Abstract
The primary objective of this study is to respond to Grant and Marshak’s (J Appl Behav Sci 47:204–235, 2011) call for a move toward change perspectives that emphasize the generative nature of discourses, narratives, and conversations and how change practitioners discursively facilitate emergent processes. This article attempts to explore the question, “Can we specify the conditions and sources which make generative conversations emerge and may lead to a successful change effort in Japan?” The abductive inquiry into the question indicates that the generative change process convinces change sponsors that changing the dominant discourses and welcoming alternative ones can lead to the long-term development of the organization and the members. With respect to the sources of alternative discourses, psychological safety and trust in the external authority figure are generally required. The importance of survival anxiety and talent diversity may vary across the broad contexts on which organizations depend.
Highlights
Over the last two decades or so, the research in organization development and change (ODC) has experienced increasing interest in the nature of discoursebased organizational change (e.g.,Ford and Ford 1995; Grant and Marshak 2011; Marshak et al 2000; Marshak and Grant 2008)
The sixth section introduces some implications of these case studies. It suggests that the generative nature of the change process emerges when change sponsors buy in the proposition that changing the dominant discourses and welcoming alternative ones can lead to the long-term development of the organizations and themselves
The final section deals with the practical questions delineated in Table 2: who are the most influential actors in shaping the dominant discourse and what are the sources of their influence (PQ1)? How can we identify and use alternative discourses that may exist at multiple levels to support change processes (PQ2)?
Summary
Over the last two decades or so, the research in organization development and change (ODC) has experienced increasing interest in the nature of discoursebased organizational change (e.g.,Ford and Ford 1995; Grant and Marshak 2011; Marshak et al 2000; Marshak and Grant 2008). The following section deals with the review of literature in the studies of Japanese organizational culture and discourse-based organizational change. The third section focuses on four dominant cultural beliefs in Japanese organizations. It attempts to analyze the possibility of the coexistence of good and bad fits between the beliefs and key discourse-based organizing assumptions. The fifth section provides a detailed analysis of organizational discourse and change, focusing on the author’s field studies in Japanese companies. The sixth section introduces some implications of these case studies It suggests that the generative nature of the change process emerges when change sponsors buy in the proposition that changing the dominant discourses and welcoming alternative ones can lead to the long-term development of the organizations and themselves. The final section provides some concluding remarks and scope for future research
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