To read this content please select one of the options below:

Melting the glacier: Activating neural mechanisms to create rapid large-scale organizational change

Research in Organizational Change and Development

ISBN: 978-1-84855-546-4, eISBN: 978-1-84855-547-1

Publication date: 23 September 2009

Abstract

Recent research in cognitive and social psychology finds that individual change is more emotional than rational. Further evidence suggests that the contagious power of emotions explains how groups may overcome obstacles and behave in unified ways. We offer a neuropsychological model of emotion-driven change in organizations that explains these findings and predicts conditions in which contagion effects will be successful in facilitating rapid change. Our model posits that emotive precursors to conscious action enable goal alignment and overcome cognitive resource limitations necessary to sustain organizational change over time. Our model adapts the findings from social and cognitive neuroscience to bring new insights into the mental mechanisms underlying the change process. The chapter concludes with tentative suggestions for developing new methods for research and practice that improve our predictive capability for creating rapid large-scale organizational change.

Citation

Tobey, D.H. and Manning, M.R. (2009), "Melting the glacier: Activating neural mechanisms to create rapid large-scale organizational change", Woodman, R.W., Pasmore, W.A. and (Rami) Shani, A.B. (Ed.) Research in Organizational Change and Development (Research in Organizational Change and Development, Vol. 17), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 175-209. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0897-3016(2009)0000017007

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited