Exploring reports of employee misbehaviour with narratives of organisational change

This paper presents findings from an interpretivist study of employee experiences of organisational change with specific emphasis on reports of misbehaviour. Acts of misbehaviour are reported by employees as being a consequence of management behaviour throughout periods of change rather than resistance to the change process itself. Participants reported that management failed to communicate information about change to employees and were unwilling to accept feedback from staff, which employees suggest was contradictory to organisational norms. Findings suggest that differences between resistance to change and engagement in misbehaviour aimed at addressing dissatisfaction caused by change need to be addressed and that further studies of the impact that both management and employee behaviours have on organisations as well as other staff are required.