Transformational Organizational Change, Reinforcing Structures, and Formal Communication

Abstract

Given the changes forecast to result from global warming, scholars’ and practitioners’ interest in sustainability and organizational change is increasing. Although sustainability-related changes can be piecemeal and incremental, my interest is on transformational change. Transformational organizational changes begin when key individuals become aware of new processes, technologies, opportunities, constraints, and expectations. Once awareness occurs, the challenge becomes transforming information into useable knowledge and diffusing it throughout the system. Factors influencing the adoption of an innovation are reviewed. The characteristics of change adopters and stages of change are identified. Important communication roles during times of change (e.g., board members, top executives, change agents, sustainability champions), the process of communicating about change, guidance for change communicators, and formal structural and communication efforts to facilitate change efforts are discussed. Formal ways to embed a focus on sustainability within an organization include changing an organization’s structure (e.g., creating new roles, creating new inter- and intraorganizational coordinating structures) and designing pathways (e.g., mission and vision statements, goals and plans, formal communication channels). In addition to transformation change, theories or theoretical concepts highlighted include diffusion of innovation theory, the absorptive capacity concept, sensemaking theory, structuration theory, systems theory, transformational leadership, the communication approach to leadership, models of communication and change, and ethos. Interview data spotlights the City of Boulder, the City of Portland, the City and County of Denver, Sam’s Club, Assurity Life Insurance, the HEAL project, the University of Colorado, Portland, the Neal Kelly Company, Tyson Foods, the Portland Trail Blazers, and Aspen Skiing Company.