Organizational change in a scenario of political upheaval and economic crisis: a Brazilian case

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to enhance the understanding of organizational change (OC) and the main critical factors to change. Design/methodology/approach A single case study was conducted in a large company with operations in Brazil by means of 21 in-depth interviews. A qualitative perspective was applied to scrutinize the data collected. Findings Main critical factors, such as commitment and trust, represent pieces of a puzzle that, when put together in a constructive way, draw a path to successful implementation of a change initiative. On the one hand, a country crisis poses as an obstacle to build change initiative credibility. On the other hand, an economic downturn may represent a retention mechanism. This study allowed the authors to draw a diagram with four groups of people based on their engagement with the organization change initiatives and on their seniority. In brief, the company is in a vicious circle. It is prisoner of a negative loop that causes a destructive effect in the change process, and it does not allow them to think out of the box and explore creative alternatives to face the company challenges. Research limitations/implications The research presents a few limitations regarding the chosen method and, also, country and company scenario where the research took place. Practical implications The results have implications for human resources development (HRD) scholars and practitioners in the planning and implementation of OC-related initiatives. Originality/value This paper contributes to OC literature and practitioners by showing the importance of credibility in change initiatives to achieve their successful implementation. This study also supports the strong relationship among main critical factors to change. Finally, the company is locked in a negative loop that stifles the successive attempts to successfully implement the change initiatives.

Exploring member readiness for change in manufacturing industries using phenomenology

“…The workers were resistant to change when they did not feel valued by leadership. Workers were unwilling to participate in change processes when they believed there were disadvantages associated with the change which is in alignment with the literature (Jones et al, 2005;Juliboni and Garibaldi de Hilal, 2018;Martin, 2017).…”

“…Member readiness for change is defined as an individual's reflected beliefs, feelings and intentions based on the perceptions of the individual to the extent to which changes are needed and the organizational capacity to successfully enact changes. Resistance to change is a response to a change process (Cummings et al, 2016;Georgalis et al, 2015;Juliboni and Garibaldi de Hilal, 2018). Manufacturing companies have a high rate of employee resistance within their companies as reflected in the participant responses.…”

Using social networking applications to facilitate change implementation processes: insights from organizational change stakeholders

“…Researchers have discussed organizational change in the context of different disciplines such as in strategic management (Kuusela et al , 2017), accounting (Christensen et al , 2019), environments (Henri et al , 2017), economic crises (Juliboni and De Hilal, 2018), cross-cultural dynamics (Cordeiro, 2017), knowledge management (Aslam et al , 2018a) and psychological issues (Hosking and Anderson, 2018). Different studies also highlight that between 40 and 70% of efforts related to organizational change fail (Balogun and Hailey, 2004; Beer and Nohria, 2000; Hammer and Champy, 1993).…”

Capacidade Inovativa e os Desafios para Empresas Industriais

“…A inovação tem sido considerada uma das mais relevantes fontes do crescimento econômico de nações e da melhoria do desempenho competitivo de empresas (Tushman et al, 2011;O'Reilly & Tushman, 2013;Porter & Heppelmann, 2017). Estudos acadêmicos que tratam dos determinantes da inovação têm examinado fatores antecedentes e, também, seus resultados, contribuindo para a adição de novos conhecimentos relacionados com aspectos organizacionais que possam incrementar a capacidade das empresas para inovar e, igualmente, possam dinamizar os resultados da concretização do processo inovativo (Juliboni & Hilal, 2018;Felício et al, 2019;Raffaelli et al, 2019). Capacidade inovativa é definida, neste estudo, como um fator que facilita o desenvolvimento de uma cultura organizacional inovativa que promova atividades e capacidades internas para entender e responder às mudanças no ambiente externo (Akman & Yilmaz, 2008).…”

“…O que se verifica é um ambiente que ainda se recupera de um período de contração da atividade econômica, com reflexos agudos para as decisões empresariais, notadamente, para a implementação de projetos de inovação que venham a demandar recursos financeiros volumosos. Nestas condições, as empresas tendem a adotar postura cautelosa com relação ao crescimento da demanda e fortemente restritiva no que diz respeito aos investimentos em projetos de inovação (Juliboni & Hilal, 2018). A orientação para o mercado pode contribuir para que a empresa identifique o melhor posicionamento diante das condições do mercado, fornecendo subsídios para tornar as decisões executivas mais próximas da realidade do negócio (Juliboni & Hilal, 2018).…”