Edinburgh Napier University

  “Change” has never been as drastic as in 2020 compared to previous years. Technological advancements have always been a major driving force for changes in many high-tech companies. The escalating trade wars between the US & China, Hong Kong / China sovereignty and the Brexit have caused major disruption in the global markets and supply chains. The Covid-19 pandemic had become the latest catalyst in propelling technology adoption such as video conferencing, e-learning, contactless transactions, online-shopping etc. All these events are compelling Singapore companies to hasten innovations and change their old ways of operation. The study of change is not new with much literature, journals and models developed. While previous studies are mainly directed at the top & middle management level, what set this research apart from most studies is that it focuses on blue-collar workers in the Singapore Semiconductor sector. The aim of this research was to explore Singapore’s blue-collar worker perceptions on organizational change management approaches in the semiconductor industry. Swift transformational change brought about by disruptive innovations and companies wanting to survive from competition can result in opposition among these workers expressed as resistance to change. Resistance to change is an important factor during organizational change. Hence, understanding their perceptions and response to change can aid stakeholders in their planning and execution of change initiatives.
Adopting a post-positive philosophical paradigm, cross-sectional mixed-methods design, the study captured both statistical and contextual data. It was an appropriate strategy as it achieved triangulation of the findings with multiple types of data. Using 3 analytical approaches, it was found that Group Dynamics among the blue-collar workers is a critical consideration for change. While Training, Participation, and Communication were found to invoke positive perceptions and reduce resistance to change, the study revealed deeper contextual interpretations and their influencing effects towards blue-collar workers. It was found that workers with between 1 to 5 years of experience in the semiconductor industry have the highest tendency to resign compared to other groups. Contrary to many studies, workers display more openness and lower resistance to change as they age. Recommendations are made according to the findings. Recommendations were also made for future researches as more research is needed to understand this vulnerable group.