Session 12: Organizational Change Processes

Topics

Although the study of organization change has been longstanding and enduring, a relatively recent trend in OMT has been a shift from an entity-based to a process-based view of organizations. This shift reflects the relative priority we give to viewing an organization as a noun representing a real thing (a social entity), or whether organizing is a verb consisting of ongoing processes of change and flux. This process-based view was evident at the individual level in Weick’s enactment view of organizing that we reviewed in week 4. This week we examine process theorizing at the organizational level. In other weeks we examine evolutionary processes at the population level (week 12) and social movement processes of institutional change in the inter-organizational field (week 14). Whether the processes occur at individual, organizational, or interorganizational levels, this perspective emphasizes that “process is fundamental: The river is not an object but an ever-changing flow; the sun is not a thing, but a flaming fire. Everything in nature is a matter of process, of activity, of change," (Rescher, Process Metaphysics, 1996, p. 10).

• Discussant Slides: Suvrat and Runtian

• Prof. Van de Ven’s slides on organization change research methods

Required Readings

• Van de Ven & Poole (1995) “Explaining Development and Change in Organizations,” AMR, 20, 3: 510-540.

• Aldrich & Ruef (2006), Organizations Evolving, Chapter 8, pp. 159-178

• Meyer, Goes, & Brooks (1993) "Organizations in Hyperturbulence: Environmental Jolts and Industry Revolutions" in Huber & Glick (eds.), Organizational Change and Design, NY: Oxford, pp. 66-111.

• Romanelli & Tushman, (1994) “Organizational Transformation as Punctuated Equilibrium” AMJ, 37: 1141-1166.

• Plowman, et al (2007), “Radical change accidentally: The emergence and amplication of small change,” AMJ 50:515-543.

• Klarna & Raisch (2012), “Move to the beat – Rhythms of change and firm performance, AMJ (forthcoming)

Supplementary Readings

• • Greiner (1972) "Evolution and revolution as organizations grow," Harvard Business Review, (July-August): 165-174.

  • Riegel, (1975) “The dialectics of human development,” American Psychologist, October: 689-700.

  • Tushman & Romanelli (1985) "Org. Evolution and Revolution," in Cummings & Staw, ROB, 7: 171-222.

  • Tushman & Anderson (1986) “Technological Discontinuities and Organizational Environments,” ASQ 31: 439-465.

  • Pettigrew (1987) "The Management of Strategic Change," Oxford, U.K.: Basil Blackwell.

  • Piderit (2000) “Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence…” AMR, 25: 783-794.

  • Huber & Glick (Eds.) (1993) Organizational Change and Redesign, NY: Oxford.

  • Gersick (1994) “Pacing Strategic Change: Case of a New Venture,” AMJ, 37: 9-45.

  • Kotter (1995) “Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail,” HBR, (March-April): 59-67

  • Burgelman (1991) "Intraorg. Ecology of Strategy Making and Org. Adaptation," Org. Science 2, 3.

  • Miner (1994), “Seeking Adaptive Advantage: Evolutionary Theory and Managerial Action,” in J. Baum & J. Singh (eds.) Evolutionary Dynamics of Organizations. New York: Oxford University Press.

  • Brown & Eisenhardt (1997), “The art of continuous change: Linking complexity theory and time-paced evolution in relentlessly shifting organizations,” ASQ:

  • Sastry (1997) “Problems and paradozes in a model of punctuated organizational change,” ASQ, 42: 237-275.

  • Nadler & Tushman (1998) “Org. frame bending: principles for managing reorientation,” AME, III: 194-204.

  • Quinn & Weick (1999), “Organizational Change and Development,” Annu Rev Psychology, 50: 361-386.

  • Tsoukas & Chia (2002) “On Organizational Becoming: Rethinking Organizational Change,” OS, 13: 567-582.

  • Lewin, Kim, & Weigelt (2003) “Adaptation and Selection in Organizational Change,” Chapter 5 in Poole & Van de Ven (Eds.), Handbook of Organizational Change, New York: Oxford Univ. Press, forthcoming.

  • Seo, Putnam, & Bartunek (2004) “Contradiction and Tensions of Planned Organizational Change,” in Poole & Van de Ven, Handbook of Org. Change and Development, NY: Oxford U. Press.

  • Van de Ven & Poole (2005) “Alternative Approaches to Studying Organization Change,” Organization Studies.

  • Nag, Corley & Gioia (2007) The intersection of organizational identity, knowledge and practice:…” AMJ 50: 821-847.

  • Ford, Ford & D’Amelio (2008), “Resistance to change: the rest of the story,” AMR, 33: 362-377.

  • Denis, Dompierre, Langley & Rouleau (2011), “Escalating indecision: Between reification and strategic ambiguity,”

  • Org. Sci. 22: 225-244.Farjoun (2010) “Beyond dualism: Stability and change as a duality,” AMR 35:202-225.

  • Van de Ven & Sun (2011), “Breakdowns in models of organization change,” Academy of Management Perspectives (August).