Investigating the relationship between attachment styles, mentalization and emotion regulation with organizational trauma of change

Abstract :

It is difficult to manage change in the organization. It seems that managers experience fundamental changes in the organization similar to a traumatic event that can lead to change trauma. The experience of trauma depends on the attachment style, and the ability to mentalize and regulate emotions. For this reason, this research was conducted to investigate the relationship between attachment styles, mentalization, and emotion regulation with organizational trauma of organizational change in managers. The research method is descriptive and correlation research. The research sample consisted of 248 middle managers and high-level supervisors in a household appliance manufacturing company in Isfahan in the summer and fall of 1402, who were selected using the available sampling method and the Cochran formula. They responded to the research tools including  attachment style questionnaire, reflective function questionnaire, cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and organizational trauma questionnaire. Data were analyzed with correlation coefficient in SPSS software version 24 and path analysis in Amos software. The results showed the relationship between secure and avoidant attachment, dimensions of mentalization of certainty and uncertainty, and adaptive and maladaptive strategies of cognitive regulation of emotion with organizational trauma of change is significant(p<0.001). However, the relationship between ambivalent attachment and organizational trauma of change is insignificant (p>0.001). Also, the path analysis model is fit. In general, organizations and agents of organizational change can focus on managers' attachment style, mentalization, and cognitive strategies to regulate their emotions to reduce organizational trauma caused by change.

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