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Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

Sladjana Nørskov, Peter Kesting and John Parm Ulhøi

This paper aims to present that deliberate change is strongly associated with formal structures and top-down influence. Hierarchical configurations have been used to structure…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present that deliberate change is strongly associated with formal structures and top-down influence. Hierarchical configurations have been used to structure processes, overcome resistance and get things done. But is deliberate change also possible without formal structures and hierarchical influence?

Design/methodology/approach

This longitudinal, qualitative study investigates an open-source software (OSS) community named TYPO3. This case exhibits no formal hierarchical attributes. The study is based on mailing lists, interviews and observations.

Findings

The study reveals that deliberate change is indeed achievable in a non-hierarchical collaborative OSS community context. However, it presupposes the presence and active involvement of informal change agents. The paper identifies and specifies four key drivers for change agents’ influence.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to organisational analysis by providing a deeper understanding of the importance of leadership in making deliberate change possible in non-hierarchical settings. It points to the importance of “change-by-conviction”, essentially based on voluntary behaviour. This can open the door to reducing the negative side effects of deliberate change also for hierarchical organisations.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2003

Miguel Pina E. Cunha and João Vieira Da Cunha

Change has become one of the most studied topics in management research. Although literally hundreds of research initiatives on this theme are carried out annually, there are…

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Abstract

Change has become one of the most studied topics in management research. Although literally hundreds of research initiatives on this theme are carried out annually, there are still important questions in this area that have been left unanswered. There are two, logically possible, modes of change that have yet to be identified and there are at least two tensions that go unresolved: the punctuated versus incremental change and the emergent versus deliberate change tensions. Drawing on a “grounded theory” research on organizational improvisation, we argue that this phenomenon contributes toward filling one of the gaps in a taxonomy of organizational change modes and toward a synthesis between the poles of the two tensions mentioned above.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2016

Petra Düren

Deliberate large-scale changes in libraries need an accompanying change management. One of the essential success factors of change management is the communication process, as…

3330

Abstract

Purpose

Deliberate large-scale changes in libraries need an accompanying change management. One of the essential success factors of change management is the communication process, as insensitive communication, using e.g. ambiguous wording or inappropriate tonality can cause great damage throughout the change process. Expert interviews with library managers did show that this change communication does not have to be something elaborate and outstanding using all new technological possibilities, but can be kept simple as the most important factors are to give enough information and to get into a conversation, a personal dialogue with team members. The purpose of this paper is to show the details of a change communication style which enables leaders to cope with deliberate large-scale changes.

Design/methodology/approach

The empathic change communication style (ECCo-Style) will be analyzed and described on the basis of an extensive literature research as well as a qualitative research on practical experiences of leaders of different hierarchical levels of academic and public libraries during the change processes.

Findings

The leader’s own action – and with this his or her communication style – has a signaling effect on team members of which each leader needs to be aware of and which can be used to release an enormous pulse, especially during the change processes.

Originality/value

This ECCo-Style is newly designed.

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2015

Heba El-Sayed and Mayada Abd El-Aziz Youssef

This paper aims to, using the concept of “modes of mediation”, examine how different roles for accountants are “made present” in an Egyptian manufacturing company. The paper…

1058

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to, using the concept of “modes of mediation”, examine how different roles for accountants are “made present” in an Egyptian manufacturing company. The paper introduces the notion of “modes of mediation” as a different perspective for the opposing popular archetypes of accountants: “bean-counter” versus “business partner”. Modes of mediation emphasise the materiality of artefacts, entities and technologies, as well as organisational space and spatial settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on a field study in an Egyptian manufacturing company where accountants are engaged as business partners and involved in operations planning and decision-making. The data were collected over a period of four years through participant observation, interviews and ethnographic techniques.

Findings

The paper reveals the relational nature of accountants’ calculative agency and shows how roles of accountants are intimately associated with a web of technologies and artefacts, as well as spatial working arrangements that represent particular “modes of mediation”.

Research limitations/implications

The concept of “modes of mediation”, which is still under-explored in the role change literature, is useful in studying the roles of accountants. It enriches our understanding of the wider involvement of accountants in business decision-making that goes beyond the major drivers of role change and deliberate interventions discussed in the existing literature.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on role change by drawing attention to the way in which different modes of mediation, involving certain material and spatial arrangements, enact different forms of calculative agency. Minor alteration to these arrangements can result in a wider involvement of accountants in business decision-making.

