The evaluation of change

Abstract

Organisational change is as likely to fail as to succeed. The core proposition of the approach outlined in this paper is that the functionality of a socio-technical system is a potential constraint on the way that it can change, and this is something that current theories do not address. Thus, some of the variance in the success rate of change could be due to the inherent properties of the system and/or the way in which these properties are understood. This paper explores this proposition through a high-level discussion of four aviation industry case studies. These include: the change of a small regional airport from a public body to a business concern; the introduction of Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A-CDM) at a major international airport; the introduction of a new Safety Management System at a major airline; and the assessment of risk in advance of major change in a regional airline. A theory of the mechanisms of socio-technical systems is proposed based on the relation between the functional requirements of operational processes and the social relations that are necessary to support them. Cycles of knowledge and information mediate between these and provide opportunities for intervention. This theory is applied to the case studies through a system change and operational evaluation tool (SCOPE/Structured Enquiry). The theory provides a basis for supporting the change initiatives as well as a framework for evaluating their status and progress. The evaluation emphasises the following themes: understanding the functionality of the operational system, how this can be enhanced by management processes, the inclusiveness of social relations, trust, the transformative role of information and the development of knowledge.