Framework For Organizational Change Research Articles

Corporate zero deforestation commitments and company-internal organizational change

This paper addresses knowledge gaps related to implementation of corporate zero deforestation commitments (ZDCs). Drawing on an analytical framework of organizational change, we scrutinize changes and processes internal to a company in adjusting to zero deforestation supply chains. The empirical data consists of 48 online questionnaires and 49 online interviews with actors involved in forest-risk commodity supply chains, both internal actors in companies and external actors (e.g., non-governmental organizations). Concerning organizational changes, the findings show that diverse drivers have triggered companies to adopt ZDCs, but most are external drivers. Organizational change following ZDCs has taken place within companies but only to a limited extent. Our study concludes that while corporate ZDCs can be seen as having advanced private governance in the fight against deforestation, more is needed still for effective implementation. Public governance and regulations could play an increasing role in stimulating adoption and implementation of private governance initiatives, like corporate ZDCs.

Driving Change towards Sustainability in Public Bodies and Civil Society Organisations: Expert Interviews with UK Practitioners

While public bodies and civil society organisations play an important role in the transition towards a more sustainable society, there has been very limited research on how to make these institutions more sustainable. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to generate insights on processes and patterns of change towards sustainability, and to identify effective practices that might be transferred and adapted to different institutional contexts. The research followed an organisational change framework and a qualitative exploratory design. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced sustainability practitioners working at leading organisations in the UK. Thematic analysis of the data revealed three overarching themes: knowledge and reflection, support and engagement, and driving and enabling change. From this, a framework for effective practice was developed, highlighting the importance of (i) explicitly linking organisational understanding to working practices through frequent and deliberate reflection; (ii) developing a support base that provides expertise and legitimacy; and (iii) using context-specific strategies for implementing planned changes, as well as supporting emergent change throughout organisational sub-systems.

Profiling employee psychological responses during restructuring and downsizing in the public sector: “Flourishers”, “Recoverers” and “Ambivalents”

PurposeThis study aims to examine configurations of person-centered psychological change during organizational restructuring and downsizing in a public sector setting. Drawing on a social cognitive framework of organizational change the authors explore and identify the existence of different groups of employees who demonstrate varied responses (on commitment, engagement and anxiety) to restructuring and downsizing.Design/methodology/approachSurveys were collected from employees in three longitudinal waves (Time 1 N = 253; Time 2 N = 107; Time 3 N = 93, twelve months apart) at a UK public sector organization shortly before, during and after restructuring and downsizing.FindingsThree classes of response emerged based on levels of and change in anxiety, organizational commitment and work engagement: a positive “Flourishers” profile was identified along with two relatively negative response profiles, labeled as “Recoverers” and “Ambivalents”. Higher levels of job control accounted for membership of the more positive response profile; higher structural uncertainty predicted membership of the most negative response group.Practical implicationsUsing a person-centered approach, the authors form an understanding of different types of employee responses to downsizing; along with potential factors that help explain why groups of employees may exhibit certain psychological response patterns and may need to be managed differently during change. Thus, this approach provides greater understanding to researchers and managers of the varied impact that restructuring/downsizing has on the workforce.Originality/valueTo date there has been little research exploring employee responses to organizational restructuring and downsizing that has attempted to take a person-centered approach, which assumes population heterogeneity. Unlike variable centered approaches, this unique approach helps identify different patterns of employee responses to restructuring and downsizing.

An Organizational Change Perspective for the Curriculum Internationalization Process: Bridging the Gap Between Strategy and Implementation

Following a rapidly changing external environment, internationalization has become an institutional phenomenon with strategic relevance for universities worldwide. However, the frequently reported gap between theory and practice remains. Engaging staff and achieving successful organizational implementation appears increasingly problematic with more stakeholders and disciplines involved. This study explores the long-time gap between strategy and implementation with Pettigrew's organizational change framework (1987). We conducted a systematic scoping literature review of articles about curriculum internationalization ( N = 325) published in English in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2022. Our study demonstrates that the organizational change perspective provides guidelines to improve and facilitate the process. Based on an organizational change perspective we developed a comprehensive framework that may contribute to more effective strategies for staff engagement and meaningful implementation outcomes for curriculum internationalization in higher education.

