Protests, Rallies, Marches, and Social Movements as Organizational Change Agents. Issue 2 (May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Germain, Marie-Line; Robertson, Phyllis; Minnis, Sarah
• Is Part Of: Advances in developing human resources. Volume 21:Issue 2(2019)
• Page Start: 150
• Page End: 174
• Publication Date: 2019-05
• Subjects: social movement -- organizational change -- employee activism; Personnel management -- Periodicals; Organizational effectiveness -- Periodicals; Human capital -- Periodicals; 658.30105
• DOI: 10.1177/1523422319827903
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1523-4223

Abstract

The Problem: Social movements can impact organizations and employees through changes in policies and procedures in the workplace. Measuring the degree to which collective protests, rallies, and marches have influenced organizational actions can be complex due to the variance in activist practices and the resistance or amiableness of organizations to change. The Solution: Protests, rallies, and marches can create a disruptive stage for challenging and confronting organizational policies and practices that maintain power structures. Through the examination of the literature and the review of recent worldwide events, this article illustrates how social movements have affected organizations and led to organizational changes, illuminating change processes in established fields such as business. Specifically, we aim to answer how protests, rallies, and marches influence organizational policies and practices attributed to human resource development (HRD). We conclude by discussing how a recent social movement is applicable to the field of HRD and suggest areas for future research. The Stakeholders: This article may be of interest to employees at all levels of the organization, researchers, and practitioners in the field of HRD.