Contesting the dominant narrative: expanding the multistory cultural change approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-228
Author(s):  
Martijn van Ooijen ◽  
Antonie van Nistelrooij ◽  
Marcel Veenswijk
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Construction Safety ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Organizational Field ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to expand the theory on multistory cultural change by showing how a dominant narrative on construction safety dynamically interrelates and is contested on multiple intertextual levels in an organizational field of organizations contributing to the recovery of houses in an earthquake region.Design/methodology/approachAn ethnoventionist research approach was adopted in which interpretation of data to find narratives and designing interventions went hand-in-hand.FindingsWe found four distinctive composite narratives besides the dominant narrative to which five actors refer in their accounts, thereby contributing to three types of story patterns. These narratives disclose the taken-for-granted ideas and beliefs that characterize the challenge of changing organizational culture. One intervention, which intended multiple stories to touch the surface, was highlighted as a multistory intervention.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research could extend the knowledge on other change interventions that contribute to multistory cultural change processes.Originality/valueAdopting an ethnoventionist approach to provide deep insights on an unfolding cultural change process for both scholars and practitioners.

Successful introduction of workplace change

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-41
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Workplace Change ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Employee response to any transition to open-plan offices can be hostile. Firms can guard against such negative reactions by involving all members in the change process and developing and sustaining an organizational culture that place strong value on communication, collegiality and inclusiveness. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The swansong of the fascist octopus: creating effective change communications

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 66-70
Author(s):  
Peter Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Change Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Change ◽  
Natural Tendency ◽  
Large Corporations ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Corporate Language

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine why corporations frequently do such a bad job in change communications and succumb to clichéd terminology when communicating change. Design/methodology/approach The approach was to identify particularly egregious examples of poor communications and to identify some reasons why change communications seems so difficult for large corporations. Findings Poor change communications has a number of sources. Chief of these is the failure to involve employees in the change process from the beginning and to acknowledge candidly that all change processes have losers as well as winners. Research limitations/implications The views expressed in the paper are based on the author’s own experience rather than extensively researched data. Practical implications While poor change communications will always exist, leaders who understand the natural tendency to use obscure and clichéd language in the field will be able to mitigate its effects. Social implications With trust in corporations at all-time lows, one can believe that more effective change communications will help to restore some of the lost trust between capital and labor. Originality/value While the clichéd corporate language is the frequent target of critics, there are few treatments of its connection with change communications.

scholarly journals Transformational change by a post-conventional leader

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Norrman Brandt ◽  
Sofia Kjellström ◽  
Ann-Christine Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Change Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Organizational Transformation ◽  
Transformational Change ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine people’s experience of a change process and if and how post-conventional leadership principles are expressed in the change process. Design/methodology/approach The study used a retrospective exploratory qualitative design. In total, 19 semi-structured interviews and 4 workshops were conducted and analyzed in accordance with a thematic qualitative analysis. Findings The post-conventional leadership appears to have facilitated an organizational transformation where explorative work methods aimed at innovation and improvement as well as holistic understanding was used. Dispersed power and mandate to employees, within set frames and with clear goals, created new ways of organizing and working. The leader showed personal consideration, acknowledged the importance of the emotionally demanding aspects of change and admitted the leader’s own vulnerability. Balance between challenge and support created courage to take on new roles and responsibilities. Most employees thrived and grew with the possibilities given, but some felt lack of support and clear directions. Practical implications Inspiration from this case on work methods and involvement of employees can be used on other change efforts. Social implications This study provides knowledge on leadership capabilities needed for facilitation of transformational change. Originality/value Few transformational change processes by post-conventional leaders are thoroughly described, and this study provides in-depth descriptions of post-conventional leadership in transformational change.

