Experience Of Organizational Change Research Articles

Between a rock and a hard place: Nurse managers' experiences of large-scale organizational change in the public health service.

BackgroundNurse managers are often at the forefront of implementing organizational changes. Studies suggest that conflicting pressures and stress are high during such times, though little is known of how nurse managers experience the continuing run of change initiatives.AimsTo explore nurse managers' experience of large‐scale organizational changes and its impact on their working lives and conditions.DesignA qualitative phenomenological hermeneutical study utilizing a Ricœur‐inspired method of interpretation.MethodsSemi‐structured interviews were conducted with 12 nurse managers at a public sector university hospital that had recently undergone large‐scale organizational changes. Interviews were conducted in 2021 during the covid‐19 pandemic. The analysis is based on the three‐stage Ricœur‐inspired analysis method by Pedersen and Dreyer.ResultsThree themes emerged outlining the nurse managers experiences of large‐scale organizational change: The need for support structures to be incorporated in the change process, The need for a guiding star, and The challenge of the values embedded in the Nurse Manager mindset. These themes were consistent across both predominantly positive as well as mainly negative experiences.ConclusionThis study reveals the potential that receiving support from management, staff and peers has to positively influence the experiences of nurse managers during large‐scale organizational changes. However, lacking a clear vision for the process negatively influences their ability to support high‐level quality care within their wards, potentially increasing their feelings of stress and conflicting pressure.ImpactParticipants offered important insight into the sparsely explored subject of nurse managers' experiences of organizational change, the complexity they face and the potentially high personal costs. The study highlights the detrimental effects of not providing support to all managers in organizations undergoing change, and the parallels to the covid‐19 pandemic.No Patient or Public Contribution was required for this study due to its aim.

Intensified job demands, stress of conscience and nurses' experiences during organizational change.

Background:Nurses frequently face ethically demanding situations in their work, and these may lead to stress of conscience. Working life is currently accelerating and job demands are intensifying. These intensified job demands include (1) work intensification, (2) intensified job-related planning demands, (3) intensified career-related planning demands, and (4) intensified learning demands. At the same time, many healthcare organizations are implementing major organizational changes that have an influence on personnel.Aim:The aim of the study was to investigate the association between intensified job demands and stress of conscience, and whether their association is moderated by organizational change experiences among nurses. Experiences of organizational change may expose employees to stress of conscience or serve as a buffer because employees appraise, involve, and cope with changes differently.Research design:Questionnaires measuring stress of conscience, intensified job demands, and organizational change experiences were completed by nurses (n = 511) in a healthcare district undergoing a major organizational change.Ethical considerations:Throughout, the study procedures were implemented according to the guidelines of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity and the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. According to the Finnish regulations, because participation was voluntary, informed consent was requested, and participants were advised of their right to withdraw from the study at will. No permission from an ethics committee was necessary.Findings:Work intensification and personal worry considering organizational change were associated with more severe stress of conscience among nurses. Nurses’ experiences of managements’ competent handling of organizational change buffered the association between work intensification and stress of conscience.Conclusions:During organizational changes, management may alleviate nurses’ stress of conscience by proper communication and support procedures.

Change Resistance as Practicing Moral Authenticity: A Qualitative Study.

Organizational changes are increasingly rapid and continuous in health care as organizations strive to meet multiple external pressures. Much change in health care fails and nurse resistance is commonly blamed for such failure. Nurse resistance to organizational change is often described as overt behaviours and are deemed destructive to the change process. Much of the literature describing organizational change comes from the perspectives of administrators, there is little known about nurses' experiences of organizational change. The purpose of this inquiry was to explore the nature of frontline nurses' experiences of rapid and continuous change. A qualitative critical hermeneutic design was applied. 14 Registered Nurses participated in face-to-face interviews. Openended questions were used. The setting was an urban pediatric teaching hospital located in Canada. Research ethics board approval was obtained as required. Member reflections ensured accurate portrayals of participant's experiences. The findings from this study suggest that acts of resistance to change are not overt, but rather covert behaviors in micro-ethical moments. Nurses engaged in resistance as means to provide morally authentic care at the bedside. These acts were utilized to take back power over their practice amidst feelings of powerlessness, however, paradoxically, when participants described the concept of power, they understood it solely in the context of feeling powerless within the planning, implementation and evaluation of organizational change initiatives. Nurses engagement with resistant behaviours in the context of organizational change demonstrated ethical action and political agency that enabled morally authentic nursing practice. The findings from this study offer new understandings of a well-established concept in nursing and can be used when considering the ethical dimensions of nursing work amidst rapidly changing health care institutions.

