Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
Loading next page...
/lp/sage/crafting-a-change-message-and-delivering-it-with-success-an-mSVRYbNyzR
- Publisher
- SAGE
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2020
- ISSN
- 0021-8863
- eISSN
- 1552-6879
- DOI
- 10.1177/0021886320920361
- Publisher site
- See Article on Publisher Site
Abstract
One primary mechanism through which leaders influence others in the context of organizational change is their rhetoric. While planning change communication, it is important for a change agent to craft the appropriate message content to foster employees’ commitment to change. Furthermore, the literal meaning of a message can be strengthened by the way it is delivered. This study investigates the content of a change message and how it is articulated by the leader using a vignette-based experimental study. Based on a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design, 200 participants are assigned to one of the eight hypothetical change scenarios that vary by change message content, message delivery, and change context. The results show the impact of rational versus emotional content and message content versus delivery on commitment differ based on secure or insecure contexts. This study provides cues for practitioners to design change messages to obtain commitment to change.
Journal
The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science: A Publication of the NTL Institute – SAGE
Published: Mar 1, 2022