The impact of a large scale organisational change programme on psychological contracts

Abstract

This research is intended to provide insight into the impact of large scale organisational change on the psychological contracts of the three main employee groupings present in the South African workplace. This study is important in that it seeks to assess whether organisational change moderates or reinforces differences among the three social identities, namely Africans; Coloureds, Indians and White females (the so-called “middle group”); and White males. Within the context of large scale organisational change, this research showed significant differences among the social identities with respect to perceptions of the employer’s obligation to them and vice versa, loyalty to the organisation, opportunities for internal advancement, performance of duties beyond the normal scope for work, employment security, intent to leave the organisation and job satisfaction. Owing to the presence of distinct social groupings in the workplace, organisational change management strategies that differentiate between the groups to address their specific concerns are required to embed and sustain organisational changes and to create a unified culture, with which all demographic groupings can affiliate, to enhance a sense of belonging.