Resistance to Change in the Homebuilding Industry of Hawaii County

Abstract

Housing standards for the typical family home in Hawaii County fall behind those in other similarly-sized counties located in the continental United States of America in terms of building quality, standards of materials, and energy efficiency (Hawaii Government, 2019). Utilizing a resistance to change (RTC) survey by Oreg (2003), the study targeted the homebuilding industry of Hawaii County to establish and determine differences in RTC levels in particular social dimension groups of culture, education, role in industry, and experience. Results of the RTC survey found a 57.39 overall mean RTC score or 3.38 mean RTC index score in the sampled population (n = 297) of the Hawaii County homebuilding industry at a 90% confidence level with a +/-5% margin for error. ANOVA statistical technique results show statistical significance (p < .05) in the differences between the social dimension groups of culture (p < .0005), education (p < .0005), and experience (p = .038); no statistical difference was found between the social dimension group role in industry (p = .24). Further, post hoc analysis of the social dimension groups showed the White culture group had a statistically significant lower RTC level than the other culture groups of Other, Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, or Asian. Education group participants with Bachelor’s Degree or higher had a statistically significant lower RTC level than those individuals that identified their education as a High School Diploma / GED or Some College/Technical Training/Associate Degree. Post hoc analysis could not distinguish statistical significance in the RTC scores between the experience groups.