Dutch energy transition : are installation companies ready for the energy transition? : a qualitative study of readiness for change

(1)

Dutch Energy Transition: Are installation companies ready for the energy transition?

A qualitative study of readiness for change

Joris Stevens 11033363 Supervisor: Dhr. W.H. Dorresteijn BSc Business administration University of Amsterdam Date: June 26, 2018 Words: 9515

(2)

2

Statement of originality

This document is written by Student Joris Stevens who declares to take full responsibility for the contents of this document. I declare that the text and the work presented in this document are original and that no sources other than those mentioned in the text and its references have been used in creating it. The Faculty of Economics and Business is responsible solely for the supervision of completion of the work, not for the contents.

(3)

3

Acknowledgements

First, I would like to thank my supervisor Dhr. W. H. Dorresteijn for his support, guidance and very helpful feedback during this process. Secondly, I would also like thank Lobbezoo B.V., J. Distel B.V. and Waterland Installatietechniek v.o.f. for their time and valuable input during the interviews.

(4)

4

Abstract

As a result of the energy transition, installation companies need to change their products, technology and acquire new knowledge. Although installation companies need to implement an organisational change, it is not clear if they are ready to do so. Drawing on relevant theories and on Armenakis and Harris’s (2002) readiness for organisational change model, this thesis analyses the readiness for change of three installation companies. One manager was interviewed from each of these small firms. The interviews were semi-structured and the qualitative data was coded to create a clear picture of the installation companies’ readiness for organisational change. The main conclusion is that, according to the readiness for change model, the installation companies are for the most part not ready for organisational change. Therefore, the installation companies need to improve their readiness before implementing organisational changes. This research also provides some advice to the installation companies.

(5)

5

1.0 Introduction

In April 2016, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs produced an energy transition report in response to the Paris Climate Agreement. In this Dutch Energy Transition Report (2016), it is mentioned that the amount of greenhouse gas being produced must be reduced by 80–95% by 2050 relative to 1990 on the European scale. Such substantial reductions in, for example, CO2 mean there is a need for sustainable energy that makes the reduction of CO2

possible. This energy transition will lead to economic opportunities for businesses but it will also require a fundamental change for businesses that benefit from fossil fuels (Energie

Transitie Rapport, 2016). Furthermore, a transition is needed in the urban environment since it accounts for the largest share (39%) of total CO2 emissions in the Netherlands (De Installateur

als Energieregisseur, 2017). New buildings must be energy-neutral by the end of 2020. This presents a challenge for installation companies because those companies must have the knowledge and technologies required to make buildings energy-neutral (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016).

Due to the energy transition, installation companies need to change their products, knowledge and technology; this process can be complicated for those companies (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016). Since it is important for organisations to be able to change,

organisations need to be ready for change (Armenakis, Harris & Mossholder, 1993). This also holds for installation companies. Therefore, the main question that will be answered in this research is: to what extent are installation companies ready to change to meet the

requirements of the Dutch energy transition? This question will be answered by means of an existing model from Armenakis and Harris (2002) concerning readiness for change. With the help of this model, the employees’ readiness for change can be examined, which also provides insights into the organisations’ readiness for change. This research might give the installation companies a clear picture of the extent of the organisational readiness to change and some

(7)

7 advice if needed.

The next section provides a literature review in which the Dutch energy transition will be explained. It also offers an overview of the installation companies that are the focus of this study and highlights the key subjects of organisational change and readiness for change. The third section outlines the theoretical framework and explains the different components and concepts of the chosen model. The fourth section explains the research design before the results are shared in Section five. The final two chapters provide a discussion of the results and an overall conclusion.

2.0 Literature review

In this part of the thesis, existing studies about related subjects will be reviewed. This creates the fundament of the thesis. This section begins, however, with an explanation of the energy transition focused on the Netherlands. The second part is about installation companies with some information about the new products as a result of the energy transition. After that, the subjects ‘organisational change’ and ‘readiness for change’ will be discussed. The final part of this section consists of an explanation of the conceptual model and corresponding literature.

2.1 The Dutch energy transition

The Dutch government has a legal obligation due to the fact of signing the Paris climate agreement (2016). Three assumptions are made; energy policy is also international policy, CO2 reduction must be central and a long-term vision is essential (Energieagenda, 2016). In

the Dutch Energy Transition report (2016) there is emphasized that the energy transition everywhere in Europe has to be made and therefore is called an international agreement. As a

(8)

8 result of the Paris Climate agreement of 2016, it means that at the end of the year 2050, the Netherlands must be energy neutral which means that all the energy that is generated with minimized CO2 emission as a result. The Netherlands are for 0,64% responsible for the total

CO2 emission in the world. The CO2 emission comes for most of the part from fuels derived

from prehistoric organisms which are called fossil fuels (Energieagenda, 2016).

This research focuses on changes in the built environment. To achieve the targets that are mentioned in the Dutch Energy Transition report (2016), it requires changes in the energy systems of the built environment. Energy savings for households can be stimulated by three points; obligate a minimum energy label, stimulate people to get a better energy label and remove bottlenecks at the implementation of new techniques (Energieagenda, 2016).

To reduce the emission of CO2, the Dutch government has in principle stated that in

new housing estates there will be no new gas infrastructures built. Furthermore, the Dutch government has given the municipalities responsibility and freedom to cooperate with the energy supplier companies (Energieagenda, 2016). According to the Dutch Energy Transition report (2016) the Dutch government wants to give the municipalities the responsibility for the spatial planning. Furthermore, the Dutch government takes a coordinating and facilitating role in the energy transition (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016).

As a result of the energy transition there are economic changes for businesses. Therefore, the Dutch government invest in innovation to stimulate the development of new products or to increase subsidies on for example heat pumps (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016). Another intention of the investments is to stimulate the development of new products and technologies on regional and local level since heating households requires the help of residents, users, municipalities and local innovative projects (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016). The energy transition can not be implemented in every region. Therefore, local innovations are needed. Some regions do have old cities with old buildings and infrastructure

(9)

9 where it is difficult to install new products like heat pumps (Energieagenda 2016).

