This research uses a pilot study to investigate current change management implementation in a law enforcement organization. Based on the findings, a new change management approach is established for a law enforcement organization. The core research question that guides this study is: ‘How can change management be implemented successfully in a law enforcement organization?’. Taking into consideration the research aim, type and size of the sample, and to gain different and in-depth knowledge of the change management phenomenon, the operations division of the Turkish gendarmerie was chosen as the sphere of interest and semi-structured interviews as the research method. The results present a new change management model for the chosen division. The main original contribution is first Ackerman’s change categorization at a law enforcement organization [Ackerman, L. (1986) Development, transition or transformation: the question of change in organization. OD Practitioner 18(4): 1–8], and then developing a new change management approach for each type of change category in this context.

The paradigms of inquiry can be distinguished through their ontology, epistemology, and methodology. These paradigms of inquiry ensure different interpretations on theory. Positivism and post-positivism see theory as an indication or statement of relationships between abstract ideas with empirical observations that identify hypotheses via reliable tests. Alternatively, in order to emphasize the connection between interpretation and the phenomenon under investigation, critical theory, constructivist and participatory paradigms, use interpretive perspectives of theory. Paradigms of inquiry, methodology and method, are not only related and affect each other in the research process, but also develop the rigour of research thorough reliability, validity, generalization in positivism and trustworthiness, validity, and reflexivity in phenomenology. Reaching knowledge through different structural processes provides researchers access to the social world and thus reaches specific conclusions that can be passed on to others for further understanding.

This research investigates the impact of culture, leadership, and power on staff motivation in selected international organizations (IOs) and develops a theoretical framework to assist with the practice of workforce motivation. Utilizing critical theory as a paradigm of inquiry, the study’s philosophical perspective leans heavily on “phenomenology.” Concern for understanding the cultural aspect led to the result of utilizing critical ethnography methodology. Moreover, three qualitative methods were used: semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and, non-participant observations. Twenty-two supervisors, and the same number of staff, from the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the World Health Organization (WHO) took part in interviews and focus groups. Non-participatory observations were also carried out on a 3-day working schedule for the four IOs. For the first time in the existing literature, the findings of this research have established a theoretical framework which demonstrates linkages between concepts of culture, leadership, and power on staff motivation.

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