assume ha :
H1: The e exis a di e ence in a i udes o
he bene i o o ganiza ional change o em-
ployees who ha e unde gone o ganiza ional
change in he en e p ise and hose who ha e
no unde gone o ganiza ional change.
E+M_01_2023.indb 98 28.2.2023 10:02:47

99
2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
H2: The e exis a di e ence in a i udes o
he bene i o o ganiza ional change o he en-
e p ise be ween employees who ha e unde -
gone o ganiza ional change in he en e p ise
and hose who ha e no unde gone o ganiza-
ional change.
H3: The e exis a s a is ical dependence
be ween employees’ job and a i udes o o ga-
niza ional change.
H4: The e exis a con ingency be ween he
ex en o manage s’ ole in change and he well-
implemen ed na u e o he changes.
3. Resul s and Discussion
This chap e p esen s he main esul s o he
empi ical esea ch and hei compa ison wi h
he li e a u e in de ail. The sample (N = 215)
en ailed 49% o male and 51% o emale
pa icipan s. Acco ding o age, 29% o he e-
sponden s we e om 18 o 30 yea s, 39% we e
om 31 o 45 yea s, 26% we e om 46 o
60 yea s, and 6% we e 61 and olde . Respon-
den s o ming he sample o physical wo ke s
consis ed o 31%, whils he es comp ised in-
ellec ual wo ke s, o which 24% se ed in man-
age ial posi ions and 76% in non-manage ial
posi ions. As o he leng h o employmen a
he gi en wo kplace, 22% wo ked he e o less
han wo yea s, 25% wo ked be ween 2 and
5 yea s, 21% we e employed be ween 5 and
10 yea s, and 32% o he esponden s we e
employed a hei cu en wo kplace o mo e
han en yea s. As o changes in li e-impac ing
he esponden s, he majo i y (82%) s a ed hey
had expe ienced such. The inal e alua ion
sample included 178 ques ionnai es illed ou
by indi iduals who had al eady unde gone an
o ganisa ional change.
The impo ance o o ganisa ional changes
was poin ed ou by Budhi aja (2021). Changes
ake place di e en ly in each indi idual and
a e a ec ed by many ac o s. O ganisa ional
changes can cause nega i e and posi i e
eelings (Ma hews & Linski, 2016). The e o e,
esponden s’ gene al pe cep ions o change
we e su eyed in he i s s ep. The esponses
o esponden s who ha e al eady unde gone
o ganisa ional change we e e alua ed. O he
178 esponden s, 64.4% said hey see a chal-
lenge when he e is a change in hei li e.
41% o he esponden s ha e a neu al eeling
abou expe iencing he changes, and 22% said
ha hey ill i wi h nega i e emo ions and expe-
iences. Based on he esea ch esul , i can be
s a ed ha mo e han hal o he esponden s
(64.6%) hink posi i ely abou he changes
hey ha e expe ienced be o e. Such posi i e
esponse p o es ha esponden s no longe
objec in e ospec due o he changes ha
ha e aken place. The esul s ob ained a e con-
i med by Kee s e al. (2017), By e al. (2018)
and Roche ille e al. (2021).
Tab. 1 shows he esponden s’ answe s o
he e alua ion o he ole o he leade – a spe-
ci ic exp ession o he a i ude o he impo ance
o he leade in o ganisa ional change. Based
on he esul s, i can be s a ed ha he ole o
he leade in change is essen ial o e y impo -
an (46.2 o esponden s). In he conclusions o
hei s udy, Roche ille e al. (2021) s a e simila
esul s.
Tab. 2 shows he co ela ion ma ix as he
i s s ep o he ac o analysis, which se es o
illus a e he alues o he co ela ion be ween he
indi idual a iables which ha e been selec ed.
Based on he esul s om his ma ix, i can be
concluded ha he a iables a e sui able o ac o
analysis. The C onbach’s al a coe icien ’s alue
o Q1–Q7 was 0.89, which also suppo s i .