To achieve the targets that are mentioned in the Dutch Energy Transition report (2016) the Netherlands need to be ambitious and create socials support. In 2020 the reduction of the CO2 emission must be at least 20%, in 2030 it must be 40% and in 2050 the CO2 reductions

must be 80-95%. These percentages are relative to 1990 (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016). For the demand side of the energy, which are energy consumers, is a positive direction visible. The energy consumers are starting to be aware of the disadvantages of gas and the advantages of green energy. Furthermore, environmental factors do have influence on the perceptions of energy consumers, for example the gas extraction in Groningen which led to more awareness of the disadvantages of gas at the energy consumers. As a result of the growing demand for energy instead of gas the supply side need to react to satisfied customer demand. Construction and installation companies are changing nowadays to be more energy efficient which is needed to satisfied customer demand (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016). So, there are some movements at the supply and demand side to meet the requirements of the energy transition.

2.2 Installation companies

In this research, installation companies are defined as companies that install boilers and other heating products at households and organisations. The small installation companies focus mostly on the private sector while the medium-sized installation companies focus more on the construction sector. The competitors of the small installation companies are other, similarly sized installation companies.

Installation companies have an important role to play in meeting Dutch environmental goals. In the medium term, the Dutch construction sector expects a 3% increase in repairs,

(10)

10 renovations, non-residential building and new development (Dekker, 2018). Moreover, to achieve the targets that are mentioned in the Energy Transition report, the installation companies need to play an active role at the supply side of the new green energy (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016). The installation sector’s representative body, UNETO-VNI, suggests that installers will be the directors in the energy transition process (De Installateur als Energieregisseur, 2017). Installation companies must therefore be active in and aware of the energy transition. To go along with the energy transition, installation companies need to change and innovate their products, knowledge and technology (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016).

According to the report of Berenschot (2018), the heating industry is partially

responsible for the emission of CO2 and therefore must reduce its use of gas. In a few years,

installation companies need to be able to work with the new technology. The main product the installation companies sell, a boiler, must be replaced by a hybrid boiler or heat pump. The installer needs to be trained and has to gain experience with the installation of those products. This responsibility lies with the producer of the new products (Berenschot, 2018). The heating companies therefore need to cooperate with the installation companies until the installers are able to work alone with the new products (Menkveld, Boerakker & Mourik, 2005). According to the Dutch Energy Transition Report (2016) installation companies are responsible for creating more households with an energy A-label, which is the most sustainable label a building can get. Installation companies could have an active role in this process to offer customers sustainable products such as hybrid boilers, heat pumps and smart meters (Energie Transitie Rapport, 2016).

The costs of these sustainable products are relatively high compared with the old boilers. According to Milieu Centraal, a heat pump cannot be installed in every house. For houses built after 1974, it is possible to install a ventilation heat pump. To install a complete

(11)

11 heat pump, a building must have been built after the year 2000. The date of construction is important because the isolation of newer houses is better than for buildings of 50 years ago (“Warmtepomp: elektrisch verwarmen”, n.d.). For buildings with a less solid isolation, a hybrid heat pump is an alternative. This product works together with a boiler and is cheaper than a complete heat pump (“Warmtepomp: van gas”, n.d.). The new sustainable products such as hybrid boilers or heat pumps can provide a building with heating in a sustainable way. The advantages of a heat pump are lower monthly energy costs, sustainability, subsidies and a long lifespan (“Een warmtepomp zorgt voor”, n.d.). The subsidy for a heat pump in the Netherlands is around €1500 to €1800, which stimulates people to purchase a heat pump (“Warmtepomp: elektrisch verwarmen”, n.d.). Furthermore, a heat pump will reduce the CO2

emission of a household by around 25–50% (“Warmtepomp: van gas”, n.d.).

According to the targets mentioned in the Dutch Energy Transition Report (2016) regarding the installation of heat pumps, there are some disadvantages mentioned in the previous paragraph. However, at the end of 2017, 224,400 households did have a heat pump (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, 2018). This means that the installation companies need to deal with changes in their organisations.

2.3 Organisational change

Societal transitions are often the reasons for changes in organisations (Tushman & Romanelli, 2008). Furthermore, an organisation needs to be aware of where it will be in the future and how those changes need to be managed (Todnem, 2005). Changes are often unpredictable, ad hoc and discontinuous, and organisations tend to be reactive towards changes (Todnem, 2005; Burnes, 2004; De Wit & Meyer, 2005; Luecke, 2003). According to Luecke (2003), a change can be disruptive and sometimes traumatic for organisations and employees. Moreover, it can be that a change is not financially feasible for an organisation.

(12)

12 This could be a reason to evade changes (Luecke, 2003). The drivers of organisational change are often external factors such as changes in customers, services, technology and demand. Organisations do have the opportunity to be proactive against these external factors. An example of proactive behaviour could be assigning a particular team in an organisation to actively search for and analyse changes among its customers (Goodman & Loh, 2011).

Although organisational changes are often the result of societal changes, they also occur when new technology, new products, new administrative systems or new processes emerge (Zhou, David & Li, 2006; Brown & Eisenhardt, 1997; Haveman, 1992; Rajagopalan & Spreitzer, 1996). These organisational changes appear often in emerging markets with high levels of volatility (Zhou et al., 2006). According to Zhou et al. (2006), technical

organisational change is associated with new products, services and production processes. These changes do have an effect on everyday basic work activities (Zhou et al., 2006; Damanpour, 1991: 560; Brown & Duguid, 1991). Administrative changes, by contrast, are defined as changes in the recruitment and training of employees and require a longer time to implement than technical changes. Furthermore, technical organisational changes are easier to implement and are closer to the status quo than administrative changes (Zhou et al., 2006).

2.4 Readiness for change

Many change efforts of organisations lead to failure because organisations often start immediately with change implementation before the employees and organisation are ready for change (Jones, Jimmieson & Griffiths, 2005; Schein, 1999). Readiness for change has a few definitions, one of which is explained by the first step of Lewin’s (1951) three step model: ‘unfreezing’. This step concerns an organisation’s members’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions regarding the need for changes and the organisation’s ability to successfully change. Many studies have defined readiness for change at an individual level as the extent to which

(13)

13 employees have a positive opinion about the need for change and the belief that employees have that changes have a positive influence on themselves and their organisations (Jones et al., 2005; Armenakis et al., 1993; Holt, 2002; Miller et al., 1994). When employees are not ready for change they feel depressed, afraid and useless (Dalton & Gottlieb, 2003). This highlights the importance of readiness for change.

Before implementing a change, it is important to create readiness for change at an individual and organisational level. A positive relationship has been identified between organisational readiness and job performance in sales organisations, which reinforces the importance of readiness for change (Weeks, Roberts, Chonko & Jones, 2004). According to Smith (2005), readiness for change could be achieved by creating a sense of need for change, communicating the change message, and ensuring the active participation and involvement of employees. This is in line with the blocks in the readiness for change model of Armenakis and Harris (2002), namely ‘active participation’ and ‘the change message’.

When executing a change, it is possible that employees will resist it. If changing is difficult, employees need to be motivated and trained to learn new technology and skills (Thakur & Srivastava, 2018). According to Gray (2002), firms with fewer than 10 employees do have the greatest change aversion of the different categories of the small and medium-sized enterprises. Change aversion increases also with age. This means that older employees show more resistance to change than younger employees (Gray, 2002). According to the research of Thakur and Srivastava (2018), there is a negative relationship between resistance to change and readiness for change. Furthermore, trust and perceived organisational support reduces the resistance to change (Thakur & Srivastava, 2018). Therefore, a change agent of an organisation needs to generate employee support and enthusiasm (Piderit, 2000). If the

employees of an organisation are ready to change they are more likely to make more effort, better implementation of the change and better cooperation with other employees (Weiner,

(14)

14 2009). When organisations create a well-understood change message this can lead to a decline in employee resistance (Armenakis et al., 1993) and a reduction in job uncertainty (Castillo, Fernandez & Sallan, 2017). Furthermore, job uncertainty can cause job stress, which

strengthens resistance to change (Castillo et al., 2017; Lazarus, 2006), so the importance of effectively managing organisational change is clear.

Armenakis and Harris (2002) state that some leaders underestimate the importance of the change message, and that this can lead to negative responses and employee resistance to change. Change leaders therefore need to prepare themselves before making the organisation ready for change. When leaders display an air of confidence and trust to the employees, this may improve overall readiness for change (Eby, Adams, Russel & Gaby, 2000). Furthermore, when leaders present themselves as trustworthy, employees are more likely to trust them (Legood, Thomas & Sacramento, 2016). On the basis of this literature, it is clear that the change leader’s understanding and management of the situation is important in creating readiness for change.

According to Mcnabb and Sepic (1995), the culture and climate of an organisation needs to be in such a condition that it is able to change. On top of that, organisational

characteristics must be similar to the climate that the organisation wants to create (Eby et al., 2000). Organisational ‘culture’ refers to the values, beliefs and norms of an organisation (Schein, 2010). The ‘climate’ of an organisation is the way an organisation handles routine behaviours and everyday actions. Since these two concepts are critical sources of readiness for change, it is important that a change agent is able to change the climate or culture if needed (Weeks et al., 2004). Furthermore, the climate and culture of an organisation must be able to stimulate learning processes. Dalton and Gottlieb (2003) have stated that readiness could be achieved by learning theories about the change. Therefore, managers of installation companies need to learn about relevant subjects to communicate it to the employees to

(15)

15 achieve organisational readiness (Dalton & Gottlieb, 2003). On the basis of this literature, it is clear that a change agent must be able to change the culture and climate of an organisation if needed. On top of that, the organisational culture and climate must stimulate learning

processes to achieve readiness for change.

3.0 Theoretical framework

In this research, the readiness for change model from Armenakis and Harris (2002) is used to study the extent of installation companies’ readiness for change. This model is relevant for this research because it takes account of many key variables concerning

organisational readiness for change. Armenakis and Harris (2002) also state that the readiness for change model has great potential for building readiness. This model is an update of an earlier model of Armenakis et al. (1993), in which the message consisted of just two components. The ‘Change Agent’ block in Figure 1 (below) has an influence on the

effectiveness of the three influence strategies. This influence is dependent on the extent of the expertise and skills of the change agent. In this research, ‘change agent’ is a synonym for a manager or leader of the organisation who determines almost everything in the change process. Other concepts and blocks in Figure 1 (below) – namely the ‘message’, ‘influence strategies’ and ‘assessment’ – will be extensively described in the following sections.

(16)

16

3.1 The change message

The change message consists of five components: discrepancy, appropriateness, self-efficacy, principal support and personal valence. The goal of the change message is to shape an employees’ motivation, positive or negative opinion towards the change. The first

component (discrepancy) is defined as creating the feeling that a change is needed

(Armenakis et al., 1993). According to Katz and Kahn (1978), it is important to create a belief that change is needed because it can help show how the current situation differs from the desired end-state. It can occur that employees do not have faith in the change because of the suitability in the organisation. That is a reason that a change message must convince

employees of the appropriateness of change, which is the second component of the change message (Armenakis & Harris, 2002).

The third component of the change message is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is defined as the extent to which an individual is convinced about the ability to succeed the change

(17)

17 (Bandura, 1986). Another component of the message is principal support, which concerns the support that individuals get from change agents. According to Armenakis and Harris (2002), no support for change will lead to scepticism and unwillingness to change among employees. The last component of the change message is personal valence, which relates to the individual advantages of the change (Armenakis & Harris, 2002). When employees do not get

advantages from an organisational change, they will resist it (Piderit, 2000).

3.2 Influence strategies

The three influence strategies – persuasive communication, active participation and managing external information – may be employed by change agents to create a better change message with the five components.

Persuasive communication can include oral and written communication. Oral

persuasive communication can be in-person dialogue, live communication (for example, via Skype) or recorded speeches. Examples of written persuasive communication are newsletters or annual reports. The purpose of persuasive communication is to convince and inform everyone in the organisation of the need to (participate in) change (Armenakis et al., 1993). In-person communication is the best way to communicate information about the change because it has a personal focus and immediate feedback (Armenakis et al., 1993; Lengel & Draft, 1988).

Active participation is also an important factor in achieving readiness for change. Indeed, Eby et al. (2000) have found a positive relationship between active participation and employees’ perceptions of organisational readiness for change. Active participation has three forms: enactive mastery, vicarious learning and participation in decision making. The idea of active participation is that employees discover information by themselves. Information that is self-discovered is more familiar according to employees (Fishbein & Azjen, 1975). The first

(18)

18 form of active participation is enactive mastery which is being successful in every small step for change an employee takes. When these steps are successful, this has a positive influence on the self-efficacy of an employee (Boyd & Vozikis, 1994). The second form of active participation is vicarious learning which entails employees learning from others to prepare themselves for new techniques that will be required after the change. The last form of active participation is called participation in decision making. This participation will lead to self-discovered information about the discrepancy and efficacy of the change (Armenakis et al., 1993).

The last component of the influence strategies is management of information. Change agents need to manage internal and external information about the change. External sources of information can be useful because they are seen as more reliable (Armenakis & Harris, 2002; Gist, 1987). Information through mass media about the change is often seen as objective and thereby persuasive in nature. Furthermore, a change agent of the organisation is able to select specific mass media information and hand it out to employees (Armenakis & Harris, 1993).

