Resistance to Organizational Change and the Value of Communication: the case of Volvo Cars Human Resources Department

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the consequences of Human Resource (HR) transformation from an individual perspective. With the theory brought up by Ulrich, HR transformation is a process and means for organizations to restructure in order to deliver the right support in the HR area to be more global and competitive. This study investigates how employees react to change and resistance. What kinds of resistance they have may determine the success of the implemented change. It’s common that employee resistance comes along with change process and it is interesting to investigate how HR transformation has influenced individual’s work and attitude. The research was conducted at Volvo Cars Corporation in Gothenburg by collecting data from several semi-structured interviews. The study showed that HR transformation at Volvo Cars still has a long way to go since respondents expressed their reflections with negative feelings. Also communication plays an important role in how employees react to change.