Abstract

Organisational change processes are often analysed from structural, strategic, or process-oriented perspectives. However, emotional dynamics among employees remain an underexplored dimension of organisational transformation. This study investigates how employees in an agile organisational environment experience and interpret emotions during a change process. Adopting a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees affected by a structural change within an agile team. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis, combining deductive and inductive category development. The results demonstrate that emotions play a crucial role in shaping how employees interpret and engage with organisational change. Emotional responses varied significantly across different stages of the change process and ranged from uncertainty and frustration to curiosity and engagement. The findings highlight that emotional dynamics are not merely individual reactions but emerge within organisational contexts and communication processes. From a practical perspective, perceiving and addressing emotions in change processes can support organisational learning and collaboration. The study contributes to organisational change research by emphasising the practical relevance of emotional dynamics and by illustrating how qualitative research can capture the complexity of organisational transformation.