The nex s ep was he Ba le es , which
examines whe he he a iables in he popu-
la ion a e unco ela ed, ha is, whe he he
elemen s ou side he p incipal diame e o
he co ela ion ma ix only inad e en ly de i-
a e om ze o. The s a is ic o Ba le ’s es o
sphe ici y (Tab. 3) acqui es a p- alue o 0.000,
ha is, he null hypo hesis ha he implemen a-
ion o he sample co ela ion ma ix wi h he
conside ed a iables is a uni ma ix is ejec ed,
i.e., ac o analysis is sui able o ou da a.
No impo an
a all (%) Impo an (%) Ve y impo an (%) Mean De ia ion Va iance
5.1 46.2 46.2 2.46 0.643 0.413
Sou ce: own
Tab. 1: The impo ance o he ole o he leade in o ganisa ional change
E+M_01_2023.indb 99 28.2.2023 10:02:47
100 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
Tab. 3 also shows he Kaise -Meye -Olkin
(KMO) alue, which shows how sui able he
a iables a e o ac o analysis. Acco ding o
he KMO/MSA indica o , he a iables a e e y
sui able o ac o analysis, hei alue is 0.857,
which is highe han 0.8, so i can be classi ied
as e y good.
The o a ed componen ma ix in Tab. 4 di-
ided he ac o s in o wo componen s. The i s
ac o was called he p esence o leade s.
The ac o e lec s he a i ude o he employ-
ees as o whe he he manage s adequa ely
in o med he employees abou he change,
how much hey pa icipa ed in he change,
whe he he employees we e in o med abou
he change in ime, he manage s we e he e
du ing he change p ocess, whe he ongoing
suppo has been p o ided. This componen
ob ained ela i ely high alues, which can be
conside ed good. The a iable “manage s
suppo ed employees h oughou he change”
ecei ed he lowes alue, which is wo h
hinking abou , as he o he a iables ecei ed
high alues, so he e is some lack o suppo
o manage s he e – om he beginning o he
change p ocess. Compa ing hese esul s wi h
he li e a u e (Fuga e e al., 2012; Washing on
& Hacke , 2005), i can be concluded ha i
would indeed be impo an o manage s o
suppo employees du ing o ganisa ional
change. E.g., Peke şen and Tugay (2020)
add ha one eason he employees lea e he
en e p ise is being exposed o psychological
p essu e. The e o e, wo king condi ions a e
impo an o employee loyal y. In he con ex
o hese esul s, i is possible o highligh he
conclusions o S ou en e al. (2018), who iden-
i ied en e idence-based s eps in managing
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7
Q1: I know why a change was needed. 1 0.720 0.615 0.445 0.253 0.436 0.451
Q2: I hink he change was bene icial o
me oo. 0.720 1 0.648 0.448 0.316 0.465 0.48
Q3: I hink he change has bene i ed he
o ganisa ion. 0.615 0.648 1 0.469 0.297 0.46 0.530
Q4: Manage s suppo ed employees
h oughou he change. 0.445 0.448 0.469 1 0.605 0.737 0.718
Q5: How much do you hink he leade
was in ol ed in managing change? 0.253 0.316 0.297 0.605 1 0.611 0.599
Q6: Manage s p ope ly in o med
e e yone abou he change. 0.436 0.465 0.460 0.737 0.611 1 0.828
Q7: E e yone was in o med abou he
change in ime so ha hose in ol ed
could p epa e o i .
0.451 0.480 0.530 0.718 0.559 0.828 1
Sou ce: own
Type o es Value
KMO measu e o sampling adequacy 0.857
Ba le ’s es o sphe ici y
App ox. Chi-squa ed es 753.488
d 21
Sig. 0.000
Sou ce: own
Tab. 2: Co ela ion ma ix
Tab. 3: Kaise -Meye -Olkin (KMO) and Ba le ’s es
E+M_01_2023.indb 100 28.2.2023 10:02:47
101
2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
planned o ganisa ional change along wi h
implica ions o esea ch and p ac ice. An
impo an a ea o o ganisa ional change is mo-
i a ion, which helps build an e ec i e s a egy
and po en ial highly compe i i e en i onmen
(Hi ka e al., 2018; Lo inco á e al. 2016). Also,
Hi ka e al. (2019), and S acho e al. (2021)
highligh c ea ing a mo i a ing wo k en i on-
men and a posi i e wo k a mosphe e as a key
manage ial compe ency in he mo i a ion p o-
g amme. The o he ac o was called necessi y
and use ulness, which shows how well he
employees knew he pu pose o he change
and how use ul hey el i was o hemsel es
and he o ganisa ion. The highes alue was
gi en o he a iable acco ding o which he
employee knows why he change was neces-
sa y, which can also be linked o he ac ha
a su icien ly high alue came ou o he a i-
able manage s in o med e e yone abou he
change. The lowes alue in his ca ego y was
gi en o he a iable ha change was bene i-
cial o he o ganisa ion.
