Organizational Change as a Potential Risk Factor for Employee Health - A prospective study of organizational change, empowering leadership, work predictability and employee health

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine whether organizational changes predicted employee health, and whether empowering leadership moderated and work predictability mediated this potential relationship. Eight types of organizational changes were investigated, and the assessed health outcomes were self-estimated general health and neck pain. It was found that more extensive organizational changes were associated With impaired employee health in the cross-sectional analyses. However, no significant results were found in the prospective analyses. Although some of the organizational changes were related to adverse health outcomes, it was not found a basis of assuming that organizational changes had a substantial influence on employee health. Nevertheless, extensice changes could be seen as a potential risk factor for employee health. Work predictability was found to partially mediate the relationship between organizational changes and employee health in cross-sectional analyses. It was not found sufficient support for indicating that the relationship between organizational changes and employee health was dependent upon the level of empowering leadership, even though empowering leadership was associated With better employee health.