Details

Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1176-6093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2019

Mikko Värttö

The purpose of this paper is to examine deliberation in the context of organizational change and introduce an organizational jury as a change facilitator.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine deliberation in the context of organizational change and introduce an organizational jury as a change facilitator.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on an empirical study of four organizational juries that were organized by a non-profit organization in Finland. The main data of the study consist of a survey that the juries’ participants filled in. The data are triangulated with observations of jury meetings and relevant documents including pre-jury information package, jury presentations and juries’ proposals. In the analysis, the paper adopts deliberative democracy criteria to assess the inclusiveness, authenticity and consequentiality of the deliberative process.

Findings

The research findings suggest that the juries increased the inclusiveness of decision making and the quality of deliberation about the changes among the employees. The results indicate that juries facilitated the change process by providing a means for information sharing and building a shared understanding among the stakeholders. The main weakness of the juries was their low consequentiality.

Originality/value

Deliberative jury method provides a participative way to build and preserve socially shared meanings in an organizational change context. However, the studies on the use of deliberative forums in the organizational context are still scarce. Thus, the study provides an important addition to the existing research literature.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 40 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 30 November 2023

Jungsik Kim, Hun Whee Lee and Goo Hyeok Chung

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most organizations have experienced a sudden and unprecedented drop in revenue and productivity. However, the pandemic did not…

Abstract

Purpose

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most organizations have experienced a sudden and unprecedented drop in revenue and productivity. However, the pandemic did not exclusively negatively impact organizations; rather, it resulted in both negative and positive effects. To delve into the multi-level process through which organizational outcomes change from negative to positive indicators, this study focuses on organizational resilience as a theoretical concept to overcome pandemic-related turmoil.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a multi-level analysis based on grounded theory with a sample of 30 healthcare employees who worked in hospitals and were simultaneously enrolled in a part-time master of business administration (MBA) program at a university in the Midwest. Of the 30 participants, 21 were from a single university hospital (UH), and the remaining 9 participants were from other hospitals (non-UH).

Findings

The authors analyzed the data and incorporated three existing perspectives of organizational resilience (attribute, process and multi-level views) into an integrated model. The authors identified 25 first-order concepts and 8 second-order themes and categorized them into 4 aggregate dimensions at different unit levels: organizational field, leadership, operation and individual units.

Practical implications

A resilient hospital operates as a cohesive system, with entities at various levels – from individuals and teams to the broader organization – collaborating seamlessly to foster resilience. Top management team (TMT) should persistently communicate with employees to provide information about the current crisis and clear strategic directions to reduce employees' fear and prevent anomie stemming from future uncertainty. Managers should not only be concerned about employees' physical safety from infection and psychological safety from isolation but also encourage employees to elicit meaningfulness from their work. Furthermore, TMT and human resource (HR) teams should adapt human resource management (HRM) practices to allow for flexibility and optimism in employee roles.

Originality/value

In this study, the authors utilized a qualitative methodology with grounded theory in order to develop a comprehensive model that holds theoretical, methodological and practical significance. Theoretically, the authors' novelty lies in the synthesis of three distinct perspectives: attribute, process and multi-level. The authors merged these approaches into a unified model, identifying precursors of resilience at different levels. Methodologically, the authors focused on hospitals as target samples, which were the foremost and representative organizations severely confronting the crisis and turmoil brought by the pandemic. The authors documented organizations' experiences amidst the crisis as they unfolded in real time rather than in hindsight. This approach highlights the immediacy and significance of the authors' research in the realm of crisis management. Practically, the authors' findings illuminate that organizational resilience can be developed through a collaborative effort. It emerges from coordinated interactions across various organizational actors, from employees and middle managers to the TMT.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2008

Philip Shum, Liliana Bove and Seigyoung Auh

Although organizational change is inevitable with customer relationship management (CRM) implementation, very little is known about how this change affect employees, and how their…

14695

Abstract

Purpose

Although organizational change is inevitable with customer relationship management (CRM) implementation, very little is known about how this change affect employees, and how their actions in turn influence the success of CRM projects. The purpose of this study is to address this void in the current CRM literature.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an exploratory approach, 13 in‐depth interviews were conducted with bank managers and staff of three banks to provide preliminary support for the conceptual framework.

Findings

The three banks approached their CRM projects with very different results. Two banks achieved less success from their CRM implementation as a result of too little focus being placed on managing CRM‐induced change and people. Only one bank focused a large part of its CRM budget on change management and the organizational factors critical to the implementation. Results demonstrate a possible correlation between employees' commitment to the CRM initiative and the positive outcomes of a bank's performance.