Tab. 5 shows ha he wo componen s
explain he o al a iance a 77.403%, o which
he i s componen is 41.993% and he o he
is 35.410%.
3.1 Hypo heses Tes ing
Du ing he yea s spen a he o ganisa ion, some
esponden s ha e unde gone a change(s),
while o he s ha e no . I was examined whe he
iews o employees we e simila on whe he he
change would be bene icial o he esponden
(Tab. 6). To do his, he hypo hesis H1 was
se up. To es his hypo hesis a wo-sample
- es was used.
H1: The e exis a di e ence in a i udes o
he bene i o o ganiza ional change o em-
ployees who ha e unde gone o ganiza ional
change in he en e p ise and hose who ha e
no unde gone o ganiza ional change.
Componen
P esence o leade s Role o change
Q6: Manage s p ope ly in o med e e yone abou
he change. 0.853
Q5: How much do you hink he leade was
in ol ed in managing change? 0.834
Q7: E e yone was in o med abou he change in
ime so ha hose in ol ed could p epa e o i . 0.827
Q4: Manage s suppo ed employees h oughou
he change. 0.812
Q1: I know why he change was needed. 0.871
Q2: I hink he change was bene icial o me oo. 0.862
Q3: I hink he change has bene i ed he
o ganisa ion. 0.800
Sou ce: own
Componen Values a e o a ion
To al % o a iance % Cumula i e
1. Lead 2.940 41.993 41.993
2. Use ulness 2.479 35.410 77.403
Sou ce: own
Tab. 4: Ro a ed componen ma ix
Tab. 5: To al a iance explained
E+M_01_2023.indb 101 28.2.2023 10:02:48
102 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
The accep ance ange does no include
he c i ical alue; he e o e, he null hypo h-
esis was ejec ed, i.e., he a i udes o he
wo g oups canno be conside ed he same
(p = 0.0283). Based on hese, he hypo hesis
H1 was accep ed, so he a i udes abou he
bene i o o ganiza ional o he wo g oups o
employees a e di e en . Simila esul s we e
ob ained by Sil a e al. (2019). This s udy
con i ms ha people in an o ganisa ion will
always e alua e he bene i o any change.
In connec ion wi h o ganisa ional change, he
esponden ’s iews we e simila on whe he
he change would be bene icial o he o gan-
isa ion (Tab. 7). In connec ion wi h his, he
hypo hesis H2 se up. To es he hypo hesis
a wo-sample - es was used.
H2: The e exis a di e ence in a i udes
o he bene i o o ganiza ional change o
he en e p ise be ween employees who ha e
unde gone o ganiza ional change in he en-
e p ise and hose who ha e no unde gone
o ganiza ional change.
The accep ance ange con ains he c i i-
cal alue. The e o e, he null hypo hesis was
accep ed, i.e., he a i udes o he wo g oups
o employees o he bene i o o ganiza ional
change o he en e p ise can be conside ed
he same (p = 0.872).
Based on he li e a u e, mos o he
changed employees conside he o ganisa-
ional changes o be necessa y and good
(Ko sakienė, 2006; So a & Ki an, 2014).
