Why Don’t They Just Keep on Doing It? Understanding the Challenges of the Sustainability of Change

Abstract

ABSTRACTExisting organizational structures may prevent proper anchoring of change in the organization. This paper addresses the nature of the deep organizational structures that impact the sustainability of change. Deep structures are endurable organizational orders that may limit or enforce change and they are often implicit. Based on a case study of a change initiative in the hospital sector, we identify twelve deep structures, which we group into four meta-structures: networking structures, narrative structures, psychodynamic structures and leadership structures. Uncovering the deep structures socially constructed by organizational members over time and exploring how these structures enable or hinder change presents an alternative perspective on sustainability of change. We discuss the implications of this perspective for theory on the sustainability of change as well as for change management practice.