Complexity theorists propose that organizations are made up of complex responsive processes in which people create and recreate organizational forms through dynamic micro-level interactions. Social constructionists add that conversations are the means by which these interactions occur. Our...

Developing structures and processes that support learning and knowledge creation has become an area of extensive study. This paper describes dimensions of knowledge that were needed in integrating theory and practice for an applied research project. The project involved team members from...

“Change or perish” has become a corporate mantra (Abrahamson, 2000). What happens when change becomes excessive? We define excessive change as when organizations pursue several seemingly unrelated and perhaps conflicting changes simultaneously, or when organizations introduce new changes...

Part of a series presenting scholarly thinking about research and concepts related to the transformation of organizations. As in previous volumes in the series, contributors provide comprehensive literature reviews, methodological breakthroughs, and cutting edge theories. The papers presented in...

This paper is a critique of some basic assumptions in the debate about the learning organization. It develops a practice-oriented approach of learning and discusses how institutional contextual differences influence the direction and the outcome of the learning process. The study presented here...

In this chapter, we propose a shared schema approach to model a change of organizational culture. The connection between shared schemas and organizational culture is first examined, and the development of shared schemas is then explored. Building on previous work utilizing a cognitive approach...

The study and successful application of organizational change strategies is assuming an increasingly timely relevance in this era of rapid change and increased pressures for competitiveness. Organizational change, whether focused on people, structure, processes, or technology, is inextricably...

Recent democratic trends in Mexico as well as the opening of new economic markets and free trade relationships have made the management of change a major issue in Mexico. Most Mexican organizations need to transform their structures and processes, and to develop management and human resources in...

A new categorization scheme for the organizational change literature is proposed to foster theory development in the field. The scheme classifies the field into four main areas of organizational change research — type, readiness, process and inertia — and elevates time to the forefront of...

Existing research has identified a number of drivers of organizational change, such as leadership, participation, communication, and training. It has typically explored the impact of a single change driver, such as leadership, in a given organizational change, but has not sufficiently explored...