The s udy esul s o K ogh (2018) a gues ha
esis ance o o ganisa ional change may be
be e unde s ood as esis ance o ha ing o
gi e up ins i u ionalised igh s and esponsibili-
ies. This pape o e s a concep ual model ha
enables he sys ema ic analysis o he ela-
ional mechanisms a wo k when o ganisa ional
I hink he change would be
use ul o me oo
I hink he change has been
use ul o me oo
Mean 3.487 3.763
Va iance 0.414 0.807
Obse a ions 39 177
d 75
-s a −2.236
P (T ≤ ) wo- ail 0.0283
C i ical wo- ail 1.992
Sou ce: own
I belie e he change would
bene i he o ganisa ion
I belie e he change has
bene i ed he o ganisa ion
Mean 3.769 3.75
Va iance 0.340 0.943
Obse a ions 39 176
d 92
-s a 0.162
P (T ≤ ) wo- ail 0.872
C i ical wo- ail 1.986
Sou ce: own
Tab. 6: Two-sample - es assuming unequal a iances
Tab. 7: Two-sample - es assuming unequal a iances
E+M_01_2023.indb 102 28.2.2023 10:02:48
109
2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
Lines, B. C., Sulli an, K. T., Smi hwick, J.
B., & Mischung, J. (2015). O e coming esis-
ance o change in enginee ing and cons uc-
ion: Change managemen ac o s o owne
o ganiza ions. In e na ional Jou nal o P ojec
Managemen , 33(5), 1170–1179. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1016/j.ijp oman.2015.01.008
Lo inco a, S., Miklosik, A., & Hi ka, M.
(2022). The ole o co po a e cul u e in econom ic
de elopmen o small and medium-sized en e -
p ises. Technological and Economic De elop-
men o Economy, 28(1), 220–238. h ps://doi.o g/
10.3846/ ede.2021.15983
Lo inco á, S., Schmid o á, J., & Balážo á,
Ž. (2016). Pe cep ion o he co po a e cul u e
by manage s and blue colla wo ke s in Slo ak
wood-p ocessing businesses. Ac a Facul-
a is Xylologiae, 58(2), 149–163. h ps://doi.
o g/10.17423/a x.2016.58.2.16
Ma inez, F., & Po luka, O. (2015). Does he
EU unding inc ease compe i i eness o i ms
by suppo ing o ganisa ional changes? Jou nal
o Compe i i eness, 7(2), 23–37. h ps://doi.
o g/10.7441/joc.2015.02.02
Ma hews, B. & Linski, C.M. (2016). Shi ing
he pa adigm: Ree alua ing esis ance o o -
ganisa ional change. Jou nal o O ganiza ional
Change Managemen , 29(6), 963–972. h ps://
doi.o g/10.1108/jocm-03-2016-0058
Mendy, J. (2020). S a p e e ences in ou
SMEs expe iencing o ganisa ional change.
Jou nal o O ganiza ional Change Manage-
men , 33(2), 331–348. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/
jocm-06-2017-0206
Me zke , Z., & Z a iko a, K. (2021). The
pe cep ion o company employees by SMEs
wi h CSR concep implemen a ion. In e na ion-
al Jou nal o En ep eneu ial Knowledge, 9(1),
81–96. h ps://doi.o g/10.37335/IJEK.V9I1.128
Muldoon, J. (2019). Ku Lewin: O ganiza ion-
al change. In: The Palg a e handbook o man-
agemen his o y (pp. 1–18). Palg a e Macmillan.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-319-62348-1_32-1
Ne es, P., Almeida, P., & Velez, M. J.
(2018). Reducing in en ions o esis u u e
change: Combined e ec s o commi men -
based HR p ac ices and e hical leade ship. Hu-
man Resou ce Managemen , 57(1), 249–261.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1002/h m.21830
Olexo a, C., & Gajdos, J. (2016). Logis ics
simula ion game p oposal – A ool o employ-
ees’ induc ion. Quali y Inno a ion P ospe -
i y – K ali a Ino acia P ospe i a, 20(2), 53–68.
h ps://doi.o g/10.12776/QIP.V20I2.753
Peke şen, Y., & Tugay, O. (2020). P o es-
sional sa is ac ion as a key ac o in employee
e en ion: A case o he se ice sec o . Jou nal
o Tou ism and Se ices, 11(20), 1–27. h ps://
doi.o g/10.29036/jo s. 11i20.123
Pe ig ew, A. M., Woodman, R. W., & Cam-
e on, K. S. (2017). S udying o ganiza ional
change and de elopmen . Challenges o Fu-
u e Resea ch, 44(4), 697–713.