3.3 Assessment

This step in the readiness for change model is about identifying how ready employees are for change before the change is implemented. When this step is not taken seriously, change implementation will be threatened. With the help of this step, managers can identify gaps between the expectations about the change of every member in the organisation. Change agents could identify these gaps by observe the employees or interviewing them about the subject (Armenakis & Harris, 2002).

(19)

19

3.4 System readiness and urgency

Organisational changes can be urgent and require a rapid implementation. Because of this, Armenakis et al. (1993) state that organisations should use a readiness programme to create organisational readiness for change. Furthermore, change agents should then use only persuasive communication. In cases when changes are not urgent, change agents should use persuasive communication and active participation. Using active participation requires more time than persuasive communication (Armenakis et al., 1993). For example, vicarious learning is not done in a short time but requires careful attention.

When there is low readiness for change and low urgency, organisations have time to follow an extensive readiness programme. Armenakis et al. (1993) suggest that organisations need to follow an aggressive programme under these conditions. Every component of the readiness for change model can be used. For example, employees could go on a course to familiarise themselves with an entirely new technology because there is enough time. Enactive mastery could be particularly effective in this situation because this requires time and attention to be successful in every single step that has to be taken (Armenakis et al., 1993).

Under conditions of low readiness and high urgency, organisations need to follow a crisis program. Organisations are under these conditions in an undesirable crisis situation and must react immediately (Armenakis et al., 1993). Because of the limited time, persuasive communication is appropriate under these conditions. Active participation and managing information are not suitable when there is low readiness and high urgency because they require time (Armenakis & Harris, 2002). Furthermore, the skills of a change agent are important when the urgency to change is high since working under pressure requires some skills. (Armenakis et al., 1993).

(20)

20 appropriate. The only threat under these conditions is that the readiness of the employees is gone before the change is implemented. Therefore, change agents need to maintain the readiness of the employees by ensuring the continued efficacy of the change message (Armenakis et al., 1993).

The last possible combination of the conditions is high readiness and high urgency. Under these conditions, organisations must begin implementing a change immediately. This programme is called ‘quick response’ (Armenakis et al., 1993).

4.0 Methodology

The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which installation companies are ready to change to meet the requirements of the forthcoming Dutch energy transition. To this end, qualitative data were collected from three in-depth interviews with representatives of different installation companies. The installation companies considered in this research are small-sized enterprises with around 5–12 employees (Informatie over MKB, 2018): Lobbezoo B.V., J. Distel B.V. and Waterland Installatietechniek v.o.f. Two of these are located around Amsterdam and, because many Amsterdam-based companies were unwilling to participate, one is based in Lisse. These companies are focused on both residential and commercial properties.

In the article of Armenakis et al. (1993), the readiness for change model is used for a case study on two managers from a company. For this reason, this study also focuses on research managers; this also strengthens the study’s validity because the model is used as Armenakis et al., (1993) did. The three managers who were interviewed were male and aged 50 or older. These persons were asked to participate because they make important decisions and are partially responsible for the organisational change. They were therefore able to give a clearer picture of the readiness for change of the organisation than ordinary employees. These

(21)

21 interviews were semi-structured, featuring both specific and open-ended questions (Hove & Anda, 2005). The interviews were face-to-face, so the qualitative data included social cues related to, for example, the voice, body language and intonation (Opdenakker, 2006). Such qualitative data is required to give the theory context and to describe the situation in depth (Bansal & Corley, 2012).

The interviews varied in length and were conducted in the offices of the three

participants. The participants were allowed to choose a place they wanted to be interviewed. To get honest and open answers the only persons in the room were the interviewee and the interviewer, as when participants are surrounded with other people they might not give honest answers to the questions. Furthermore, care was taken to ensure that the questions were not leading because otherwise participants may have provided the answers they believed the interviewer desired. On top of that, the questions were designed to lead to answers about the experiences, behaviour, emotions, knowledge and feelings of the participants (Patton, 2002). The participants were informed about the topic before they were interviewed so they could prepare themselves for the interview. When some definitions were not clear for the

participant, these were explained by the interviewer.

The questions that were asked in the interviews were based on the examples of the variables of the readiness for change model and the results of the case study in the articles of Armenakis et al. (1993) and Armenakis and Harris (2002). A question from the interview was, for example: ‘to what extent do employees have participation in decision making about the energy transition?’ This question is about participation in decision making, which is one of the three constructs of active participation. The readiness for change model from the article of Armenakis and Harris (2002) is focused on the readiness of the employees of an organisation which displays the organisational readiness. Therefore, this research is also focused on the readiness for change of the employees. When employees are ready for change, the

(22)

22 organisation is ready too (Armenakis et al., 1993).

The interviews were, with permission from the participants, recorded and thereafter transcribed. After this, the data were analysed and coded. The data were open, axial and selective coded which led to a clear picture of the data. Due to coding the data, key issues and themes were highlighted from the data (Boeije. 2005). To understand the qualitative data, it is important to read the transcripts in an interpretative manner (Mortelmans, 2007). The process of coding the data started with dividing it into conceptual fragments and assigning every fragment an open code for each interview. The result of open coding was a code list with all the open codes. After giving every fragment an open code, axial coding was the next step in this process. According to Boeije (2005), with axial coding there must be reasoned from codes to data, for open coding it is the opposite. The goal of axial coding is to identify relations between the open codes and to make distinctions between characteristics,

dimensions and categories. An outcome of axial coding was that the amount of open codes is reduced which led to a relevant collection op codes (Boeije, 2005). After the axial coding, the final step in the coding process was selective coding, which entailed focusing on relations between the categories and codes. This step was important for find questions and explanations relating to different phenomena, as well as the causes between variables and missing variables (Boeije, 2005). When ideas or striking things show up during the interviews or coding, there are made memo’s with specific information about ideas, remarks or social cues (Mortelmans, 2007).

Efforts were taken to ensure the validity and reliability of the research, although it has some limitations in terms of generalisability. Before contacting the installation companies, all the companies that were relevant to this research were listed. This list was randomly ordered and the companies were also called randomly to secure the validity of the research. However, the small number of participants does not strengthen the reliability of the research. It also

(23)

23 means that this research is not generalisable for every installation company. On the other hand, this research can provide some new insights into the problems installation companies face because of the energy transition. The extent of the external validity of this research is limited because the installation companies who participated are active in a small region. It is uncertain whether the same research would reach the same conclusions if conducted in another region or country. This may also depend on the status of buildings or the extent of political pressure.