Research limitations/implications

This paper lays down the foundation for more thorough studies on employees' affective commitment to change in the CRM context. Empirical research will be needed to verify the conceptual model presented.

Practical implications

The importance of identifying and securing employees' affective commitment to CRM‐induced change to ensure the successful roll out of a CRM implementation is highlighted.

Originality/value

Initial evidence is gained of the importance of employee commitment to CRM induced change for successful CRM implementation. A total of six organizational drivers are identified which assist in gaining employee commitment to CRM induced change.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 42 no. 11/12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 May 2021

Nimitha Aboobaker and Zakkariya KA

In the emergent context of the digital transformation of learning processes, this study aims to examine the influence of students' digital learning orientation on their innovative…

1544

Abstract

Purpose

In the emergent context of the digital transformation of learning processes, this study aims to examine the influence of students' digital learning orientation on their innovative behavior, mediated through readiness for change. Furthermore, we investigate how organizational learning culture moderates the aforementioned mediated relationship. From an educational sector stakeholders' perspective, elaborations are made on how the constructs will aid in facilitating and nurturing the sustainable development of educational organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The respondents for this descriptive study were drawn from a student sample, who had taken up postgraduate courses in science and technology streams, in a prominent university in India. Self-reporting questionnaires were administered among the respondents, who were selected through random sampling. Measurement model analysis was done using IBM AMOS 21.0, and path analytic procedures using PROCESS 3.0 macro were used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The results revealed that digital learning orientation had a significant indirect effect on innovative work behavior, through readiness for change. Also, the conditional indirect effects of digital learning orientation on innovative work behavior, mediated through readiness for change, were influenced by organizational learning culture as the moderator, specifically when the levels of the moderator were low. At optimal levels of an organizational learning culture, digital learning orientation had a significant influence on innovative behavior, through higher readiness for change. However, beyond a certain threshold, organizational learning culture does not have a significant influence on predicting outcomes.

Originality/value

This study is pioneering in conceptualizing and testing a theoretical model linking digital learning orientation, organizational learning culture, readiness for change and innovative behavior. The study is relevant especially in the context of today's students being referred to as “digital natives,” and it, thus, becomes imperative to understand how the same can be translated into work outcomes. Educators are suggested to facilitate an organizational learning culture that is conducive to nurturing positive outcomes among digital native students. Efforts should be oriented toward undertaking teaching pedagogies that will include more of digital gadgets and technologies, enabling higher experiential learning.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 35 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1986

A. Desreumaux

The vagueness of consultants' ideas as to what OD is, their diverging opinions as to its technical contents and the underground nature of the practice make OD in France rather…

Abstract

The vagueness of consultants' ideas as to what OD is, their diverging opinions as to its technical contents and the underground nature of the practice make OD in France rather elusive. OD tends to develop only in organisations where the absence of urgent problems and the vagueness of the feeling of unease make the agents receptive to long and unconventional intervention methods and facilitate the use of these methods. In this way, the practice of French consultants which does not originate from a democratic ideology and which pays more attention to the analysis of the stakes system within each organisation goes beyond the movement of planned change. OD in France appears to become more bureaucratic, or interventions acquire certain bureaucratic features deeply rooted in the French organisational context. The French case might be used as a field of experience and reflection.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 September 2012

Frithjof Mueller, Gregor J. Jenny and Georg F. Bauer

A key prerequisite for successful change in organizations is to understand and develop the readiness for change of employees and of their organization. In order to appropriately…

1677

Abstract

Purpose

A key prerequisite for successful change in organizations is to understand and develop the readiness for change of employees and of their organization. In order to appropriately manage occupational and organizational health interventions, this paper aims to develop a health‐specific survey‐based measure assessing individual‐ and organizational‐level health‐oriented readiness for change.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive longitudinal stress management intervention study in nine medium and large enterprises in Switzerland (n=3,703) formed the basis for subsequent validity and reliability analyses of the individual and organizational health‐oriented readiness for change measure.

Findings

The results show that health‐oriented readiness for change is a valid instrument for assessing the two subcomponents of current behavior and change commitment, both for the individual and organization as agents of change.

Originality/value

The change‐specific health‐oriented aspect, including the individual and the organization as agents of change seems to be plausible for a comprehensive assessment of employees’ readiness for change in health‐promoting change initiatives in organizations.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 5 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 18000