Management Practices that Lead to Successful Change Initiatives in the AEC Industry: An Interdisciplinary Approach

9 pages•Published: June 9, 2021

Abstract

In today’s rapidly changing market, effective organizational change adoption has become a core competency for many Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) organizations to maintain competitiveness. Many barriers and hindrances stand in the way of the successful adoption of an organizational change initiative, with employee’s resistance to change being primary among them. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between utilizing specific change management practices for achieving a successful change adoption and favorable employee reaction to that change. A data set of 428 change initiatives from numerous AEC organizations across North America was analyzed. The results show that certain practices such as utilizing change agents to support the change adoption, providing a realistic timescale of the change to the users (and keeping them updated with the progress of change), utilizing the practice of communicating the benefits of change, and providing training resources to the employee, can contribute to both a successful change adoption and favorable employee reaction. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by analyzing an under-researched dimension of change adoption in the AEC industry. This study also helps industry practitioners by identifying key organizational change management practices for successful adoption of change and favorable employee reactions to change.

Keyphrases: Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC), Change Adoption, Employee Reaction, Organizational Change Management (OCM) practices

In: Tom Leathem, Anthony J. Perrenoud and Wesley Collins (editors). ASC 2021. 57th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 2, pages 82--90

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/RNK8
	https://doi.org/10.29007/gdj6