Effects of downsizing policies on IS survivors’ attitude and career management

The effects of downsizing strategies on surviving system personnel have received scant attention in the IS literature. This paper reports a study of IS survivors, the employment practices of the organizations, the attitudes of the survivors toward downsizing, and the career management practices of the survivors. The results indicate that the downsizing practice has a strong relationship with survivor attitudes and the practices survivors use in managing their careers. Specifically, indirect downsizing methods tend to avoid negative attitudes and promote career management strategies more beneficial to the organization.