Perceived organizational support and attitudes toward organizational change : the moderating role of perceived supervisor support

Abstract

Research on organizational change has identified the crucial role of the employees in whether or not a change initiative is successful. Due to the calling for more research on antecedents to change attitudes, the purpose of this study was to investigate perceived organizational support as an antecedent to attitudes toward organizational change, and whether such a relationship would be moderated by perceived supervisor support. The results from two cross-sectional surveys among 258 employees in two Norwegian private-sector companies showed that there is a direct positive relationship between perceived organizational support and attitudes toward organizational change. As hypothesized, this relationship is moderated by perceived supervisor support. The form of the moderation revealed a positive relationship only for high levels of perceived supervisor support. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.