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The purpose of this study is to develop a meta-model for organisational change based on a literature review across organisational theories, specific theories about organisational change and systems theories related to theories of organisational change.

The research is based on an extensive literature review for the period 1972–2012 which covers organisational theories, systems theories relating to organisational change theories, and specific theories of organisational change. It used the Social Sciences Citation Index using as search items change, transformation, organization[al] model, theory, systems, and combinations of these terms. The research is based on an extensive literature review for the period 1972–2012 which covers organisational theories, systems theories relating to organisational change theories, and specific theories of organisational change. It used the Social Sciences Citation Index using as search items change, transformation, organization[al] model, theory, systems, and combinations of these terms.

The meta-model is constructed as a complex systems model including the four discourses and their process elements. As each discourse provides specific and different insights into how organisational change occurs, we can widen our field of view on change by switching between different discourses. This also allows a holistic rather than the reductionist methods of other approaches.

The meta-model makes it possible to look at organisational change from a variety of angles. Structural, cultural, behavioral and strategic change can be looked at from four different dimensions. It allows for insights from the different discourses to be drawn upon, as each of which have their merits but also their own limitations. By going beyond the normative discourse, it provides for a model of organisational change that better reflects the complexity of change in real life settings and captures the complexity of the research literature.

The paper seeks to demonstrate that a systems model of change is better able to capture the complex nature of change than are linear models. Synthesizing this literature has been undertaken previously but this has usually been done with linear models of change which have produced limited results.

Companies pursuing certification to quality standards must apply change methodologies to institutionalize the requirements into the business. Existing change models, such as Burke‐Litwin, can serve as the foundation for identifying underlying, predictive variables impacting response variables of a quality management system including quality and delivery performance. The models were selected based on their applicability and similarity in integration of organizational variables with great similarities to those of a typical quality management system. Adaptation of change models specifically to quality management standards provides the conceptual framework in which businesses can operate. The discussion reviews quality management standards, organizational change and models, and change management in pursuit of certification. A conceptual model was developed and serves as the foundation for empirical research efforts. This bridges the gap between organizational change models and quality management systems.

This work seeks to offer a greater understanding of Lean healthcare implementation challenges conceptually taking a situated cultural organizational change perspective.

A descriptive model of healthcare organizations’ Lean adoption trajectories is built using ripple and bridging modelization strategies from elements of three classic organizational change theories and knowledge from Lean, organizational culture, healthcare and operations management literature.

The “contingent Lean culture adoption” (CLCA) model suggests five theoretical trajectories the healthcare organizations may experience when conducting a Lean transformation. These trajectories evolve from a new concept of Lean cultural friction (LCF) which represents cultural friction that a healthcare organization encounters toward an ultimate Lean culture proficiency state through time. From high to low initial LCF, a healthcare organization may in its Lean proficiency course end up in three states: lower, similar or higher LCF situation.

The CLCA model demonstrates the potential to be developed into a framework and possibly a Lean cultural friction theory pending further qualitative and quantitative validation.

The CLCA model may help healthcare managers to use more appropriate cultural change strategies during their organization’s Lean journey.

This work enriches the concept of Lean cultural change which may apply not only to healthcare organizations but also to other ones. It suggests the existence of a healthcare organization Lean culture proficiency archetype and introduces the notion of Lean cultural friction.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the role of organizational culture in governing the dynamics of resistance and facilitation of change by explicating the operational mechanisms underlying the Model of Organizational Change in Cultural Context (OC3 Model).

A conceptual definition of facilitation is introduced that parallels the psychosocial construction of resistance, while departing from traditional views that cast these constructs as polar opposites. Within the context of the OC3 Model, a multifaceted perspective on organizational change is advanced in which facilitation takes place alongside of, rather than in the absence of, resistance.

Two sources of resistance and facilitation are delineated, both stemming from the degree of cultural alignment of the content (strategic initiatives) and process (implementation strategies) elements of strategic change. The dynamic interplay of these independent sources of resistance and facilitation is explored within the context of the OC3 Model where the consequences of cultural alignment or misalignment are considered with respect to change implementation and linked to established theory and empirical evidence. Four interaction effects emerge from this analysis: augmentation, undermining, prevailing and immunity. A visual model illuminating the countervailing effects of facilitation on resistance is provided, along with illustrative examples derived from multiple ethnographic field studies.

Theoretical and practical implications of these interaction effects for advancing scholarship and leading organizational change are explored.

Articulating this theoretical extension of the OC3 Model provides a valuable corrective to extant theories of change that afford equal importance to all culturally embedded sources of resistance and fail to account for the counter balancing effects of facilitation.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a meta-model of organizational change that allows to look at change from different angles. This meta-model starts from the idea that there are different discourses about organizational change, each having their own merits but also their own limitations. Bringing these discourses together into an integrated systems model allows the authors to capture the essence of organizational change a lot better.

This model is designed based on a literature review of organizational theories, systems theories related to theories of organizational change and specific theories about organizational change.

The literature review resulted in a systems model of organizational change that is better able to grasp the complexity of change than linear models.

This model goes beyond the usual change models from the normative discourse and provides a multidimensional view on organizational change.

The study of group dynamics was central to the field of organization development at its inception. More recently, there has been a move away from considering irrational and unconscious dynamics in organizational life and more attention focused on rational and observable behavior that can be measured and quantified. We introduce the tool, Beneath the Surface of the Burke-Litwin Model, that invites consideration of how the overt behavior of individuals, groups, and entire systems is linked to covert dynamics. This more comprehensive view of organizational life provides scholar-practitioners with a systemic perspective, a view of covert dynamics by organizational level, and support for the ongoing development of one’s capacity for using self-as-instrument when engaged in organization development and organization change efforts.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a dynamic meta-heuristic model of effecting organizational change which informs smooth directing and routinizing change according to the specific situation relevant to every change attempt.

