The relationship between resistance to change and the productivity of the librarians at Tehran Islamic Azad University branches

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between resistance to change and the productivity of the librarians at Tehran branches of the Islamic Azad University. The methodology of this study was descriptive and correlation. Participants included 145 librarians at 44 library locations of Islamic Azad University. The instrument used in data gathering was a questionnaire. In order to analyze the data, descriptive and analytical methods plus the SPSS 22 had been used. 145 questionnaires were handed out but only 135 of them were received and examined. “Ability” as one of the dimensions of “librarians’ productivity” was higher than the other elements (with a mean of 3.6) and motivation was the lowest of all (with the mean of 2.1). Moreover, organizational level with the mean of 2.9 had the highest percentage of librarians’ resistance to change and individual level with the mean of 2.6 was the lowest of such resistance. The findings showed that at the Islamic Azad University libraries of Tehran, the individual and group level of resistance to change tended towards the average point and the organizational level of resistance had a tendency to move above the average point. At the libraries of Tehran’s Islamic Azad University branches, the ability of the librarians was at a high level but they had little motivation to enhance their productivity. The high level of organizational resistance to change showed the lack of acceptance of organizational changes by the librarians. Overall, the findings indicated there was tendency to move above the average. In other words, an increase in librarians’ resistance to change lead to reduction in their productivity and vice-versa.