DRIVING CRITICAL REFLECTION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY: ENHANCING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Organisational change management has become a critical factor for long-term business success. As businesses adapted to technological advancements, regulatory shifts, and market dynamics, employees’ ability to critically reflect on change processes played a vital role in fostering adaptability and reducing resistance. However, many organisations struggled to cultivate structured reflective practices due to rigid hierarchies, disengagement, and a lack of effective tools. While critical reflection was widely recognised as essential for change management, limited research explored how technology-driven reflection enhanced change adoption and employee adaptability. This study investigated how AI-driven analytics, digital collaboration platforms, and e-learning environments facilitated structured reflection and contributed to organisational change success.

Using a quantitative research design, the study focused on medium to large organisations in Kano State, Nigeria, where businesses faced significant challenges in managing change. A stratified random sample of 200 employees was selected, and data were collected using three validated instruments: the Adapted Reflection Questionnaire (ARQ) to assess employees' engagement in critical reflection, the Workplace Adaptability Scale (WAS) to measure adaptability, and Perception-Based Surveys to evaluate organisational commitment, leadership support, and change success. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were conducted to examine the relationships between technology-driven reflection, employee adaptability, and organisational change success.

Findings provided strong empirical evidence of the role of technology-driven critical reflection in improving change management outcomes. Regression analysis showed that technology-driven reflection significantly predicted employee adaptability (R² = 0.82, β = 0.69, p = 0.001), indicating that employees engaging in structured reflection through AI-driven analytics, collaboration platforms, and digital learning tools adapted more effectively to workplace changes. Additionally, critical reflection emerged as a key factor for successful change initiatives (R² = 0.78, β = 0.72, p = 0.002), demonstrating that organisations embedding structured reflection into change frameworks experienced higher transformation success rates. Technology-driven reflection also reduced resistance to change (R² = 0.74, β = -0.65, p = 0.003), reinforcing the idea that employees actively engaging in reflective practices were more open to transformation efforts and less likely to resist organisational restructuring.

The study contributed to theoretical and practical knowledge in organisational change by aligning findings with Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory (1991) and Kotter’s Change Management Model (1996). Results suggested that structured reflection enabled employees to challenge assumptions, refine strategies, and engage in innovative problem-solving, leading to greater employee buy-in and improved change outcomes. From a practical perspective, the study recommended integrating AI-driven feedback systems, establishing structured reflection practices, investing in digital collaboration tools, and providing critical reflection training to build a resilient workforce.