Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x5gtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-27T11:54:34.663Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Developing an Understanding of Theory in Organisational Change

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2015

Lindsay Nelson
Lindsay Nelson*
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, School of Management, University of Tasmania, GPO Box 252-16, Australia, Phone: +61 3 6226 7687, Fax: +61 3 6226 2808, Email: Lindsay.Nelson@utas.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Management literature related to globalisation and the need for organisations to gain a competitive advantage has grown in prominence over the past two decades (Caves 1982; Porter 1985, 1990, 1991, 1998; Barney 1995; Peteraf 1993; Barner 1996; Duncan, Ginter & Swayne 1998; Thomas, Pollock & Gorman 1998; Zahra 1998; Zahra & O'Neil, 1998; Gupta & Govindarajan 2001). Concomitant with globalisation and competitive advantage are issues related to achieving successful organisational change, since it logically holds that any activity to increase an organisation's effectiveness necessarily involves some sort of change. Much of the research attention in the past has focussed on strategies for implementing change, including overcoming resistance, rather than developing theories which lead to a greater understanding of the processes of change. Early research (Coch & French 1948; Ginzberg & Reilly 1957; Lewin 1951) reflect the historical concentration on how best to implement change; this tradition is more recently exemplified by Carnall (1999) who examines practical techniques for achieving change in organisations. However, literature relating to the theory of change remains fragmented and inconclusive.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , 2002 , pp. 32 - 43
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alvesson, M. & Deetz, S. 1996, ‘Critical theory and postmoderism approaches to organizational studies' in Handbook of Organization Studies, Clegg, S., Hardy, C. & Nord, W., Sage, London, pp. 191–217.Google Scholar
Argyris, C. 1957, Personality and Organization: The Conflict between the System and the Individual, Harper and Row, New York.Google Scholar
Barner, R. 1996, ‘The new millennium workplace: Seven changes that will challenge managers – and workers’, The Futurist, 30 03, pp. 14–18.Google Scholar
Barney, J. 1995, ‘Looking inside for competitive advantage’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 9, no. 4, pp. 49–61.Google Scholar
Beer, M., Eisenstat, R. & Spector, B. 1990, ‘Why change programs don't produce change’, Harvard Business Review, pp. 158–166.Google Scholar
Boeker, W. 1997, ‘Strategic change: The influence of managerial characteristics and organizational growth’, Academy of Management Journal, vol 40, no. 1, pp. 152–170.Google Scholar
Bourgeois, W. & Pinder, C. 1983, ‘Contrasting philosophical perspectives in administrative science: A reply to Morgan’, Administrate Science Quarterly, vol 28, pp. 608–613.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, T. & Stalker, G. 1961, The Management of Innovation, 7th edn., Tavistock, London.Google Scholar
Carnall, C. 1999, Managing Change in Organisations, 3rd edn, Prentice Hall, Harlow.Google Scholar
Caves, R. 1982, Multinational Enterprise and Economic Analysis, Cambridge University Press, CambridgeGoogle Scholar
Child, T. & Smith, C. 1987, ‘The context and process of organizational transformation’, Journal of Management Studies, vol 24, no. 6, pp. 565–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clegg, S. & Hardy, C. 1966, ‘Introduction: Organizations, organization and organizing’, in Handbook of Organization Studies, Clegg, S., Hardy, C. & Nord, W., Sage, London, pp. 1–28.Google Scholar
Coch, L. & French, R. 1948, ‘Overcoming resistance to change’, Human Relations, August, pp. 512–532.Google Scholar
Daft, R. 1989, Organization Theory and Design, 3rd edn, West, St Paul.Google Scholar
Daft, R. 1994, Management, 3rd edn, Dryden, Fort Worth.Google Scholar
Daft, R. 1995, Organization Theory and Design, 5th edn, West, Minneapolis/St Paul.Google Scholar
Dawson, P. 1994, Organizational Change: A Processual Approach, Paul Chapman, London.Google Scholar
DiMaggio, P. & Powell, W. 1983, ‘The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism & collect-ive rationality in organizational fields’, American Sociological Review, vol 48, pp. 147–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duncan, W., Ginter, P. & Swayne, L. 1998, ‘Competitive advantage and internal organizational assessment’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 12, no. 3, pp. 6–16.Google Scholar
Dunphy, D. 1996, ‘Corporate strategic change’ in International Encyclopedia of Business and Management, ed Warner, M., Routledge, London, pp. 822–828.Google Scholar
Dunphy, D. & Stace, D. 1990, Under New Management: Australian Organizations in Transition, McGraw-Hill, Sydney.Google Scholar
