Discourses of Change or Stability: Organizational Dissent Effectiveness as the Product of Messages and Goals

• In Event: Change We Can Believe In: Stability and Change in Organizations

Abstract

Dissent has been linked to a number of positive outcomes, which means that researchers and dissenters can benefit from better understanding the factors affecting dissent expressions and dissent effectiveness. This study tested connections between dissent effectiveness and the messages and goals of dissent conversations. Goals accounted for the greatest variance in effectiveness, indicating that “effectiveness” is not about removing a dissatisfying circumstance but expressing dissent in ways that accomplish the varied goals that motivate dissent.

Author

• Johny Garner, Pepperdine University