The challenges of change: Exploring the dynamics of police reform in Scotland

Despite a long tradition of pessimism regarding the scope for meaningful change in police practices, recent structural reforms to police organizations in several European countries suggest that significant change in policing is possible. Drawing on recent research into the establishment and consequences of a national police force in Scotland, this article uses instrumental, cultural and myth perspectives taken from organization theory to examine how change happened and with what effects. It highlights how police reform involves a complex interplay between the strategic aims of government, the cultural norms of police organizations and the importance of alignment with wider views about the nature of the public sector. The article concludes by identifying a set of wider lessons from the experience of organizational change in policing.

Diálogo Democrático Y Desarrollo: Un Obituario Intelectual De Björn Gustavsen

Björn Gustavsen, with an original professional background as a lawyer and judge in his native Norway, had a formative role in organisational development processes in Norway, Sweden, Scandinavia and the European Union over four decades. Following in the tradition of Norwegian working life research by Trist and Thorsrud, he provided the conceptual framework and practical case studies which have driven major national and international programmes. He learned from different experience of organisational change in, for example, the USA and Japan, but he identified a distinctive way forward for the European Union, where he acted as a senior adviser. In contrast to conventional Taylorist top-down management and reliance on expert consultants, his approach was bottom up and concept driven, with a focus on empowering workers. With a commitment to long-term sustainable processes, he emphasised the importance of capacity building and succession planning, highlighting development organisations. His approach to partnership and coalition building enabled collaboration across sectors, in the cause of creating collaborative advantage. He had a distinctive fluent academic writing style, but spentmost of his time engaged in the design and practice of development, and editing the work of younger colleagues. He saw the role of academic journals and edited books in the development process, so encouraged new publications, but without seeking to dominate. He took ideas of Action Research and case studies, and applied them to national enterprise development programmes, working with the labour market parties. This resulted in a distinctive research and development culture.

Democratic Dialogue and Development: An Intellectual Obituary of Björn Gustavsen

Björn Gustavsen, with an original professional background as a lawyer and judge in his native Norway, had a formative role in organisational development processes in Norway, Sweden, Scandinavia and the European Union over four decades. Following in the tradition of Norwegian working life research by Trist and Thorsrud, he provided the conceptual framework and practical case studies which have driven major national and international programmes. He learned from different experience of organisational change in, for example, the USA and Japan, but he identified a distinctive way forward for the European Union, where he acted as a senior adviser. In contrast to conventional Taylorist top-down management and reliance on expert consultants, his approach was bottom up and concept driven, with a focus on empowering workers. With a commitment to long-term sustainable processes, he emphasised the importance of capacity building and succession planning, highlighting development organisations. His approach to partnership and coalition building enabled collaboration across sectors, in the cause of creating collaborative advantage. He had a distinctive fluent academic writing style, but spent most of his time engaged in the design and practice of development, and editing the work of younger colleagues. He saw the role of academic journals and edited books in the development process, so encouraged new publications, but without seeking to dominate. He took ideas of Action Research and case studies, and applied them to national enterprise development programmes, working with the labour market parties. This resulted in a distinctive research and development culture.

Executive coaching during organisational change: a qualitative study of executives and coaches perspectives

ABSTRACTThe aim of this qualitative interview study was to explore the change-coaching process as perceived by middle management executives and coaches using an inductive approach. We interviewed both executives and coaches about their experience of organisational change, and the role of coaching as a developmental tool for executives when managing change initiatives. Thematic analysis revealed distinct perceptions of coaching across the stages of the coaching process, including pre-coaching (phase 1), during coaching (phase 2) and post-coaching (phase 3). Pertaining to the pre-coaching phase, executives spoke of their demands during change and the benefits of coaching for meeting their goals, which motivated the choice to engage in coaching. During coaching, executives’ expectations for coaching focused on their reactions to change and their need to engage in leadership behaviour. Referring to the post-coaching phase executives anticipated outcomes of the change-coaching process included both organisational (implementing change) and social (managing others through change) outcomes. Coaches spoke of their role in facilitating the executive to develop behaviours and coping skills to manage the change process (self-management). From the findings, we developed a conceptual model of change-coaching (C-C) across the three phases, which will serve as a guide for future research.