Eisenhardt, K. 2000, ‘Paradox, spirals, ambivalence: The new language of change and pluralism’, Academy of Management Review, vol 25, no. 4, pp. 703–705.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fairfield-Sonn, J. 1993, ‘Moving beyond vision: Fostering cultural change in a bureaucracy, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol 6, no. 5, pp. 43–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fayol, H. 1949, General and Industrial Administration, Pitman, London.Google Scholar
Follett, M. 1949, Freedom and Co-ordination, Management Publications, London.Google Scholar
Fombrun, C. 1992, Turning Points, McGraw Hill, New York.Google Scholar
French, W. & Bell, C. 1973, Organization Development: Behavioral Science Interventions for Organization Improvement, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ.Google Scholar
Fuqua, D. & Kurpius, D. 1993, ‘Conceptual models in organizational consultation’, Journal of Counselling and Development, 07-August, pp. 602–18.Google Scholar
Gersick, C. 1991, ‘Revolutionary change theories: A multilevel exploration of the punctuated equilibrium paradigm’, Academy of Management Rexdew, pp. 10–36.Google Scholar
Ghoshal, S. & Bartlett, A. 1995, ‘Changing the role of top management: Beyond structure to process’, Harvard Business Review, February, pp. 86–96.Google Scholar
Gibson, J., Ivancevich, J. & Donnelly, J. 1976, Organizations: Behavior, Structure, Processes, Business Publications, Dallas.Google Scholar
Ginzberg, E. & Reilly, E. 1957, Effecting Change in Large Organizations, Columbia University, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glynn, M., Barr, P. & Dacin, M. 2000, ‘Pluralism and the problem of variety’, Academy of Management Review, vol 25, no. 4, pp. 726–734.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gould, R. 1996, ‘Getting from strategy to action: Processes for continuous change’, Long Range Planning, vol 29, no. 3, pp. 278–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenwood, R. & Hinings, C. 1996, ‘Understanding radical organizational change: Bringing together the old and the new institutionalism’, Academy of Management Review, vol 21, no. 4, pp. 1022–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gupta, A. & Govindarajan, V 2001, ‘Converting global presence into global competitive advantage’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 15, no. 2, pp. 45–56.Google Scholar
Hackman, J. & Oldham, G. 1980, Work Redesign, Addison Wesley, Reading Mass.Google Scholar
Herzberg, F. 1968, ‘One more time: How do you motivate employees?’, Harvard Business Review, Feb, pp. 53–62.Google Scholar
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B. & Snyderman, B. 1959, The Motivation to Work, Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Inns, D. & Jones, P. 1996, ‘Metaphor in organization theory: Following in the footsteps of the poet?’ in Metaphor and Organizations, Grant, D. & Oswick, C., Sage, London, pp. 110–126.Google Scholar
Katz, D. & Kahn, R. 1978, The Social Psychology of Organizations, 2nd edn., John Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Kotter, J. 1995, ‘Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail’, Harvard Business Review, 03-April, pp. 59–67.Google Scholar
Khandwalla, R 1977, The Design of Organizations, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York.Google Scholar
Lawrence, R & Lorsch, J. 1967, ‘Differentiation and integration in complex organisations’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 06, pp. 1–47.Google Scholar
Lawrence, P. & Lorsch, J. (eds) 1969 Studies in Organizational Design, Irwin, Homewood.Google Scholar
Leifer, R. 1989 ‘Understanding organizational transformation using a dissipative structural model’, Human Relations, vol 42, no. 10, pp. 899–916.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewin, K. 1951, Field Theory in Social Science, Harper and Row, New York.Google Scholar
London, M. & MacDuffe, J. 1987, ‘Technical innovations: Case examples and guidelines’, Personnel, 11, pp. 26–38.Google Scholar
Margulies, N. & Raia, P. 1972, Organizational Development: Values, Process, and Technology, McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
Mayo, E. 1933, The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization, Macmillan, New York.Google Scholar
Mintzberg, H. 1979, The Structure of Organizations, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.Google Scholar
Mintzberg, H. 1991, ‘The effective organization: Forces and forms’, Sloan Management Review, Winter, pp. 54–67.Google Scholar
Morgan, G. 1986, Images of Organization, Sage, London.Google Scholar
Nadler, D. & Tushman, M. 1989, ‘Organizational frame bending: Principles for managing reorientation’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 3, pp. 194–204.Google Scholar
Narayanan, V. & Nath, R. 1993, Organization Theory: A Strategic Approach, Irwin, Homewood IL.Google Scholar
Nutt, P. 1986, ‘Tactics of implementation’, Academy of Management Journal, vol 29, pp. 230–61.Google Scholar