Pheng Low, S., Gao, S., & Wan Leng
Ng, E. (2019). Fu u e- eady p ojec and a-
cili y managemen g adua es in Singapo e
o Indus y 4.0: T ans o ming mindse s and
compe encies. Enginee ing, Cons uc ion and
A chi ec u al Managemen , 28(1), 270–290.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/ECAM-08-2018-0322
Po kány M., S asiak-Be lejewska R., Ko áč
R., & Gejdoš M. (2016). Ou sou cing in condi-
ions o SMEs – The po en ial o cos sa ings.
Polish Jou nal o Managemen S udies, 13(1),
145–156.
Po kány, M., Kamodyo á, P., S asiak-
Be lejewska, R., & Lesníko á, P. (2021). Na u e
and po en ial ba ie s o acili y managemen
in manu ac u ing en e p ises. Polish Jou nal o
Managemen S udies, 23(1), 327–340. h ps://
doi.o g/10.17512/pjms.2021.23.1.20
Ra e y, A. E., & Res ubog, S. L. D. (2017).
Why do employees’ pe cep ions o hei o gani-
sa ion’s change his o y ma e ? The ole o
change app aisals. Human Resou ce Manage-
men , 56(3), 533–550. h ps://doi.o g/10.1002/
h m.21782
Roche ille, K., Keys, C. B., & Ba -
unek, J. M. (2021). Ex e nal communi ies as
ini ia o s o o ganiza ional change. Jou nal o
Applied Beha io al Science, 57(4), 415–420.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1177/00218863211045469
Roshchyk, I., Oliinyk, O., Mishchuk, H.,
& Bilan, Y. (2022). IT p oduc s, e-comme ce,
and g ow h: Analysis o links in eme ging ma -
ke . T ans o ma ions in Business & Economics,
21(1), 209–227.
Rozsa, Z., Tupa, M., Belas, J., J ., Me zke ,
Z., & Sule , P. (2022). CSR concep ion and i s
p ospec i e implemen a ion in he SMEs busi-
ness o Viseg ad coun ies. T ans o ma ions in
Business & Economics, 21(55), 274–289.
Rozsa, Z., Fo mánek, I., & Maňák, R.
(2019). De e mining he ac o s o he em-
ployees’ in en ion o s ay o lea e in he
Slo ak’s SMEs. In e na ional Jou nal o En e-
p eneu ial Knowledge, 7(2), 63–72. h ps://doi.
o g/10.37335/ijek. 7i2.94
E+M_01_2023.indb 109 28.2.2023 10:02:49

110 2023, olume 26, issue 1, pp. 94–110, DOI: 10.15240/ ul/001/2023-1-006
Business Adminis a ion and Managemen
Samoliuk, N., Bilan, Y., Mishchuk, H.,
& Mishchuk, V. (2022). Employe b and: Key
alues in luencing he in en ion o join a com-
pany. Managemen & Ma ke ing. Challenges o
he Knowledge Socie y, 17(1), 61–72. h ps://
doi.o g/10.2478/mmcks-2022-0004
Sgha i, A. (2016). Can he s a ecogni-
ion ensu e planned p ocess o o ganisa ional
change? Jou nal o O ganiza ional Change
Managemen , 29(5), 782–792. h ps://doi.
o g/10.1108/jocm-11-2015-0206
Sil a, L. V., Anholon, R., Rampasso, I. S.,
Sil a, D., Quelhas, O. L. G., Leal Filho, W.,
& San a-Eulalia, L. A. (2019). C i ical analysis
o o ganisa ional change p ocess: E idences
om a s eel company. Business P ocess Man-
agemen Jou nal, 26(6), 1525–1540. h ps://
doi.o g/10.1108/bpmj-05-2019-0199
Skea, R. (2021). Leade ship, o ganiza ional
change and sensemaking. Rou ledge.
