Reflections on Employees’ Lived Experiences of Organisational Change

The paper draws on the lived experiences of change for employees working in SMEs whose business’s future became highly challenged in a volatile, competitive UK market environment. The empirical materials provide the basis for this paper as links to existing studies enhance its additional insights. The examination of two models, namely the Universal and Contingency Models, whose assumptions in supporting similarly challenged employees and organisations were found to have fallen short of the anticipated promises in the four SMEs studied. From the empirical responses and as a contribution to the models, it proved possible to identify a change management approach that could help organisations that have been similarly challenged in recognising individuals’ expertise. The capability of becoming an expert highlighted that employees became resilient and goal-directed as they were able to take action given the types of challenges they faced. Implications for organisational change research and management practice are highlighted.