Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between organizational climate and individual readiness for change, and the mediating effects of perceived organizational support and employee participation. More specifically, this thesis examines the human relation climate as conceptualized by Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983), and the direct effect it has on readiness for change, and the indirect effects through perceived organizational support and employee participation. The study proposes nine hypotheses regarding the relationship between the mentioned variables, tested through a structural equation model on a sample consisting of 853 respondents from the Norwegian police service. The Norwegian Police Service is currently undergoing a large reform, which makes it interesting to examine factors related to individual change readiness, as it has been identified as an important driver for change success. Organizational climate is interesting because it has been recognized as one of the most important factors that either decreases or increases individual readiness for change, but has mostly been studied as the mediator of different relationships, while studies examining the mediators between climate and outcomes are more rare. The findings indicate that a human relation climate positively predicts individual readiness for change, and that the relationship is fully mediated through employee participation and perceived organizational support. Further, there is a positive direct effect of perceived organizational support on participation. This study contributes to the field by extending the knowledge of how organizational climate affects change readiness, and discusses practical and theoretical implications.