School Culture and Teacher Change Fatigue in Tennessee

Abstract

Persistent organizational change is a reality for workers across the globe. Change fatigue, a response to the perception that too much change is occurring, is one conceptualization of the detrimental effects that change can have on individuals. While no one sector can claim a monopoly on change, the public education system in the United States is especially vulnerable to a barrage of reform efforts. Using a sample of over 700 public school educators in Tennessee, this research explores the correlations between educator change fatigue and four school culture-types, as well as the relationship of change fatigue to emotional exhaustion, turnover intentions, and organizational commitment among educators. This research also addresses the role of person-organization fit in mediating the relationship between school culture and teacher change fatigue.