A two-wave study on workplace bullying after organizational change: A moderated mediation analysis

The role of organizational change in the process leading to the development of bullying has received only little attention so far. The present longitudinal study aimed at filling this gap by examining a moderated mediation model through Structural Equation Modelling where the mediating effect of psychological strain in the relationship between workload and workplace bullying is moderated by the experience of organizational change. Data were available for 141 university employees (65.2% females). The moderating role of organizational change was tested through the multi-group method by including in the analysis two groups of employees of the same organization: employees who directly experienced organizational change (e.g. change of job tasks and supervisor) and employees who were not involved in organizational change. Bootstrap test of the indirect effects provided evidence of a mediating effect of strain in the relationship between workload and workplace bullying in the group of employees who directly experienced the organizational change process. Implications and limitations of the obtained results are discussed, together with suggestions for future research.

Registered nurses’ experiences of organizational change in acute care settings: a systematic review protocol

The objective of this review is to explore how registered nurses working in acute care settings experience organizational change.

Practising Changing Change: How Middle Managers Take a Stance Towards Lived Experiences of Change

Based on a longitudinal study of 200 Middle Managers’ lived experiences of organizational change in three Retail banks in the UK, this paper sheds new light on the role of practical judgment (phron...

Sport medicine and sport science practitioners' experiences of organizational change.

Despite the emergence of and widespread uptake of a growing range of medical and scientific professions in elite sport, such environs present a volatile professional domain characterized by change and unprecedentedly high turnover of personnel. This study explored sport medicine and science practitioners' experiences of organizational change using a longitudinal design over a 2-year period. Specifically, data were collected in three temporally defined phases via 49 semi-structured interviews with 20 sport medics and scientists employed by three organizations competing in the top tiers of English football and cricket. The findings indicated that change occurred over four distinct stages; anticipation and uncertainty, upheaval and realization, integration and experimentation, normalization and learning. Moreover, these data highlight salient emotional, behavioral, and attitudinal experiences of medics and scientists, the existence of poor employment practices, and direct and indirect implications for on-field performance following organizational change. The findings are discussed in line with advances to extant change theory and applied implications for prospective sport medics and scientists, sport organizations, and professional bodies responsible for the training and development of neophyte practitioners.

The Organizational Internal Environment as an Effective Factor for

AbstractBackground and AimThe internal environment of any organization is an effective factor on change management. Thereare many effective factors which should be determined and utilized for change management in anyorganization including nursing and midwifery schools. So, this study aimed to exploreorganizational internal environment of nursing and midwifery schools and it's effect on changemanagement.Materials and methodsThis study was the qualitative part of a mixed exploratory study. The participants were recruited bypurposeful sampling method from the managers of Tehran schools of nursing and midwifery. Datawere gathered by semi-structured interviews andconventional content analysis was used for dataanalysis.FindingsTotally, 171 conceptual codes were extracted which were categorized in 3 themes includingchanging process, internal organizational environment and external organizational environment.Internal organizational environment had 10 subcategories in 3 main categories includingmanagerial-, organizational- and individual-factorsConclusion:The concept of change management is a complicate procedure which is influenced bymanagerial-, organizational- and individual-factors. Faculty members, manager's duties, education,attitude and other factors should be considered for change management in schools of nursing andmidwifery.Keywords:Change management, Change, Nursing school.*Corresponding Author: Alice Khachian, Ph.D student of nursing, School of Nursing & Midwifery,Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesE-mail : dr.houmanmanoochehri@gmail.com-Sange P (2007). A Fifth Discipline Resource: Dance of Change. Translated by Akbari H Soltani M. Tehran. AryanaIndustrial & Research Group. (Persian)-Andrew J Cameron H Harris M (2008). All Change? Managers’ experience of organizational change in theory andpractice. Journal of Organizational Change Management. 21 (3) 300-314.-Bianco A Schermerhorn J J(2006). Self-regulation, strategic leadership and paradox in organizational change. Journalof Organizational Change Management. 19(4)457-470.-Boswell C Cannon SH (2007). Introduction to Nursing Research: Incorporating Evidence-Based Practice. 2nd edition.Boston, Jones and Bartlett Publisher.-Gatto RP (2000). The Smart Manager's F.A.Q. guide: A Survival Handbook for Today's Workplace. San Francisco,Jossey- Bass.-Hsieh H Shannon SE (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research. 15(9)1277-88.-Johansson C, Heide M (2008). Speaking of Change: Three Communication Approaches in Studies of OrganizationalChange. Corporate Communications: An International Journal. 13(3) 288-305.-Kordrostami M Aghakhani E (2006) [Change Management and Organizational Development]. Tehran, Darsi booksPublication. (Persian).-LoBiondo–Wood G, Haber J (2002) Nursing Research: Methods, Critical Appraisal and Utilization.6th Edition. USA,Mosby.-McCormick D (2007) Dramaturgical analysis of Organizational Change and Conflict. Journal of OrganizationalChange Management. 20(5)685-699.-David R (2009). [Strategic Management]. Translated by parsayan A, Aarabi M. Iran cultural Studies (Persian).-Reed J Vakola M (2006). What role can a training needs analysis play in organizational change. Journal ofOrganizational Change Management. 19 (3) 393-407.- Sadeghi D (2011). Alignment of organizational change strategies and its relationship with increasing organizations'performance. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 20,1099-1107.-Saka A (2003). Internal Change Agents' View of the Management of Change Problem. Journal of OrganizationalChange Management. 16 (5) 480-496.-Salsali M Parvizi S Adib Hajbagheri M(2004). [Qualitative Research Methods]; 1st edition, Tehran BoshraPublications. (Persian).-Streubert Speziale HJ, Carpenter Rinaldi D(2007). Qualitative Research in Nursing, Advancing the HumanisticImperative. 4th edition. Philadelphia, Lippincott-Williams &Wilkins.-Van Dijk R Van Dick R (2009).Navigating Organizational Change: Change Leaders, Employee Resistance and Work-Based Identities. Journal of Change Management. 9(2)143-63.

