The effects of critical factors on the organizational change of garment companies in Thailand

Abstract

ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation The Effects of Critical Factors on the Organizational Change of Garment Companies in Thailand Author Miss Orramon Panthong Degree Doctor of Public Administration Year 2018 Both private and public organizations today are inevitably encountering changes because of continuous changes in the global business environment. For many years, the garment business has generated revenue that has contributed to the economic growth of Thailand. However, as time has passed, Thai garment companies have encountered uncertainty from the changing environment, resulting in their seeking appropriate practices to cope with these changes. This research aimed to explore the idea of organizational change implementation and also to examine the critical factors that have affected the organizational change implementation of garment companies in Thailand. The research design combined quantitative and qualitative methods using a mixed-methods approach. Organizational change implementation was divided into 4 variables encompassing change implementation in the plans and strategies of organizations, organizational structure, the work process, and organizational culture. The internal and external factors were analyzed using multiple regression in order to determine the factors that had influential power on the organizational change implementation of Thai garment companies. The quantitative study revealed that a sense of urgency for change and employee participation were the internal factors significantly affecting organizational change implementation. In terms of the external factors, economic factors, trade policies, technological development, and competition circumstances were the significant factors affecting organizational change implementation. The in-depth interviews were conducted during the qualitative phase of the study in order to better understand how the organizations implemented change. Finally, recommendations are provided for Thai garment businesses and relevant public agencies so that they can be prepared for change as well as develop appropriate change management in an effective manner.