Pervasive but Elusive: Emotions and the Change Equation

It is probably no secret that emotions and change go hand in hand. Whether the change is positive or negative, there is most likely an emotion (or two) accompanying each individual’s response to that change event. But what role do emotions play?

I recently concluded a rapid evidence assessment to learn more about this topic (Jarrett, J., 2025, Unpublished manuscript). The research highlighted emotions’ role in employee resistance to organizational change. I explored change from different theorist perspectives (e.g., Lewin, Bridges, Kotter), but I used Leon Festinger’s Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (1957) as my theoretical foundation. I chose Festinger’s model because, in its simplest form, this theory aligns most closely with the target of my study, emotions.

Have you ever experienced discomfort or uneasiness because you behaved in a way that did not align with or match your values and beliefs? You were experiencing cognitive dissonance! How many of us have resolved to exercise more or eat better as we nestled into our favorite seat with our favorite snack and a good book or movie, only to feel guilty later? That guilt is the dissonance or disconnect between your actions and how you believe you should have acted or the greater value you placed on exercise and diet. In a change event, we might experience that same disconnect or discomfort at the change in status quo. In the context of my study, I attempted to identify the role our emotions play in explaining how or why cognitive dissonance affects our resistance to change (Jarrett, J., 2025, Unpublished manuscript pp 13-14).  

To accomplish this task, I conducted an abbreviated literature review and critical appraisal of seven scholarly works (Borges et al., 2020; Cocieru et al., 2019; Deline, 2019; Doeze Jager et al., 2022; Malhotra et al., 2021; Schulz-Knapp et al., 2019; Sverdlik & Oreg, 2023). The studies were helpful in that they each focused on organizational change from a slightly different perspective. This breadth of information helped me better understand the complexity of change. Unfortunately, this limited study did not yield enough data to answer my research question, How do negative emotions generated by cognitive dissonance mediate employee perceptions and resistance to organizational change? (Jarrett, J., 2025, p 14). However, I am hopeful I will continue my study of this topic this year as I complete my doctoral dissertation. This blog will be my tool to post my progress, celebrate successes, and reframe frustrations. If interested, I welcome you to journey with me over the next several months.

References

*Borges, R., & Quintas, C. A. (2020). Understanding the individual’s reactions to the organizational change: a multidimensional approach. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 33(5), 667–681. Https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-09-2019-0279

*Cocieru, O. C., Lyle, M. C. B., Hindman, L. C., & McDonald, M. A. (2019). The “Dark Side” of psychological ownership during times of change. Journal of Change Management, 19(4), 266–282. Https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2019.1584121

*Deline, M. B. (2019). Framing resistance: Identifying frames that guide resistance interpretations at work. Management Communication Quarterly, 33(1), 39–67. Https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318918793731

*Doeze Jager, S. B., Born, M. P., & Van Der Molen, H. T. (2022). The relationship between organizational trust, resistance to change and adaptive and proactive employees’ agility in an unplanned and planned change context. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 71(2), 436–460. Https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12327

Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA.

Jarrett, J. (2025).  Smith, J.D. (2021). Emotions run deep: How emotions mediate employee resistance to organizational change. [Unpublished manuscript]. 

*Malhotra, N., Zietsma, C., Morris, T., & Smets, M. (2021). Handling resistance to change when societal and workplace logics conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 66(2), 475–520. Https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839220962760

*Schulz-Knappe, C., Koch, T., & Beckert, J. (2019). The importance of communicating change: Identifying predictors for support and resistance toward organizational change processes. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 24(4), 670–685. Https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-04-2019-0039

*Sverdlik, N., & Oreg, S. (2023). Beyond the individual‐level conceptualization of dispositional resistance to change: Multilevel effects on the response to organizational change. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 44(7), 1066–1077. Https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2678