Threat rigidity

Threat rigidity is an organizational behavior where the response to perceived threats is an inflexible adherence to established routines and behaviors, even when change may be more appropriate.[1]

Threat rigidity can lead to employee disengagement.[2][1]

The return to office initiative has been in part attributed to threat rigidity.[2]

The contingency theory provides an alternative to threat rigidity enabling changes to occur.[3]

The term was coinned in a 1981 paper Threat Rigidity Effects in Organizational Behavior: A Multilevel Analysis.[4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Mazzei, Matthew J.; DeBode, Jason; Gangloff, K. Ashley; Song, Ruixiang (July 2025). "Old Habits Die Hard: A Review and Assessment of the Threat-Rigidity Literature". Journal of Management. 51 (6): 2154–2181. doi:10.1177/01492063241286493.
  2. ^ a b Davies, Jessica (29 May 2023). "WTF is 'threat rigidity' and how is it showing up in modern leaders?". WorkLife.
  3. ^ Donaldson, Lex (20 February 2001). The Contingency Theory of Organizations. SAGE. pp. 177–178. ISBN 978-0-7619-1574-4.
  4. ^ Staw, Barry M.; Sandelands, Lance E.; Dutton, Jane E. (1981). "Threat Rigidity Effects in Organizational Behavior: A Multilevel Analysis". Administrative Science Quarterly. 26 (4): 501–524. doi:10.2307/2392337. JSTOR 2392337.
  5. ^ Shimizu, Katsuhiko (2007). "Prospect Theory, Behavioral Theory, and the Threat-Rigidity Thesis: Combinative Effects on Organizational Decisions to Divest Formerly Acquired Units". The Academy of Management Journal. 50 (6): 1495–1514. JSTOR 20159486.


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