Determining the nature of resistance to change in Greek hospitals. The influence of job satisfaction

OBJECTIVE To assess the nature of resistance to change in healthcare professionals and to evaluate the association between resistance and job satisfaction as factors influencing organizational change management. METHOD A total of 1,354 nurses from 19 general public hospitals of the Regions of Attica and the Peloponnese were enrolled in survey conducted from September 2019 to March 2020. Data collection was carried out through a battery of self-reported, validated into the Greek language, questionnaires: the Resistance to Change scale (RTC), and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ short-form). All statistical tests were performed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26.0 software at a=5% significance level. RESULTS With regards to resistance, health workers presented a lower score than the one theoretically expected, as measured by the six-point RTC scale, in the overall RTC score, as well as in all factors (routine seeking, emotional reaction, short-term focus), except for cognitive rigidity (3.85 +/- 0.90, p<0.001). Participants also demonstrated lower than average scores regarding job satisfaction. As for the association between the scores of the investigated factors, the results revealed dynamic statistically significant (p<0.001) relationships between resistance and job satisfaction, both positive and negative, depending on the resistance's behavioral, emotional, or cognitive nature. CONCLUSIONS Dispositional resistance to change does not appear to be a dominant trait among nursing staff employed at Greek public hospitals. However, mental rigidity and closed-mindedness seem to be the main reason why these professionals ultimately resist change. The predictive value of this knowledge may provide an ability for healthcare organizations to transform resistance to change into a tool for achieving targeted actions during the management of organizational changes.