I__. - International Military Testing Association

Level
c Consequences
of Changes
Fimre 1. Proposed model of acceptance of institutionalizalion of change.
1 Acceptance of
b Institutionalization
of Change
According to the model, LEVEL in the organization (i.e., first-line supervisors, managers)
and CLIMATE represent exogenous variables. LEVEL was included because descrjptions of .
organizational climate differ among hierarchical levels within an organization. Payne and
Mansfield (1973), for example, reported that those individuals who were higher on the
organizational hierarchy tended to perceive their organization as more democratic, friendly, and
ready to innovate than those who were lower. As conveyed in the model, CLIMATE has a direct
influence on specific aspects of the three changes that were being implemented. Organizational
climate was expected to affect the extent to which specific changes produce benefits, because a
change is more likely to succeed in an organization where the climate is open, accommodating
to change, and in general positive. The combined effects of the specific changes in turn should
significantly affect (increase or decrease) managers’ and supervisors’ ability to manage
personnel-related matters in their work (CONSEQUENCES OF CHANGES). These perceived effects
were expected to have a direct bearing on their willingness to institutionalize the particular set
of changes that were being implemented (ACCEPTANCE OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF CHANGE).
This index was included because previous research (Berman & McLaughlin, 1978) suggested that
the question of institutionalization of a change is distinctly separate from that of
implementation. Berman and McLaughlin concluded that initial adoption of a change does not
ensure implementation nor does successful implementation necessarily ensure continuation of the
change. It was hypothesized that in this study the perceived success of the changes during the
implementation phase, as gauged by assessment of specific aspects of the changes (SPECIFIC
CHANGES), and the perceived consequences (CONSEQUENCES OF CHANGES), which are to some
extent determined by the climate of the organization will tend to produce broad based support,
which would be instrumental in promoting the continuation of the changes (ACCEPTANCE OF
INSTITUTIONALIZATION OF CHANGE). .
Method and Procedures
Oreanizations
Three Department of Defense (DOD) organizations, which provide logistical support for the
armed services, served as research sites. Their functions include storing, shipping, and issuing
materials and monitoring contracts with private sector businesses. They are are staffed by civil
service employees and a few military officers in top management positions.
Subiects
The data in this study were based on the questionnaire responses of a random sample of
211 supervisors and managers from first-line level and above.
Innovations
As part of a 3-year experiment designed to improve human resource management, n
package of three changes was proposed and implemented at each of the three sites. One change
involved the Delegation of Classification Authority to line management, allowing those most
familiar with positions under them to assign series and grades to jobs rather than having
personnelists do so. The second change, Nonpunitive Discipline, was established to substitu:c
letters of warning for reprimands and short suspensions. The initiative was intended to imprc:r:e
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