HR strategy during culture change: Building change agency

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 741-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Llandis Barratt-Pugh ◽  
Susanne Bahn
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Culture Change ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Change Agency ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Organisational Values

AbstractThis paper explores the role played by a Human Resources (HR) department orchestrating culture change during the merger of two large State departments with dissimilar cultures. A 2-year case study determined what HR strategies were having the greatest impact on embedding new organisational values to produce a more flexible culture and how these practices could be accelerated. This paper indicates how a more strategic approach by HR departments can support and develop relational managing capability that accelerates cultures change towards a more flexible work environment.This paper describes the context of the change process, the relevant literature, and outlines the research process. The findings from the phases of the data collection are summarised revealing the traumatic perceptions of the change process, but also the instrumental actions of some managers, working creatively with their teams to tackle new tasks and projects. The evidence suggests that these informal practices of task allocation were at the core of change agency in this case study and put the new flexible organisational values into action. The findings illustrate how the organisation moves from valuing managers for their technical competence to valuing managers for their relational competence.The paper then discusses what strategic HR actions were accelerating this process and illuminates the critical role of building managers as change agents. The paper concludes by confirming the need for a strategic approach by HR during organisational change. Building manager capability and supporting informal change agency practices is presented as a core focus for HR during such organisational cultural change programmes.

It's Not Just a Job Anymore: The Influence of Cultural Change on Student Services Staff in a Community College

NASPA Journal ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary G. Locke ◽  
Lucy M. Guglielmino
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Student Services ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Planned Change ◽  
Change Initiative ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

Today’s colleges and universities operate in a complex environment characterized by rapid and unrelenting change, and nowhere do the challenges inherent in change more directly impact students than in the delivery of student services. The need to integrate new models of service delivery, data-driven approaches to enrollment management, greater accountability for student success, stronger emphasis on customer service, and provision of “anytime, anyplace” services through technology are readily evident. Yet, many institutions are finding that their internal cultures are unreceptive, even hostile, toward adopting needed changes. This qualitative case study focusing on a 4- year purposeful change initiative at a community college was conducted to provide higher educational leaders with a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the influence of cultural change on student services staff. The results of this study indicated that student services staff constituted a distinct subculture that perceived, experienced, responded to, and influenced planned change differently from other subcultural groups. Specifically, student services staff more demonstrably supported the purpose of the change initiative; identified empowerment, inclusion and involvement in college decision-making, and improved lines of communication as the most important impacts of the change process; and expressed strong confidence regarding the sustainability of the changes that had occurred. Student services staff also indicated that they found greater meaning and developed stronger commitment to their work as a result of the change process. As a result of these findings, implications and strategies that may be helpful in designing and implementing a successful planned change initiative involving student services personnel are presented.

A case study of organizational culture change in a hospital

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Whitley Walker Vale
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Culture Change ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Organizational Culture Change ◽  
The University ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This dissertation presents a case study that describes and analyzes the organizational culture change that occurred at a hospital over a period of time (i.e., about 12 years, from 1993 through 2004). Qualitative data from five sources -- questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observations, and documents -- was analyzed by applying the 'transformation of intentions model' for policy analysis. This dissertation proposes that this sociological model is a theoretical framework that is conceptually applicable to the empirical analysis of organizational culture change. The application of the 'transformation of intentions model' of policy analysis to the analysis of organizational cultural change resulted in a detailed description of the organizational structures and processes that were essential to the organizational culture change at the hospital. The analysis revealed a pattern in the transformation of intentions at the hospital. More specifically, it was revealed that the organizational culture change at the hospital was 'top-down' -- administratively led -- change initiated in response to interorganizational directives -- specifically, policy changes by the healthcare organization that managed the hospital.