Patterns of strategic change

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Dominguez CC ◽  
Jose Luís Galán-González ◽  
Carmen Barroso
Keyword(s):  
Change Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Know How ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to know how strategic change processes unfold over time and their potential consequences for firms. The study has two main objectives: to identify the actors involved; and to analyze the sequences of changes when a firm experiences strategic change. Design/methodology/approach – To know the temporal sequence of strategic change is per se one of the most important questions of research in management. This is because it allows for a better understanding of how and why organizations change. The qualitative analysis – based on the existing literature on the change processes – aims to capture reality in flight and study long-term processes. Findings – The study identifies strategic change’s essential patterns. It determines when it is appropriate to use these sequences to improve firm performance and it explains that reorganization of the senior management can produce strategic change. The results provide a greater understanding of the strategic change processes carried out by firms which will broaden the theory relating to this subject. Practical implications – To know the strategic change circumstances and, over all, the sequence of the change process, could accelerate its implementation in a time when the speed is essential for the company competitiveness. Originality/value – The paper studies strategic change like a process. The results provide a greater understanding of the strategic change processes carried out by firms which will broaden the theory relating to this subject. The study identifies strategic change’s essential patterns both incremental as radical. By identifying these sequences, it can define the what, how and why of change, and who is involved.

scholarly journals Sustaining organizational culture change in health systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron David Willis ◽  
Jessie Saul ◽  
Helen Bevan ◽  
Mary Ann Scheirer ◽  
Allan Best ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Culture Change ◽  
Contextual Elements ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Guiding Principles

Purpose – The questions addressed by this review are: first, what are the guiding principles underlying efforts to stimulate sustained cultural change; second, what are the mechanisms by which these principles operate; and, finally, what are the contextual factors that influence the likelihood of these principles being effective? The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a literature review informed by rapid realist review methodology that examined how interventions interact with contexts and mechanisms to influence the sustainability of cultural change. Reference and expert panelists assisted in refining the research questions, systematically searching published and grey literature, and helping to identify interactions between interventions, mechanisms and contexts. Findings – Six guiding principles were identified: align vision and action; make incremental changes within a comprehensive transformation strategy; foster distributed leadership; promote staff engagement; create collaborative relationships; and continuously assess and learn from change. These principles interact with contextual elements such as local power distributions, pre-existing values and beliefs and readiness to engage. Mechanisms influencing how these principles sustain cultural change include activation of a shared sense of urgency and fostering flexible levels of engagement. Practical implications – The principles identified in this review, along with the contexts and mechanisms that influence their effectiveness, are useful domains for policy and practice leaders to explore when grappling with cultural change. These principles are sufficiently broad to allow local flexibilities in adoption and application. Originality/value – This is the first study to adopt a realist approach for understanding how changes in organizational culture may be sustained. Through doing so, this review highlights the broad principles by which organizational action may be organized within enabling contextual settings.

Intricacies of back-office

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sari Yli-Kauhaluoma ◽  
Mika Pantzar
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Cognitive Representations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Service Staff ◽  
Office Environments ◽  
Back Office ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how back-office service staff cope with the intricacies of administrative work. Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies the research approach of “at-home ethnography” in a university back-office. The primary method of data collection was participant listening in the field, either in formal interviews or casual conversations. Photography helped the authors to zoom the conversation in to specific artefacts in administrative offices. Findings – The study identifies both forward- and backward-looking recipes as essential administrative tools that back-office staff develop and use to handle intricacies that emerge in their daily work. Forward-looking recipes are based on anticipatory cognitive representations, whereas backward-looking recipes are based on experiential wisdom. The study elaborates on the different kinds of modelling practices that back-office service staff engage in while building and applying these two different kinds of recipes. Practical implications – The recipes support administrators in knowledge replication and thus help avoid interruptions, reduce uncertainty, and produce consistency in administrative processes. Originality/value – In contrast to existing studies of formal bureaucracies, the study provides a unique empirical account to show how back-office service staff cope with the multiple intricacies existing in current office environments. The study shows how recipes as models contribute to stabilizing or even routinizing work processes in complex administrative situations.

