Exhibiting resistance during an organizational transformation: The telecommunications industry in Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how employees reacted by the manifestation of resistant behaviours and attitudes during an organizational transformation in the telecommunication industry of Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative multiple case study using two organizations. Data was obtained primarily through interviews from twenty employees. Seven (7) participants were interviewed from MTN Ghana and thirteen (13) participants from AIRTEL Ghana. Both managers and non-managers were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify relevant themes. The main theme determined from the analysis of data is: Manifestation of resistance and the accompanying sub-themes are Active resistance and Passive resistance. The main drawback of this research is due to the fact that it was limited to only two organizations. Participant selection bias is also a limitation. The study is a contribution to resistance to change theory since there is virtually no research conducted in the area studied in Ghana especially in the telecommunications industry.