5.0 Results

This part of the study covers the results of the research. Since a qualitative method was used to collect the data, the findings are based on the data of the interviews. Every element of the readiness for change model (see Figure 1, above) will be discussed in this part. First the assessment will be covered because this is generally the first step of creating readiness for change. Note that, because two of the three managers wanted to remain their names anonymous, the participants are referred to as Manager A, Manager B and Manager C.

5.1 Assessment

According to Armenakis et al. (1993), the main goal of the assessment is to identify gaps in the readiness for change of the employees. After coding the data of the interviews, it was clear that the participants did not take any kind of action to identify those gaps. Those actions could be observing, asking or interviewing the employees about the energy transition. However, two of the three participants did talk to their employees about the energy transition, and this can be a means of identifying gaps. One manager said the following about the

(24)

24

office in the morning than sometimes I say something about the sustainability, yes absolutely. That we are talking about it with each other, that occurs sometimes’ (Interview Manager B).

This shows that managers do talk with their employees about the energy transition but not with the attempt to identify gaps in the readiness for change of the employees. An affective assessment method could be to track the progress of change, the degree of readiness and the resistance to change. Furthermore, this result is a missed opportunity because it will threaten the readiness and implementation of the change (Armenakis & Harris, 2002). Based on the results, the managers of the installation companies are not doing the assessment in an

effective way. The managers are talking with their employees about the energy transition but not with the attempt to identify gaps in the readiness for change of the employees.

5.2 Influence strategies

The purpose of the three influence strategies is to positively influence the power of the change message. Active participation is the first strategy which will be discussed and consists of three components: enactive mastery, vicarious learning and participation in decision making. Employees who participate in making decisions about the energy transition will automatically have more faith in the organisational change (Armenakis et al, 1993). Installation companies therefore need to stimulate employees’ participation in decision making. After coding the data from the interviews, it can be stated that two of the three participants indicated that they permit the participation of employees in decision making. These decisions are, for example, the decision to go to a course or not. Manager A said the following: ‘Those guys are allowed to make their own decision whether to go to a course or

not. They are allowed to decide and scheduling it on their own but finally they need to have the skills at the end’ (Interview Manager A). This participation in decision making is,

(25)

25 the participation in decision making is minimal so the installation companies should stimulate participation more than they do at the moment.

The second form of active participation is vicarious learning which is the extent to which people learn from others to prepare themselves for new techniques (Armenakis et al., 1993). Employees from installation companies need to be able to work with new techniques that new products require. To learn new techniques and information about the new products, employees take part in training courses. Another way to learn is to work a short time with partners who control the new techniques. Only one of the three participants stated that their company is working with another company which controls the techniques. Every installation company should work with partners who already have the technical knowledge because collaborative learning increases the interest and promotes the critical thinking of employees (Gokhale, 1995). The last form of active participation, enactive mastery, is about taking small, incremental steps (Armenakis et al., 1993). The installation companies are not taking those small steps, meanwhile those steps are often rigorous.

The last two components of the influence strategies are persuasive communication and information management. The managers of the installation companies indicated that they are not persuading their employees about the energy transition. They may talk about it but not with the intention to persuade. All three managers stated that they share information about the energy transition with their employees. The following quote is from Manager B: ‘Yes, which

courses or educations are possible or whatever. Or news about new products like heat pumps, I share that with them.’ This information is mostly external, which is seen as more

trustworthy and reliable by the employees (Armenakis & Harris, 2002; Gist, 1987). The external source of information is mostly from UNETO-VNI, which provides the installation companies with information about new products, techniques and courses. Sharing information is important to create readiness for change because employees can learn from the information

(26)

26 and get influenced by opinions from external experts (Armenakis & Harris, 2002). Moreover, learning from information about the change has a positive influence on achieving readiness for change (Dalton & Gottlieb, 2003). Since sharing information was the most-used code in this research, it can be concluded that the installation companies are doing well at this point in the readiness for change model.

5.3 The change message

The change message consists of discrepancy, appropriateness, self-efficacy, principal support and personal valence. In this step of the readiness for change model it is important that a manager motivates employees and positively influences their opinions about the energy transition (Armenakis et al., 1993). All the participants said they are supporting their

employees at courses or in their studies. This quote is from Manager A which is about supporting employees. ‘For example, I take them with me to a course; those things we are

doing together because I also need the knowledge to understand it of course. But also with new products, then we are talking about it and I help them if needed.’ As all the managers

stated that they support their employees, it can be concluded that the ‘principal support’ component is well understood and executed by the managers of the installation companies.

Another component of the change message is self-efficacy which concerns the extent of trust in the change (Armenakis & Harris, 2002). Employees from the installation

companies need to believe in the energy transition. This could be achieved when managers get the knowledge about the energy transition. When managers show that they have knowledge and confidence about the energy transition to their employees, this will have a positive influence on the readiness for change (Eby, Adams, Russel & Gaby, 2000). Two of the three managers stated that they believe and have confidence in the energy transition. Furthermore, it was no surprise that every manager tries to possess the knowledge that is needed to create

(27)

27 trust among the employees. It was also striking that none of the managers stated that they try to convince their employees about the urgency of the energy transition. This may be the outcome of some negative opinions about the energy transition. Finally, two of the three managers said that younger employees had a greater sense of the need for change and were more interested in the energy transition. The following quote is from Manager B: ‘But the

older employees in our company, they do not believe so much in the transition, but the youth thinks about it yes, absolutely. Also because it’s their future.’ So the younger employers of the

installation companies are more interested than the older ones. However, all three managers said that every employee must be interested in the energy transition when the employee is directly involved with tasks related to the energy transition. From the data, it cannot be concluded that the managers take any action against the disinterest from the older employees.

The disinterest of the employees in the energy transition can also be the result of the absence of the feeling that there is a need for change. According to Armenakis and Harris (2002), making employees realise the need for change could be achieved by showing the employees how the current performance differs from the desired end performance. Employees need to see and believe that there is something wrong and in need of change (Armenakis & Harris, 2002). As Manager B stated (above), the younger employees do have a feeling for the need for change while the older employees do not. Therefore, the managers of the installation companies need to convince and motivate their older employees to have a feeling of need for change.

