Anyone in an organization has the potential to become an organizational change agent. A review of common ways of viewing organizations (e.g., as machines, cultures, or organisms) gives change leaders frameworks to understand and make sense of organizational operations. The purpose of this book is to offer a package of theory, research, and practice that can provide guidance to anyone working in a human services organization, from practicing administrators and other staff to students and consultants, who see opportunities to improve some aspect of an organization’s functioning. The evidence base includes the human services and general management literatures and the author’s research on organizational change. Four cases of change initiatives provide examples of the concepts and materials in some chapters. The sections of the book include challenges and change opportunities, a conceptual framework, change leadership, a change model, generic organizational change methods, and change methods for human service organizations.
Organizational Change in the Human Services