Smekalo a, L., Hajek, O., Belas, J.,
& Machacek, J. (2014). Pe cep ion o small and
medium en ep eneu ship in he Czech Repub-
lic. Jou nal o Compe i i eness, 6(4), 41–49.
h ps://doi.o g/10.7441/joc.2014.04.03
So a , K., & Ki an, R. (2014). Theo e ical
amewo k o unde s and he impac o o ga-
niza ional change on he o ganiza ional com-
mi men . Jou nal o Social Sciences Resea ch,
5(1), 618–624. h ps://doi.o g/10.24297/jss .
5i1.6656
S acho, Z., S acho á, K., Hudáko á, M.,
& S asiak-Be lejewska, R. (2017). Employee
adap a ion as key ac i i y in human esou ce
managemen upon implemen ing and main-
aining desi ed o ganisa ional cul u e. Se -
bian Jou nal o Managemen , 12(2), 305–315.
h ps://doi.o g/10.5937/sjm12-10340
S acho, Z., S acho á, K., Va ečko á, Ľ.,
& Ma úšo á, J. G. (2021). Di ec ion o busi-
nesses ope a ing in Slo akia o de elop key
manage ial compe encies. P oduc ion Engi-
nee ing A chi es, 27(4), 291–295. h ps://doi.
o g/10.30657/pea.2021.27.39
S ojano ic Aleksic, V., Zi ko ic, S., & Bos-
ko ic, A. (2014). O ganiza ional change esis-
ance: Expe ience om public sec o . Jou nal
o Economic and Social De elopmen , 1(2),
109–124.
S ou en, J., Rousseau, D. M., & C eme , D.
(2018). Success ul o ganisa ional change: In e-
g a ing he managemen p ac ice and schola ly
li e a u e. The Academy o Managemen An-
nals, 12(2), 752–788. h ps://doi.o g/10.5465/
annals.2016.0095
Sup iya i, S., Udin, U., Wahyudi, S., & Mah-
udz, M. (2019). In es iga ing he ela ionships
be ween o ganiza ional change, o ganiza ional
clima e, and o ganiza ional pe o mance. In e -
na ional Jou nal o Financial Resea ch, 10(6),
80–88. h ps://doi.o g/10.5430/ij . 10n6p88
Taylo -Bianco, A., & Sche me ho n, J.
(2006). Sel - egula ion, s a egic leade ship
and pa adox in o ganisa ional change. Jou -
nal o O ganiza ional Change, 1(4), 457–470.
h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/09534810610676662
U banco a, H., & V abco a, P. (2020). Age
managemen as a human esou ces manage-
men s a egy wi h a ocus on he p ima y sec o
o he Czech Republic. Ag icul u al Economics
– Zemedelska Ekonomika, 66(6), 251–259.
h ps://doi.o g/10.17221/11/2020-AGRICECON
Valleala, U. M., He anen, S., Collin, K.,
& Paloniemi, S. (2015). Fos e ing lea ning
oppo uni ies h ough employee pa icipa ion
amid o ganisa ional change. Voca ions and
Lea ning, 8(1), 1–34. h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/
s12186-014-9121-0
Washing on, M., & Hacke , M. (2005).
Why change ails: Knowledge coun s. Leade -
ship & O ganiza ion De elopmen Jou nal,
26(5), 400–411. h ps://doi.o g/10.1108/
01437730510607880
Wiedne , R., Ba e , M., & Obo n, E.
(2017). The eme gence o change in unexpec -
ed places: Resou cing ac oss o ganisa ional
p ac ices in s a egic change. Academy o Man-
agemen Jou nal, 60(3), 823–854. h ps://doi.
o g/10.5465/amj.2014.0474
Wol , P., Ve ma, S., Koche , P. Y., Be n-
ha , M. J., & Miessne , J. Q. (2022). In sea ch
o he s udying he in e ela ionship be-
ween o ganiza ional lea ning and o ganiza-
ional cul u e change. Jou nal o O ganiza ional
Change Managemen , 35(1), 135–164. h ps://
doi.o g/10.1108/JOCM-08-2020-0234
E+M_01_2023.indb 110 28.2.2023 10:02:49