Becoming an Evidence-Based Service Provider: Staff Perceptions and Experiences of Organizational Change

In 2006, Ontario’s Policy Framework for Child and Youth Mental Health identified a need to improve the dissemination of what works in mental health practice and put it into practice. While an encouraging policy direction, the operationalization of evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation in child and youth mental health systems requires further consideration and the provision of support at the organizational and workforce levels. Thus far, the field of implementation science has identified that the implementation of effective and efficient behavioral health treatment programs involves a number of factors beyond that of consulting the research evidence and committing to the adoption of a particular practice. The range of factors identified as important in EBP implementation is captured in several frameworks and has been synthesized in a Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). This framework provides an overarching typology or meta-theory of relevant implementation constructs: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of the individuals involved, and the process of implementation. The CFIR identifies constructs for which evidence supports their influence (positively or negatively, as specified) on implementation but does not specify the interactions between these constructs. We know little of how the process of implementation unfolds in real-world settings, and thus stand to learn a great deal through practice-based implementation studies done in partnership with community-based providers. Here, we have selected to explore the process through an exploratory case study. Given the paucity of literature examining implementation processes within the pediatric behavioral healthcare field, the present study used an exploratory framework to follow a change initiative involving the implementation of multiple EBPs over a four-year period in a large pediatric behavioral health service provider organization. In this paper, we report on staff

Negative experiences of organizational change from an emotions perspective

This study aims to explore the negative experiences of employees following organizational change through adopting a contextual emotions perspective. Previous studies have tended to examine negative change experiences through the lens of general concepts such as resistance, where it is often assumed that negative experiences are due to internal and intra-psychic processes, ignoring the role played by external events, situations and social relationships; hence negative change experiences are seen as irrational and misconceived. We therefore have limited knowledge about what kinds of specific negative emotions are actually experienced by individuals undergoing organizational change, and the ways in which these experiences relate to the surrounding context in which they emerged. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the negative emotional experiences of a selected group of nursing staff following the introduction of a new electronic care planning system at their ward. A range of different and quite specific negative emotional experiences were identified, and these revolved around two themes in particular: managerial planning and actions; and the quality of professional work. None of the negative emotional experiences seemed to reflect a general unwillingness to change.

The role of information technology in enhancing the administrative capacity of the civil service: lessons from the USA

The New Public Management (NPM) model has inspired reforms both in the advanced as well as developing countries. However, due to the prevalence of a wide gap in administrative capacity, developing and advanced countries cannot have equal pace in implementing the NPM. The major objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the administrative capacity of a public organisation is a function of both high-level human resource capacity and the effective utilisation of Information Technology. In order to substantiate this, the paper elicited data from civil service employees in Ethiopia and USA, so that the gap analysis between the two countries can be discerned. In addition to this, the paper analyses the impact of IT on the trends of the civil service employees with different levels of capacities. The analysis led to two major findings. First, the increase in investment in IT had been negatively affecting the sizes of jobs that require low human resource capacity. Secondly, the increase in investment in IT had no impact on the size of jobs that require high-level of human resource capacity. Furthermore, the reduction in the size of the jobs that require low-level human resource capacity has an effect on the size of supervisors, which is the main proxy for measuring the hierarchical levels of an organisation. In conclusion, the experience of organisational change in developed countries such as USA can help developing countries to closely consider the dimension of information technology in the course of reforming their public service organisations.

