How change management is influenced by differences in professional discourses: A preliminary conceptualizing study on the adoption of an ICT tool for service engineers

Abstract

This paper describes the discourse analysis of one intervention moment of an organizational change processes due to technological evolutions. This discourse analysis is part of a qualitative case study and suggests that community-specific differences in discourse may have a considerable influence on the success of this organizational change process. The discrepancy between (change) management discourse and work floor discourse in the process of organizational change and the role of social relations within organizational change are important for the success of change. First we describe the organizational and change situation of this case. Second three different context in which change takes place will be described. We use literature on discourse, professional culture, and conversation styles. The discourse analysis gives an example of how the change result can be influenced by analyzing speech acts chronologically in different settings regarding the change process. It seems that within a “technical environment” the change process and interventions need to be specific, concrete, and to the point. We suggest further research on three aspects that are interfering with and influencing the change effort. These are relating to different contexts, discourse, and professional culture.