Embracing Change: Examination of a “Capabilities and Benevolence” Beliefs Model in a Sample of Military Cadets

This research used a capabilities and benevolence framework to examine 2 characteristics (learning orientation and propensity to trust) potentially associated with a cadet's attitudes and responses to organizational change. The research hypothesized that cadets with a high learning orientation and a high propensity to trust others will hold a significantly more positive attitude toward change than other individuals, even when controlling for the cadet's general dispositional resistance to change. Findings confirmed the hypothesis regarding learning orientation but not trust. Discussion focused on how organizations, by identifying the factors associated with a person's dispositional orientation, may ultimately develop better interventions to influence responses to change and increase the overall effectiveness of change initiatives.