Palmer, I. & Dunford, R. 1996, ‘Conflicting uses of metaphors: Reconceptualizing their use in the field of organizational change’, Academy of Management Review, vol 21, no. 3, pp. 691–717.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettigrew, A. 1985, The Awakening Giant: Continuity and Change in ICI, Basil Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, A. 1987, ‘Context and action in the transformation of the firm’, Journal of Management Studies, vol 24, no. 6, pp. 649–670.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pettigrew, A. 1990, ‘Longitudinal field research on change: Theory and practice’, Organization Science, vol 1, no. 3, pp. 267–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peteraf, M. 1993, ‘The cornerstones of competitive advantage: A resource-based view’, Strategic Management Journal, vol 14, pp. 179–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pfeffer, J. & Salancik, G. 1978, The External Control of Organizations, Harper and Row, New York.Google Scholar
Porter, M. 1985, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, Free Press, New York.Google Scholar
Porter, M. 1990, The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Macmillan, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, M. 1991, ‘Toward a dynamic theory of strategy’, Strategic Management Journal, vol 12, pp. 95–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, M. 1998, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, Free Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robbins, S. & Barnwell, N. 1994, Organisation Theory in Australia, 2nd edn, Prentice Hall, New York.Google Scholar
Roethlisberger, F., Dickson, W. & Wright, H. 1939, Management and the Worker, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.Google Scholar
Romanelli, E. & Tushman, M. 1994, ‘Organization as a punctuated equilibrium: An empirical test,’ Academy of Management Journal, vol 37, no. 5, pp. 1141–1166.Google Scholar
Schein, E. 1980, Organizational Psychology, 3rd edn, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs.Google Scholar
Senge, P. 1990, ‘The leader's new work: Building learning organizations’, Sloan Management Review, Fall, pp. 7–23.Google Scholar
Senge, P. 1993, ‘Transforming the practice of management’, Human Resource Development Quarterly, vol 4, Spring, pp. 5–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silverman, D. 1970, The Theory of Organisations, Heineman London.Google Scholar
Stace, D. & Dunphy, D. 1994, Beyond the Boundaries: Leading and Re-creating the Successful Enterprise, McGraw-Hill, Sydney.Google Scholar
Thomas, H., Pollock, T. & Gorman, P. 1998, ‘Global strategic analyses: Frameworks and approaches’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 13, no. 1, pp. 70–82.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. 1967, Organizations in Action, McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
Tichy, N. 1983, Managing Strategic Change: Technical, Political and Cultural Dynamics, Wiley, New York.Google Scholar
Trist, E. & Bamforth, K. 1951, ‘Some social and psychological consequences of the Longwall method of coal-getting’, Human Relations, vol 4, pp. 1–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Trist, E., Higgins, G., Murray, H. & Pollock, A. 1963, Organizational Choice, Tavistock, London.Google Scholar
Tsoukas, H. 1991, ‘The missing link: A transformational view of metaphors in organizational science’, Academy of Management Review, 16(3), pp. 566–585.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tushman, M. & Romanelli, E. 1985, ‘Organizational evolution: A metamorphosis model of Convergence and Rrorientation’, in Research in Organizatioanl Behavior, vol. 7, eds Cummings, L. & Straw, B., JAI Press, Greenwich CT, pp. 171–222.Google Scholar
Tushman, M., Newman, W. & Romanelli, E. 1986, ‘Convergence and upheaval: Managing the unsteady pace of organizational evolution’, California Management Review, vol 1, Fall, pp. 29–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ulrich, D. & Lake, D. 1991, ‘Organizational capability: Creating competitive advantage’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 5, no 1, pp. 77–92.Google Scholar
Van de Ven, A. & Poole, M. 1995, ‘Explaining development and change in organizations’, Academy of Management Review, vol 20, no. 3, pp. 510–540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vrakking, W. 1995, ‘The implementation game’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol 8, no. 3, pp. 31–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walker, C. & Guest, R. 1952, The Man on the Assembly Line, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whipp, R., Rosenfeld, R. & Pettigrew, A. 1988, ‘Understanding strategic change processes: Some preliminary findings’, in The Management of Strategic Change, ed Pettigrew, A., Basil Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Woodward, J. 1958, Management and Technology, Problems of Progress in Industry, no. 3, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Woodward, J. 1965, Industrial Organisation: Theory and Practice, Oxford, London.Google Scholar
Zahra, S. 1998, ‘Competitiveness and global leadership in the 21st century’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 12, no. 4, pp. 10–12.Google Scholar
Zahra, S. & O'Neill, H. 1998, ‘Charting the landscape of global competition: Reflections on emerging organizational challenges and their implications for senior executives’, Academy of Management Executive, vol 12, no. 4, pp. 13–21.Google Scholar