Insight in cultural change during organizational transformation: a case study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter Smit
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Change ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Cultural Theory ◽  
Organizational Transformation ◽  
Theoretical Assumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Desk Research

PurposeThe purpose of this case study is to gain insight into how a cultural change process develops as a result of organizational transformation.Design/methodology/approachThis case study employs an ethnographic and longitudinal research design. The transformation period of the organization is described by means of desk research and interviews with the management. Simultaneously, the cultural change process is described following four organizational mindset analyses.FindingsThis paper supports the theoretical assumption that culture changes as a reaction to transformation. However, in this case study, culture is also proven to be proactive, in that it emerged a year before the actual transformation was carried out. It is believed that the announcement of the new transformation caused a shift in the organizational mindset, enabling its members to deal with a situation of high uncertainty and stress. Whether the cultural change process in reaction to the transformation will evolve into a new sustainable cultural equilibrium could not yet be determined.Originality/valueThis study has contributed to comprehending the relationship between transformation and the process of cultural change. Cultural change is not solely a reaction to transformation. It can also be proactive in that it emerges before the transformation is carried out. That makes cultural change both proactive and reactive in relation to transformation, an insight that, as such, has not yet been discussed in the cultural theory.

The Administrator as Action Researcher: A Case Study of Five Principals and Their Engagement in Systematic, Intentional Study of Their Own Practice

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Fichtman Dana ◽  
Katie Tricarico ◽  
David M. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Supporting Evidence ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Action Researcher

The purpose of this case study was to understand engagement in action research as a form of professional development for practicing principals and the subsequent knowledge constructed as a result. The research team followed five principals through 1 year of professional development, which focused on supporting each principal in the design and implementation of an action research project on one's own leadership practice. Data sources included artifacts, field notes, video- and audiotaped transcriptions of meetings, and interview transcripts. Two assertions with supporting evidence are reported First, the high-stakes testing environment and era of accountability dramatically shaped the topics of principals’ inquiries and the ways that they understood the inquiry process. Second, collaboration with other principals, regardless of felt time constraints, played a critical role in the ways that principals made sense of the action research process as well as their own practice as administrators, and it precipitated deeper thinking about school and administrative practice. This study revealed that action research provides administrators with opportunities to engage in meaningful professional development that affects their own practices, the practices of other principals, and those within their school communities, thus making the act of reflection systematic and intentional.

Listening to drive culture change

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 161-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Schramm
Keyword(s):  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Cultural Revolution ◽  
Culture Change ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Financial Loss ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The paper aims to show how a Detroit-based company recovered from a fractured culture and staggering projected financial loss by igniting a cultural revolution fueled by listening and employee engagement. Design/methodology/approach After setting the scene in post-recession Detroit, the case study walks the reader through how the company defined its turnaround goals, engaged its workforce to inspire widespread cultural change and how it is sustaining momentum. Findings The paper provides a detailed account of implementing a listening-focused culture and the positive impact it had on Webasto. It suggests that widespread organizational change is only possible when all employees are engaged and involved in the process. Originality/value This paper illustrates a real-world example of how an automotive supplier took a people-focused approach to engage its workforce with listening to drive culture change and ultimately impact an organization’s bottom line.

Developing Impact Assessment for Training Systems Research & Development: A Case Study of the Strategic Approach for the NEWIT System

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Kotnour ◽  
Kay Stanney ◽  
Rafael Landaeta ◽  
Laura Milham ◽  
Julie Drexler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Research Development ◽  
Training Systems ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Strategic Approach

scholarly journals Methodology for Determining the Location of River Ports on a Modernized Waterway Based on Non-Cost Criteria: A Case Study of the Odra River Waterway

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3571
Author(s):  
Bogusz Wiśnicki ◽  
Dorota Dybkowska-Stefek ◽  
Justyna Relisko-Rybak ◽  
Łukasz Kolanda
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Multicriteria Decision Making ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Optimal Selection ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
Odra River ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Construction Works

The paper responds to research problems related to the implementation of large-scale investment projects in waterways in Europe. As part of design and construction works, it is necessary to indicate river ports that play a major role within the European transport network as intermodal nodes. This entails a number of challenges, the cardinal one being the optimal selection of port locations, taking into account the new transport, economic, and geopolitical situation that will be brought about by modernized waterways. The aim of the paper was to present an original methodology for determining port locations for modernized waterways based on non-cost criteria, as an extended multicriteria decision-making method (MCDM) and employing GIS (Geographic Information System)-based tools for spatial analysis. The methodology was designed to be applicable to the varying conditions of a river’s hydroengineering structures (free-flowing river, canalized river, and canals) and adjustable to the requirements posed by intermodal supply chains. The method was applied to study the Odra River Waterway, which allowed the formulation of recommendations regarding the application of the method in the case of different river sections at every stage of the research process.