5.4 The change agent

Managers need to have particular qualities to create readiness for change, namely credibility, trust, sincerity and expertise. The change message that change agents

(28)

28 qualities (Armenakis et al., 1993; Gist, 1987). It is therefore necessary for managers to know more than their employees about the energy transition because this shows the extent of expertise of the managers (Gist, 1987). From the interview data, it can be concluded that all three managers have read and learned something about the energy transition to gain

knowledge about it. These quotes are from Manager A:

‘I think it’s interesting and nice to get into the subject. So then I try to know everything about new products or technology so that I am able to communicate that.’

‘Furthermore, I read myself into the subject of climate change. I need to have knowledge too about that and agree with it.’

From these quotes, it is clear that Manager A tried to gain knowledge about the energy transition. This is related to the skill of expertise which is mentioned in the article of Armenakis et al. (1993). However, not every manager was as motivated to gain knowledge about the energy transition. Manager B said the following about his willingness to gain knowledge about the energy transition: ‘No not so much, only on the area of heat pumps.’ This shows that Manager B only wants to gain knowledge about closely related subjects but not to get additional knowledge.

Another quality that was highlighted in the data analysis was trust. According to Armenakis et al. (1993), managers who display trustworthy behaviour will positively influence the change message (see also Legood, Thomas & Sacramento, 2016). Two of the three managers said that they had trust in the energy transition. This is important because otherwise the distrust has a negative influence on the change message. Furthermore, it is striking that in the interview with Manager C he often pointed out his negative opinion. To clarify this discrepancy in levels of trust regarding the energy transition, see these two statements from Managers A and C:

(29)

29 ‘I think the energy transition is going to succeed, it’s a good case.’ (Manager A) ‘In this sector people do not look and care about the disadvantageous of the energy

transition. I have therefore a negative opinion about it.’ (Manager C)

Managers A and B are positive about the energy transition while Manager C has a negative opinion. This difference will be discussed further below (see section 6.0). On the question on what scale the employees do have trust in the manager, every manager answered with a score higher than an eight. This result shows that the employees of the installation companies do have trust in their managers.

The last two qualities that were highlighted in the data were credibility and sincerity which are measured on a scale given by the managers of the installation companies. Every manager answered the question with an eight or higher. According to Armenakis et al., (1993) do managers have a good influence on the influence strategies when they are sincere and credible. These results show that the managers of the installation companies are sincere, credible and trustworthy. However, the managers do have expertise about the energy transition but the expertise is minimal.

5.5 Internal and external context

The last variables that will be discussed in the results part are the internal and external context. The contextual factors are important in this research because organisational change is dependent on many factors. The contextual factors that came out of the data were: the

political situation, the age of buildings and suppliers. The installation companies are dependent on their suppliers because it is they who decide what kind of products they produce. If every supplier decides to produce only heat pumps or hybrid boilers, there is an urgent need for organisational change. At this moment in the energy transition, the extent of urgency is medium-high. Two of the three managers said that they have to deal with changes

(30)

30 at this moment but that there is enough time to create organisational changes. According to the statements of two of the three managers, the urgency of the energy transition lies between high and low.

Organisational change is also dependent on the extent of new and existing buildings in the region where the installation companies are active. From the data it became clear that the balance of new buildings versus existing buildings is important for the readiness for change. Every manager said that the new products of the energy transition are difficult to implement in existing buildings. The cause for the difficulty of implementing heat pumps in existing buildings is the infrastructure. The infrastructure of pipes, for example, is designed to suit boilers and is not suitable for heat pumps. To install heat pumps in existing buildings, the costs are much higher than for new buildings because much of the pipe infrastructure must be changed. This statement from Manager A clarifies the difficulty of implementing the energy transition in existing buildings:

‘We are focusing of course to install heat pumps only at new buildings, the

infrastructure at those buildings is suitable for that. When everything is done with energy in the building, this means that there is a need for energy cables. At existing buildings it is a lot more difficult to install all those kind of things.’

Furthermore, the interview responses highlighted that the costs of heat pumps are seen as too high for the customers despite the government subsidies.

According to the three participants, the urgency of an organisational change for installation companies is partly dependent on the ratio of new and old buildings. For installation companies who are active in a region where relatively fewer new buildings are built, they do not have to change at this moment. In that case, the urgency is low.

(31)

31

6.0 Discussion

This part of the thesis consists of several sections, beginnings with a summary of the results. The second section refers back to the main research question to interpret the results and the main contributions of the research. The subsequent two sections explore some key discussion points and the positive points of this research. The last section of this discussion provides some recommendations for future research.

6.1 Summary of results

The main goal of the research was to investigate the readiness for change of the installation companies related to the energy transition. This has been tested with the help of the readiness for change model from the article of Armenakis and Harris (2002), which is an updated model from the article of Armenakis et al. (1993). Based on the results, the

assessment of the installation companies is not positive. The installation companies are not taking any steps to investigate possible gaps in the employees’ readiness for change. The variables in the readiness for change model (the ‘influence strategies’) are not being sufficiently managed. Firstly, the installation companies are not taking the necessary steps which Armenakis and Harris (2002) suggest that organisations need to do in terms of active participation. The installation companies are not taking small incremental steps to learn, for example, new techniques. Secondly, the installation companies are generally not working together with or learning from other companies. Finally, installation companies are not stimulating employees enough to participate in decision making.

However, it can be concluded that the installation companies share information in a correct way to create readiness for change at the employees. On the other hand, the managers of the installation companies are not persuading their employees about the energy transition. The managers do have dialogues with their employees about the energy transition but do not

(32)

32 attempt to persuade them when there is a disagreement about the energy transition.

Furthermore, when an employee is not interested or lacks faith in the energy transition, the managers are not taking any action to address this. This is especially the case with the older employees who are not interested in the energy transition compared with the younger employees. The managers, who are seen as the change agents in this research, are trying to learn and to gain knowledge about the energy transition, which is a positive. However, not all the managers who were interviewed were as interested in the energy transition as the others. Generally, the managers of the installation companies did indicate that they have trust and faith in the energy transition, which has a positive influence on the employees’ readiness for change. After coding the transcripts of the interviews, an interesting new variable was identified. It turned out that the extent of new and existing buildings has a substantial

influence on the urgency for organisational change. Furthermore, this influences the extent of organisational readiness because when there is no demand for new products or knowledge, there is no reason for organisational change. Moreover, the amount of the installation of heat pumps in existing buildings is limited at this moment since it is still expensive.

6.2 Interpretation of results and contributions

As there are few if any similar investigations of readiness for change among

installation companies, it is difficult to compare the results of this study with others. However, some results are in line with theories which are described in the literature review. For

example, one installation company who participated was not engaged in the energy transition at this moment. This might be because sometimes an organisational change is not financially feasible (Luecke, 2003).

