A case study in organisational change: implications for theory

Abstract

Organisational change is typically conceptualised as moving from the status quo to a new, desired, configuration to better match the environment. Change could, therefore, be seen as a departure from the norm, or alternatively as normal and simply a natural response to environmental and internal conditions. Static models of organisations are being displaced by dynamic models, which reflect the discontinuous nature of organisational change. Developments in theory suggest limitations to contingency approaches, which carry the assumptions of static models of change. Analysis of this case at PowerCo in Australia reveals a number of issues related to changes aimed at achieving a more commercial, profit-oriented, focus. Points out that the contextualist approach is holistic, in which these aspects interact with each other as change unfolds temporally. A contextualist framework permits models of change to be visualised as dynamic rather than static, having a temporal setting which has multiple causes acting as loops rather than simple lines. This enables change to be understood as a discontinuous phenomenon having the benefits, without the limitations, of rational contingency models.

Organizacinių pokyčių valdymas: teoriniai ir praktiniai aspektai

“…Pažymėtina, kad organizacijos dažnai nenumato pokyčių poreikio, todėl organizaciniai pokyčiai gali būti apibū-dinti kaip reaktyvus, nutrūkstantis ir organizacinės krizinės situacijos nulemtas procesas [4]. Kita vertus, nors sėkmingas pokyčių valdymas ir yra laikomas būtinybe siekiant išlikti konkurencinėje aplinkoje bei užtikrinti veiklos sėkmę, kai kurie autoriai savo darbuose nurodo, kad beveik 70 procentų visų inicijuotų pokyčių programų patiria nesėkmę [5].…”

Leading Change and the Challenges of Managing a Learning Organisation in Hong Kong

“…Due to the strong influence of Taylorism, standardisation and best practices were highly sought after. With the final destination in mind, practitioners could structurally manage the transition process towards the new workflow (Burnes, 2004c;De Wit & Meyer, 2010;Nelson, 2003). Human factors, such as staff motivation, job loyalty and workplace learning, were largely ignored during this period.…”

International Business Research, Vol.1, No.2, April 2008

“…Another example of this is the Canadian national sports organisations in the period 1984-1988 when the Canadian government agency Sport Canada created institutional pressures for these organisations to adopt a more professional and bureaucratic structure (Slack & Hinnings, 1992, Macintosh & Whitson, 1990. Also it has been identified in recent studies is that these static models on organisational design and structure are being displaced by dynamic models, reflecting a discontinuous nature of organisational change (Nelson, 2003, Fomburn, 1992, Greenwood and Hinnings, 1988& Pettigrew, 1985. In the service industry such as sport, change cannot be relied upon to occur at a steady state, rather than that there are periods of incremental change sandwiched between more violent periods of change which have contributed to the illusion of stability once assumed to be the case (Nelson, 2003).…”

“…Also it has been identified in recent studies is that these static models on organisational design and structure are being displaced by dynamic models, reflecting a discontinuous nature of organisational change (Nelson, 2003, Fomburn, 1992, Greenwood and Hinnings, 1988& Pettigrew, 1985. In the service industry such as sport, change cannot be relied upon to occur at a steady state, rather than that there are periods of incremental change sandwiched between more violent periods of change which have contributed to the illusion of stability once assumed to be the case (Nelson, 2003). It must be then thought of because of the changing dynamics and environment of the service industry, organisations must adopt change.…”