All change? Managers' experience of organizational change in theory and practice

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the usefulness of organizational change theory for management practice.Design/methodology/approachThe authors present an exploratory, empirical study of managers who were taught organizational change theory as part of a postgraduate degree. Building on the study findings, they analyse managers' subsequent experiences of organizational change; of how they use change theory in practice and the impact on their practice of their earlier formal study.FindingsThe paper finds that the complexities of managing change in practice reflect distinctive organizational environments and cultures. The skills and knowledge which managers found most useful were those that enabled them to “make sense” of the organizational change they subsequently experienced. The main impact of their earlier studies was to prompt informative, discursive and reflective approaches to change management.Practical implicationsThe paper discusses the implications for future teaching of organizational change and the development of organizational change theory.Originality/valueThe qualitative findings of the study add to, and help to explain, earlier research findings on the questions of how managers' experience change, how they use organizational change theory and its impact on their practice.

Alignment and variation in managerial and professional perceptions of purpose, leadership roles and outcomes in a healthcare organisation’s change programme

The aim of this paper is to clarify determinants of leadership effectiveness by examining key points of agreement and difference in managers’ and professionals’ expectations and experiences of organisational change in a healthcare organisation. This is a reflexive qualitative case study carried out by an insider. A pluralist approach to methods (including interviews and records of meetings), and to managerial and professional levels and service settings, is used. Textual data is analysed using a modified grounded theory approach. Six data groups, comprising 24 data sets, are processed through a short version paradigmatic analysis to yield an analytic text from the coded data to provide a narrative based on participants’ observations and responses. While there is agreement on positive organisational and service outcomes that reflect the leadership style and the approach to change, management and professional domains have different views regarding quality, actions, leadership constructs definitions and prot...

A strategic framework for change management

Many organizations have undergone substantial change over recent years and the importance of organizational culture to organizational analysis and change management has been increasingly recognized. However, the implementation of change is a complex process that is not always successful due to a variety of reasons. Failure in most change processes can be traced back to poor communications and underestimation of the amount of retraining required. The main aim of this research is to identify the key steps that could improve the management of change. Literature relating to organizational culture, the need for change, types of change and resistance to change was used to develop a theoretical basis for the research. Organizational change management case studies and exploratory interviews were used to document experiences of organizational change and develop a strategic framework for change management. Validation was through acceptance and adoption of the developed process within a construction‐based organization. The research has demonstrated how well‐planned change helps to ensure that change is successfully implemented. Critical to successful change is not only the development of more efficient and effective processes but alignment of organizational culture to support these new processes.

Mapping Transformative Learning

This article explores the application of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) as a framework through which to map transformative learning. This is original work that makes use of NLP as a methodology for inquiring into subjective experience. The authors outline issues in the theory of and research into transformative learning, introduce the field of NLP, then describe the research design for the empirical work, a longitudinal case study of a manager reflecting on experiences of organizational change. Themes resulting from the analysis comprise the following three main categories: characteristics of the output, or of the emergent understanding of the learner; characteristics of the person's inner process or journey; and characteristics of the interpersonal process between learner and facilitator. The article illustrates the application of NLP to the field of transformative learning, providing an example of its potential for empirical investigation.

Conversion stories as shifting narratives of organizational change

This paper is concerned with how employees talk about their experiences of organizational change and focuses specifically on the construction of conversion stories. These are particularly positive narratives that consider change as a turning point in which individuals depart from an old way of life pre‐change to embrace a post‐change organization. In this study, employees seek conversion into management groups and report the values and philosophies of management in their narratives, thus highlighting the benefits of change while suppressing any negative aspects. This paper draws attention to the dramatic nature of the conversion story and explores the sharp distinction between the reporting of experiences prior to and after change. We also investigate the relationship between constructing conversion stories and gaining personal and career advancement at work and suggest that beneath the positive exterior of the conversion narratives lies a theme of silence, which may be related to career advancement. Our findings suggest that such stories of silence complicate the conversion story as an example of positive organizational change and discuss implications for both the theory and practice of narrative change research.