Also, according to Smith (2005), readiness for change can be achieved when managers create a feeling of need for change, effectively communicate the change message and ensure active participation. Only one of these – communicating information about the energy

(33)

33 transition – was well executed by the managers interviewed here. The other two criteria

mentioned by Smith (2005) were not well executed; a possible explanation for this is that the managers underestimate the importance and challenges of the energy transition (Armenakis & Harris, 2002). This failure on the part of the managers might lead to resistance to change among the employees.

Furthermore, it was pointed out that the older employees were not as interested and engaged in the energy transition as the younger employees. This may be because older employees tend to be more change averse than younger employees (Gray, 2002).

Furthermore, when employees were not as motivated as it should be, the managers did not attempt to persuade their employees about the need for change. Therefore, managers should make more effort to motivate and persuade their employees than they are currently.

Another striking finding was that the managers of the installation companies are generally not interested enough about the energy transition. This means that the managers do not learn enough about the energy transition, which contradicts the theory of Dalton and Gottlieb (2003). Therefore, managers should be proactive and learn more about the energy transition than they do at this moment.

According to Armenakis et al., (1993) employees need to learn new skills in small incremental steps. However, the employees of the installation companies are not taking those small steps. Therefore, managers should pay more attention to create small steps to learn new skills. Nowadays, employees need to learn the technique of installing a new product in one day at a course which is a relative short time. Managers could create more courses with lower intensity to ensure small steps. With this adjustment the component enactive mastery could be improved which will lead to a better influence strategy. Furthermore, when these steps are successful it has a positive influence on the self-efficacy of the employees (Boyd & Vozikis, 1994).

(34)

34

6.3 Discussion points

An obvious limitation of this research is the small size of the sample, which consisted of three installation companies. When the installation companies were asked if they wanted to participate in this research, only three installation companies answered affirmatively. This may affect the reliability and the external validity of this research, and it limits the

generalisability of the results. It may have been possible to achieve a larger sample size with more time and resources than were available for this research. This could be done in future research.

There is also an issue regarding the location of the participating installation

companies. Two are active around Amsterdam, Zaandam and the community Waterland. The other is active in the Hague, Amsterdam and Lisse. The difference between the regions where the installation companies are active may affect the reliability of this research. There is a question about whether the same research would get the same results if it was executed in another region of the Netherlands. Any future research should take steps to address the issue of location.

The third point of critique concerns the way the interviews were conducted. There were striking differences in the lengths of answers provided by the interviewees. This had an influence on the amount of data available to be analysed for each interviewee. Furthermore, the way the questions were asked became better as the interview process progressed, leading to answers that were more open and more useful. When the answers were relatively short, it was necessary to ask leading questions to get useful data.

The fourth point of critique is that only the managers of the installation companies were interviewed. This is also a limitation of this research. Although the managers answered the questions, they might have given socially desirable answers that the interviewer wanted to hear. The managers could also give answers that showed that they are trustworthy, sincere and

(35)

35 credible which means that they are good change agents. This might be a consequence of semi-structured interviews which could lead to interviewer and interviewee bias (Stellingsma, 2016; Yin, 1989).

The extent of the managers’ interest in the subject of energy transition might also have been a limitation of this research. Indeed, one installation company manager (Manager C) had a negative opinion about the energy transition (see section 5.4). This negative opinion was noticeable in many of Manager C’s answers, while the other managers who participated were more positive about the energy transition. This could also be a result of the extent of new and existing buildings, as installing heat pumps in existing buildings is difficult and relatively expensive. Another reason could be that Manager C’s company does not want to deliver new products at this moment because the energy transition is proving difficult.

Another point of critique may be the readiness for change framework of Armenakis and Harris (2002), since it is a relatively old article while the subject of energy transition is relatively new.

6.4 Positive points

This research is important for the Netherlands as it is the first scientific assessment of installation companies’ readiness for a vital energy transition. Another positive point of this research is the use of qualitative data. Through interviews it was possible to get a clear picture of the activities of the installation companies related to the variables of the readiness for change model. Another advantage of the use of interviews is that some information that is collected not can discovered when quantitative data was used to collect data. As a result of this research, the advice that can be offered to managers of installation companies may be improved.

(36)

36

6.5 Future research

Any future studies seeking to build on this research should make use of a larger sample size. It is also important for future research that the sample should consist of

installation companies from different regions of the Netherlands because not every region is as suitable as the other one for the energy transition. Therefore, it might be better for future research to research the readiness for change of installation companies in different regions. These results might provide better advice to create organisational readiness for separate regions. With a more extended sample size the research can be more generalisable and reliable. Furthermore, it could give a better picture of the organisational readiness for change and might identify problems which the installation companies will face when they implement an organisational change.

7.0 Conclusion

According to the Dutch Energy Transition Report (2016), the Netherlands must soon ensure a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. This necessitates organisational changes at

the installation companies who install boilers and other kinds of heating products. Using the model of Armenakis and Harris (2002), this thesis has investigated the extent to which the installation companies are ready for this change. Generally, the installation companies are not performing well in terms of the ‘assessment’ variable of the readiness for change model. In addition, the ‘active participation’ variable of the influence strategies is not being effectively implemented by the installation companies studied here. Furthermore, the managers of the installation companies are not persuading their employees about the need for organisational change. However, the managers are sharing information about the energy transition, which is clearly a positive according to Armenakis and Harris (2002). The managers of the installation companies do have trust in the success of the energy transition but are not as interested in the

(37)

37 issue as they need to be. It can also be concluded that the extent of new and existing buildings in the region where the installation companies are active has an influence on the urgency of organisational change, which in turn affects the extent of the readiness for change. The conclusion regarding the research question is that the installation companies are partially not ready for the organisational change that will be caused by the energy transition.

(38)

38

8.0 References

Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1975). A Bayesian analysis of attribution processes. Psychological

bulletin, 82(2), 261.

Armenakis, A. A., Harris, S. G., & Mossholder, K. W. (1993). Creating readiness for organizational change. Human relations, 46(6), 681-703.

Bandura, A. (1986). The explanatory and predictive scope of self-efficacy theory. Journal of

social and clinical psychology, 4(3), 359-373.

Bansal, P., & Corley, K. (2012). Publishing in AMJ—Part 7: What's different about qualitative research?.

Berenschot (2018). Invoering van een rendementseis voor verwarmingsinstallaties in gebouwen en versnellen transitie naar alternatieven.