Employee's lying behavior and the role of self-awareness

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Chang ◽  
Sylvain Max ◽  
Jérémy Celse
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Deductive Reasoning ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Employee’s lying behavior has become ubiquitous at work, and managers are keen to know what can be done to curb such behavior. Managers often apply anti-lying strategies in their management and, in particular, the role of self-awareness on lying intervention has drawn academic attention recently. Drawing on multi-disciplinary literature, this study aims to investigate the efficacy of self-awareness in reducing lying behavior. Design/methodology/approach Following the perspectives of positivism and deductive reasoning, a quasi-experimental research approach was adopted. Employees from Dijon, France were recruited as research participants. Based on the literature, different conditions (scenario manipulation) were designed and implemented in the laboratory, in which participants were exposed to pre-set lying opportunities and their responses were analyzed accordingly. Findings Unlike prior studies which praised the merits of self-awareness, the authors found that self-awareness did not decrease lying behavior, not encouraging the confession of lying either. Employees actually lied more when they believed other employees were lying. Practical implications This study suggests managers not to rely on employee’s self-awareness; rather, the concept of self-awareness should be incorporated into the work ethics, and managers should schedule regular workshops to keep employees informed of the importance of ethics. When employees are regularly reminded of the ethics and appreciate its importance, their intention of lying is more likely to decrease. Originality/value To the best of the atuhors’ knowledge, the current research is the first in its kind to investigate lying intervention of employees in the laboratory setting. Research findings have brought new insights into the lying intervention literature, which has important implication on the implementation of anti-lying strategies.

Network change processes for environmental practices

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndie Bayne ◽  
Sharon Purchase ◽  
Geoffrey N. Soutar
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Process Theory ◽  
Change Processes ◽  
Business Networks ◽  
Environmental Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Network Change ◽  
Network Process

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of how change in environmental practices occurs in business networks. The study examines what types of network change processes occur in bringing about environmental change. Further, the basic change process theory types (life-cycle, teleology, dialectics and evolution) involved in the change processes are analyzed. Design/methodology/approach A multiple, embedded, network case study was undertaken in the Australian agrifood sector, focusing on the pork and dairy industries. Findings Change was found to occur through the interaction of multiple network processes operating simultaneously and sequentially over time. Thirteen network process categories were identified, grouped further into legislative, business case and altruistic overarching motivations. Legislative change processes emphasize the need for continued government intervention through enforced legislation. Teleology and dialectics were common at the beginning of many change processes, followed by life-cycle theory types. Originality/value The study brings together change process conceptualizations from prior unconnected literatures into a comprehensive change process categorization framework. Examining changes in the activity dimension adds to network dynamics literature previously focusing on changes in the actor and resource dimensions. Contributions are made to processual research methods by theoretically and empirically clarifying connections between events, activities and processes. Analyzing the underlying change process theory types at the network level adds to both management and business network literature. Finally, the study answers calls to study sustainability issues at a network level.

scholarly journals Expatriates’ withdrawal intentions

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1852-1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Helena Pinto ◽  
Carlos Cabral Cardoso ◽  
William B. Werther Jr
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Culture Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of perceived home and destination organizational culture characteristics and general satisfaction with the assignment as antecedents of expatriates’ withdrawal intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a web survey of an international sample of expatriates with a broad representation of industries, organizations and countries of origin and destination. Findings The results indicate that home and destination organizational cultures affect expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, after controlling for demographics and national cultural differences, namely: home organizational culture has a stronger influence on withdrawal intentions from the organization, while host organizational culture affects withdrawal intentions from the assignment. Further, the relationship between host organizational culture and expatriates’ intentions to withdraw from the assignment is mediated by expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment. Evidence was also found supporting a stronger and negative influence of the goal orientation dimension of organizational culture, thus suggesting that a collective orientation toward common business goals (i.e. solidarity) may help retain expatriates. Originality/value This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by exploring the influence of organizational culture on expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, and the mediating role of expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment, on that relationship.

Tapping into the underlying strength of organizational culture

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hr Practices ◽  
Innovative Capability ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Cultural Traits ◽  
Practice Implementation ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This research paper draws lessons from firms in Portugal to understand how HR practices and organizational culture impact the construction of an organization's innovative capability. It was revealed that the combination of four cultural traits – namely mission, consistency, adaptability, and involvement – has marked direct impacts on innovative capability promotion. Furthermore, these traits positively facilitate HR practice implementation. Specifically innovation-focused HR practices were found to boost innovative capability by fifty percent more than generic HR practices alone. Yet it remains crucial for HR practitioners to concentrate on both generic and specifically innovation-focused HR practices when designing and building their HR systems. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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