Because of the dynamic nature of variables and their interaction, developing a static model cannot be tenable. This study, therefore, attempts to generate a meta-heuristic method for constructing a dynamic organizational change model by combining qualitative methods (content analysis and Delphi Technique) and Artificial Neural Networks (Fuzzy Theory and Genetic Algorithm).

Each change program requires its unique method of implementation as change attempts are context specific. Hence, static models should give way to some dynamic ones. Whereas such static models abound, this paper stands out as offering a dynamic model for organizational change by using a rather unconventional method.

This can be regarded as a road map informing higher echelons of the complexity and leadership of change, while at the same time helping change agents have access to acceptable amount of variables that can make their change attempts more promising.

This model contains more flexible variables which reflect the incumbent organizations’ situations. While almost all previous models of change attempt take into account a few/handful variables which are seen to impact on change solidly and independently. But such an analysis with the usual statistical and mathematical methods is not justified. This challenge is met here using metaheuristics and artificial intelligence methods. The model formulated, thus, is dynamic, non-linear and multi-dimensional. Entering the data related to any specific field turns it to a customized model suitable for use in a given field; and this is not only a contribution to the theory but also can allegedly increase the chance of the success of the change agent managing to utilize the optimal amount of variables suggested in this paper.

The purpose of this study is to attempt to analyze how the distance of analogies used during the strategy formulation process is a critical driver used to explain the different scopes of implemented changes.

This study was based on field research using primary data gathered from 70 firms by means of an 83‐item survey. The questions were carefully constructed and answered by top managers according to a four‐point scale. The three hypotheses were analyzed using multiple linear and quadratic regression analysis.

The study defines a new concept of analogy's distance. Firms implement incremental changes when top managers use either short‐ or long‐distance analogies within the strategic formulation process, whereas radical changes are implemented when top managers apply medium‐distance analogies.

Even though the response rate was higher than recommended by specialists (21.5 percent), the sample was small, and also, more valid and reliable measures of different analogical distances and scopes of change are needed. The findings of this study allow us to make theoretical extensions to the cognitive theory of the strategy formulation process, strategic renewal theory, knowledge‐based view of the firm, storytelling theory of organizations, and the upper echelon theory.

Scholars from various disciplines and practitioners agree that analogies are a useful tool for many organizational matters (i.e. design strategy, renewal strategy, conflict management, understanding complex environments, facilitating communications, creating the need for change, and so on). If the firm's upper managers are familiar with external business models, they may use those as analogies in order to obtain strategic recommendations and advice which can be used to design an effective strategy, understand complex management issues, create the need for change, exploit new opportunities to achieve competitive advantages, and so on. Thus, managers have an advantage when they have accumulated a wealth of knowledge about other business models along with life experiences that may come from their past job experiences, participation in development programs with case‐oriented methodology, and being part of business workshops and congress. This information could be used as analogies for undertaking organizational changes to meet daily challenges faced by the firm.

The current literature does not address the different distances of analogies and how they are related to the magnitude of organizational changes. This study emphasizes the importance of the type of analogy being used as a tool to build the firm's business model. The concept of analogical distance has not been discussed in management literature.

This paper aims to examine the role of intellectual capital (IC) management in an organizational change process. The purpose is to obtain new empirical findings and an enhanced understanding of the role of IC in an organizational change process is obtained.

First, the existing literature on change management and IC management is reviewed. Then, empirical research is carried out in terms of an action research project on IC development processes in three case companies. These processes and their outcomes are evaluated using interviews.

An IC model can be a useful tool for change management as it helps to ensure the alignment of the change content with the strategic goals of the organization.

The study is based on applying the Danish IC management model in Finnish companies. Different results might have been obtained if another IC management model had been used or the companies representing other countries and cultures had been selected.

The paper demonstrates that IC tools can be useful for promoting organizational change processes. However, more important than the specific conceptual model or measurement method chosen seems to be the process of organizational representatives connecting their contextual and idiosyncratic understandings to the model.

This paper makes a contribution to the existing knowledge by reporting and critically evaluating the implementation of dynamic IC management practices. This is a contribution to the existing conceptually oriented literature on the topic. In addition, the analysis of empirical IC management projects applied in a change context has novelty value.

Over the past decades, a plethora of papers have been written describing organisations' reaction to pressure on them to change their practices regarding the natural environment. These papers can broadly be classified into two groups, those research papers interested in organisations' activities and strategies to deal with environmental issues, and those concerned with the external reporting or disclosure of information regarding organisations' effects on the environment. What appears to be missing in this research is very much detailed analysis of the link between these two areas. This paper aims to address this issue.

This paper, while calling for empirical work to be carried out to investigate this link further, discusses the assumptions made about this link in previous research and then theorises what our expectations for this link might look like given our current knowledge of reporting practices, and the abundance of reporting frameworks and guidelines that currently exist.

The paper augments a model developed by Gray et al. in 1995 that suggests a hierarchy of responses to environmental pressures, within the context of organisational change. The augmentation adds an accounting element to the model by considering the reporting that organizations may undertake depending on their location in the change process.

The model provides a basis for investigation of the link between organisational change as a result of environmental pressures, and reporting. The paper suggests a number of future research projects, using the model as a basis for empirical investigations.

This paper extends an existing model to produce a comprehensive framework that provides a basis for further investigation of the relationship between accounting (albeit a broad definition of accounting to include environmental reporting) and organisational change.