Externalizing Faith: Countering Individualism Through an Embodied Emphasis

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-102
Author(s):  
Dejan Aždajić
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Theological Reflection ◽  
Propositional Content ◽  
Religious Knowledge ◽  
Current Challenge ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Embodied Theology

While the importance of an embodied theology has been recognized, in light of recent literature that sees a growing modern-day shift from emancipated individuality to ideological individualism, the aim of this article is to deepen the theological reflection on the urgent need for a more intentional embodied emphasis. This strategic approach is particularly significant, since in spite of the current challenge there remains a tendency toward a disembodied, anti-liturgical orientation that prioritizes words and cognition, locating theological truth on the inside of the autonomous individual thinking subject, who remains free to either accept or reject its propositional content. Drawing from relevant literature that provides a conceptual framework, this article argues that especially in today’s context, an overt emphasis on the externalization of faith and the embodiment of theological normatives performed together in community offers more promising pedagogical effectiveness. A bodily focus is principally important since it provides an experiential platform for the communal enactment and consequent appropriation of religious knowledge, thus potentially circumventing the present challenge of increasingly rigid individualism.

scholarly journals Landscape design approaches to enhance human–wildlife interactions in a compact tropical city

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yun Hye Hwang ◽  
Anuj Jain
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Design Strategies ◽  
Compact City ◽  
Public Preference ◽  
Conservation Principles ◽  
Design Projects ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

Abstract Urban landscapes have the potential to conserve wildlife. Despite increasing recognition of this potential, there are few collaborative efforts to integrate ecology and conservation principles into context-dependent, spatial and actionable design strategies. To address this issue and to encourage multi-disciplinary research on urban human–wildlife interactions, we ask the following questions. To what extent should design and planning actions be aligned with urban ecology in the context of a compact city? How can wildlife conservation meet the seemingly conflictual demands of urban development and public preference? To answer these questions, we refer to the relevant literature and a number of design projects. Using the compact tropical city of Singapore as a case study, we propose 12 design strategies. We encourage designers and planners to strengthen the links between wildlife and urban dwellers and promote wildlife conservation within cities.

scholarly journals Project-Based Learning in a Transinstitutional Research Setting: Case Study on the Development of Sustainable Food Products

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartmut Derler ◽  
Simon Berner ◽  
Daniela Grach ◽  
Alfred Posch ◽  
Ulrike Seebacher
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Research Setting ◽  
School Students ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Problem Solving Skills

Project-based learning (PBL) has been thoroughly integrated in university sustainable development curricula, but has not been well-established in curricula used at pre-university educational levels. Integrating real-world settings into the teaching of secondary school students can help to promote problem-solving skills and competencies at younger ages, which is a crucial task in sustainability education. Therefore, in this article we describe the results of a case study on the development of sustainable food products that involved a university and two secondary schools in Austria. The methods used in this case study were drawn from the transdisciplinary case study (TCS) and the PBL literature. Data were collected by carrying out participatory research methods such as photovoice, focus group discussions, food diaries, student evaluations, and surveys. We divided the study design into three phases: (1) exploration, (2) product ideation, and (3) product prototyping and optimisation. The case study illustrates that the use of PBL research approaches by students at different levels of education provides promising results, if the research process is clearly structured and managed. When a demand for learning is encountered by students, secondary school teachers and university researchers must provide the students with additional sources of information. The establishment and management of a transinstitutional research setting is a promising, yet time-consuming endeavour.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document