An Assessment of Perspectives on Strategic Change

Abstract

The chapters in this book signal an important shift in the evolution of perspectives on strategic change. This shift is reflected in the content and process of strategic change. As Andrew Pettigrew stated during the conference where these chapters were discussed, in the past “strategic change” was used as a mantra for a loosely connected area of study lacking theoretical substance. However, scholarship is evolving to define more clearly, and examine more rigorously, the process of strategic change. The meanings of the term “process” have evolved from a causal analysis of the antecedents and consequences of change to a development view of how change unfolds. These changing views of the content and process of strategic change have important implications. They influence the questions we ask, the research methods we employ, and the contributions we make. It is useful, therefore, to make these changing views explicit. Doing so can help us better understand the conceptual basis of alternative perspectives and can facilitate communications between scholars pursuing different views of strategic change. With these objectives in mind, this commentary briefly examines the changing perspectives of the content and process of strategic change. It also addresses some of the new forms of research methods required for studying these new perspectives of strategic change.