Punctuated change is usually defined as a discontinuity in organizational development and is traditionally associated with environmental turbulence; it is also associated with step changes in the performance of an organization. Starting from Gersick (1991), we discuss the foundations of the punctuatedÐincremental change paradox, and lay out hypotheses regarding the moments when such change is adopted and its economic effect. We explore these ideas through a study of the UK water industry: a contrived macro experiment. Following privatization, the ten major companies all faced similar pressures to adjust, but adopted widely differing responses. We find that the response to privatization was not always punctuated change, and that punctuated change processes were not necessarily superior to continuous processes. We contrast our findings with Romanelli and Tushman (1994), exploring the reasons why our results are so dissimilar.

Beliefs and values are hard to alter; yet they strongly influence employee's attitudes towards strategic changes. Using a longitudinal case study in the oil industry, we show how to distinguish between ideological beliefs (justified by ethical values) and mundane beliefs (substantiated by knowledge structures). We explain that the willingness of workers to participate in change was promoted by a dynamic interaction between these interdependent belief sets. More critically, we show that acceptance of change did not require a change in values, but rather a change in the way that values were applied. We develop propositions that move theory forward and point to future directions for research. DESCRIPTORS

PurposeTo report findings from an updated survey of environmental policy and practice among UK organizations. To draw conclusions about the relationship between environmental concerns and organizational strategy making.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports findings from a 1999 survey of 911 UK organizations, updated by interviews conducted with participant organizations in 2004. The paper represents an extension of a ten‐year longitudinal study of environmental policy and practice in UK organizations.FindingsThe gap between policy formulation and implementation in the environmental area has continued to narrow, but environmental concerns appear not to have moved towards the centre of the strategy making process in many firms. Organizations are still primarily influenced by short‐term rather than long‐term imperatives, and although recognition of opportunity offered by the environment is increasing, organizations are still liable to adopt a reactive position, increasingly so as the size of the organization decreases.Research limitations/implicationsIt offers a contribution to the debate over the ongoing relationship between organizational strategy and environmental factors as a determinant of organizational strategy. It locates the debate in the wider discussion of determinants of organizational strategy.Practical implicationsIt highlights the complex decision‐making processes facing managers in satisfying a variety of stakeholders who may be making competing demands of their organization.Originality/valueThe paper offers a longitudinal review of changes to environmental policy and practice among UK organizations, providing an opportunity to explore the nature of change over a ten‐year period.

Shamir (1991: 405) noted that 'current reviews of work-motivation theories are unanimous in their dissatisfaction with the state-of-the-art'. He concluded that existing theories offer an inadequate account of the impetus of employ ment and should be 'supplemented by a self-concept based theory of work motivation'. This paper suggests that the concept of ideology can provide a foundation for this kind of theory. First, it attempts to elucidate the explanatory power of the concept of ideology in the context of understanding the effective performance of organizational members. Second, it indicates how ideology can be shown to address the issues of organizational dynamism which Shamir found to be problematic. Third, it shows how the nature of ideologic, in con junction with the substance of ideological belief, offers an explanation of the variety to be found in organizational behaviour.

᭹Costs and differentiation have long been considered to be sources of competitive advantage in firms. Reputation is also considered to be a potential source of competitive advantage in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) literature, which seeks to promote social responsibility in the business community. ᭹In this paper we argue that many firms aspire towards good company-wide CSR, and that poor CSR practices can damage reputation and competitiveness.However, our analysis, based upon the Faulkner and Bowman 'customer matrix', shows that although many firms have every economic incentive to take CSR issues seriously, commodity producers do not. For almost every other type of manufacture identified in the customer matrix, cost or differentiation advantages can be seen to ultimately accrue from the pursuit of CSR policy. ᭹ On the other hand, for commodity producers there are no obvious cost or differentiation advantages to be gained by developing and maintaining a good reputation. We suggest that these are the circumstances in which it is necessary to resort to legislation.