Managing improvisation within change management: Lessons from UK financial services

Abstract

Organisational improvisation is increasingly seen as a useful management skill, particularly in dynamic or turbulent business sectors, and there is growing evidence of its benefit in the management and implementation of change. The data here are collected within one such situation; the project management of change in the UK financial services sector. An interesting finding is the extent of improvisation taking place, notwithstanding the basic project management paradigm of ‘plan, then execute’. Compelling evidence also emerges that those organisations providing the temporal space and organisational culture to support improvisation within a given framework are more successful at implanting organisational change.