Boeije, H. (2005). Analyseren in kwalitatief onderzoek : Denken en doen / (De onderzoekspraktijk). Amsterdam: Boom onderwijs.

Boyd, N. G., & Vozikis, G. S. (1994). The influence of self-efficacy on the development of entrepreneurial intentions and actions. Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 18(4), 63-77.

Burnes, B. (2004). Managing change: A strategic approach to organisational dynamics. Pearson Education.

Castillo, C., Fernandez, V., & Sallan, J. M. (2017). The six emotional stages of organizational change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, (just-accepted), 00-00.

Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. (2018, 22 May). Warmtepompen; aantallen, thermisch

vermogen en energiestromen [Data file]. Retrieved from

(39)

39 Dalton, C. C., & Gottlieb, L. N. (2003). The concept of readiness to change. Journal of

Advanced Nursing, 42(2), 108-117.

Dekker, R. (January, 2018). Installatiebedrijven. Retrieved from

https://www.rabobank.nl/bedrijven/cijfers-en-trends/bouw/installatiebedrijven/

Eby, L. T., Adams, D. M., Russell, J. E., & Gaby, S. H. (2000). Perceptions of organizational readiness for change: Factors related to employees' reactions to the implementation of team-based selling. Human relations, 53(3), 419-442.

Feenstra. (n.d.) Een warmtepomp zorgt voor duurzame warmte. Retrieved from https://www.feenstra.com/warmtepomp/

Gist, M. E. (1987). Self-efficacy: Implications for organizational behavior and human resource management. Academy of management review, 12(3), 472-485.

Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative learning enhances critical thinking.

Goodman, E., & Loh, L. (2011). Organizational change. Business Information Review, 28(4), 242-250.

Gray, C. (2002). Entrepreneurship, resistance to change and growth in small firms. Journal of

Small Business and Enterprise Development, 9(1), 61-72.

Holt, D. T. (2002). Readiness for change: The development of a scale. Auburn University. Hove, S. E., & Anda, B. (2005, September). Experiences from conducting semi-structured

interviews in empirical software engineering research. In Software metrics, 2005. 11th

ieee international symposium (pp. 10-pp). IEEE

Informatie over het MKB (midden- en kleinbedrijf) in Nederland. (12 februari, 2018). Retrieved from https://www.mkbservicedesk.nl/569/informatie-over-midden-kleinbedrijf-nederland.htm

(40)

40 Jones, R., Jimmieson, N., & Griffiths, A. (2005). The Impact of Organizational Culture and

Reshaping Capabilities on Change Implementation Success: The Mediating Role of Readiness for Change. Journal of Management Studies, 42(2), 361-386.

Katz, D., & Kahn, R. L. (1978). The social psychology of organizations (Vol. 2, p. 528). New York: Wiley.

Lazarus, R. S. (2006). Stress and emotion: A new synthesis. Springer Publishing Company. Legood, A., Thomas, G., & Sacramento, C. (2016). Leader trustworthy behavior and

organizational trust: The role of the immediate manager for cultivating trust. Journal of

Applied Social Psychology, 46(12), 673-686.

Lengel, R. H., & Daft, R. L. (1988). The selection of communication media as an executive skill. Academy of Management Perspectives, 2(3), 225-232.

Luecke, R. (2003). Managing change and transition (Vol. 3). Harvard Business Press. McNabb, D. E., & Sepic, F. T. (1995). Culture, climate, and total quality management:

Measuring readiness for change. Public Productivity & Management Review, 369-385. Menkveld, M., Boerakker, Y., & Mourik, R. (2005). Energietransitie in de gebouwde

omgeving. Petten: Energy research Centre of the Netherlands.

Milieu Centraal. (n.d.). Warmtepomp: elektrisch verwarmen. Retrieved from

https://www.milieucentraal.nl/energie-besparen/energiezuinig-huis/energiezuinig-verwarmen-en-warm-water/warmtepomp-combi-en-hybridewarmtepomp/

Miller, V. D., Johnson, J. R., & Grau, J. (1994). Antecedents to willingness to participate in a planned organizational change.

(41)

41 Ministerie van economische zaken, Energieagenda – Naar een CO2 -arme energievoorziening,

07 december 2016. Retrieved from

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2016/12/07/ea

Ministerie van economische zaken, Energie rapport – Transitie naar Duurzaam, 18 januari 2016, Retrieved from www.rijksoverheid.nl.

Moran, J. W., & Brightman, B. K. (2000). Leading organizational change. Journal of

Workplace Learning, 12(2), 66-74.

Mortelmans, D. (2013). Handboek kwalitatieve onderzoeksmethoden (Vierde, herziene druk ed.). Leuven ; Den Haag: Acco.

Oakland, J. S., & Tanner, S. (2007). Successful change management. Total Quality

Management & Business Excellence, 18(1-2), 1-19.

Opdenakker, R. (2006, September). Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in qualitative research. In Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung/Forum:

Qualitative Social Research (Vol. 7, No. 4).

Piderit, S. K. (2000). Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: A multidimensional view of attitudes toward an organizational change. Academy of management

review, 25(4), 783-794.

Quinn Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods.

Rhydderch, M., Elwyn, G., Marshall, M., & Grol, R. P. T. M. (2004). Organisational

changetheory and the use of indicators in general practice. BMJ Quality & Safety, 13(3), 213-217.

Schein, E. H. (1999). Process consultation revisited: Building the helping relationship. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

(42)

42 Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons. Stellingsma, D. (2016). The dynamics of the knowledge transfer process between start-ups

and their international partners (Master thesis). Retrieved from UVA scripties online

database. (Accession No. 643253).

Thakur, R. R., & Srivastava, S. (2018). From resistance to readiness: the role of mediating variables. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 31(1), 230-247.

Todnem By, R. (2005). Organisational change management: A critical review. Journal of

change management, 5(4), 369-380.

Tushman, M. L., & Romanelli, E. (2008). Organizational evolution. Organization change: A

comprehensive reader, 155(2008), 174.

Uneto-Vni. (7 maart, 2017). De installateur als energieregisseur [Pers bericht]. Retrieved from: https://www.uneto-vni.nl/persberichten/2017/installatiebranche-neemt-regie-in-de- energietransitie

Weeks, W. A., Roberts, J., Chonko, L. B., & Jones, E. (2004). Organizational readiness for change, individual fear of change, and sales manager performance: An empirical investigation. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 24(1), 7-17. Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation

science, 4(1), 67.