The Legitimacy of Change: Adopting/Adapting, Implementing and Sustaining Reforms within Community Corrections Agencies.

Many criminal justice institutions implement evidence-based reforms. While most scholars are aware of implementation challenges, we still know relatively little about sustainability. Using longitudinal data from criminal legal staff implementing an evidence-based reform, this paper considers: What happens during the implementation of an organizational reform that affects continued use of these reforms? Guided by an organizational change framework, findings suggest sustainability aligns with key organizational goals including legitimacy, efficiency and effectiveness. While all sites saw the reformed practices as legitimate enough to initially consider adoption, two sites never adopted, four sites toyed with reform, and two sites continued to use the reform after the study was over. This paper explores sustainability and identifies legitimacy as an important factor that affects the routinization of new practices. Transformation of organizational change initiatives into routine practices should consider efforts to build legitimacy in lieu of primarily rationalizing on the values of efficiency and effectiveness.

Multi-level analysis of the learning health system: Integrating contributions from research on organizations and implementation.

IntroductionOrganizations and systems that deliver health care may better adapt to rapid change in their environments by acting as learning organizations and learning health systems (LHSs). Despite widespread recognition that multilevel forces shape capacity for learning within care delivery organizations, there is no agreed‐on, comprehensive, multilevel framework to inform LHS research and practice.MethodsWe develop such a framework, which can enhance both research on LHSs and practical steps toward their development. We draw on existing frameworks and research within organization and implementation science and synthesize contributions from three influential frameworks: the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the social‐ecological framework, and the organizational change framework. These frameworks come, respectively, from the fields of implementation science, public health, and organization science.ResultsOur proposed integrative framework includes both intraorganizational levels (individual, team, mid‐management, organization) and the operating and general environments in which delivery organizations operate. We stress the importance of examining interactions among influential factors both within and across system levels and focus on the effects of leadership, incentives, and culture. Additionally, we indicate that organizational learning depends substantially on internal and cross‐level alignment of these factors. We illustrate the contribution of our multilevel perspective by applying it to the analysis of three diverse implementation initiatives that aimed at specific care improvements and enduring system learning.ConclusionsThe framework and perspective developed here can help investigators and practitioners broadly scan and then investigate forces influencing improvement and learning and may point to otherwise unnoticed interactions among influential factors. The framework can also be used as a planning tool by managers and practitioners.

Insights for implementing change in healthcare

Healthcare systems are complex; this is reflected in their diverse structures, cultures and services. Organisational culture is an important aspect to consider when planning any intervention changes. Working in and with teams that include members from different professional and organisational backgrounds, and successfully managing these potential tensions, can be challenging. This article reviews the elements required to instigate organisational change when planning an intervention and the possible barriers preventing doctors from full engagement in these projects. It discusses the model of ‘planned change’, which was first described by Lewin in 1947, and its evolution through recent decades as a framework for organisational change. It also emphasises the importance of workplace culture in the successful implementation of change within healthcare services and argues that a stronger emphasis on management skills is needed in doctor training. Doctors are an underused resource in healthcare management and should be encouraged to take a more proactive role.

Facilitating a change model in age-friendly hospital certification: Strategies and effects.

The ageing population is a powerful and transformative demographic force. The World Health Organization (WHO) has encouraged the development of an age-friendly hospital (AFH) network. However, no specific implementation strategies or best practices of AFH standards have been produced. This study sought to apply Kotter’s change model to the elements included in a successful AFH certification process and to evaluate the changes in employees’ knowledge of ageing and their attitudes toward the elderly. This was an observational study that utilized a pre- and posttest design, before and after an age-friendly hospital certification process was implemented. Participants were 163 hospital employees in Taiwan, who completed both pre- and postquestionnaires. The self-administered online questionnaire consisted of three sections: The Facts on Ageing Quiz, the Geriatric Attitudes Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. Following introduction of the intervention, the change process began, and later Kotter’s model was brought in as a descriptive framework. The results showed that Kotter’s eight-step framework is a good choice for thinking about how to change practice and make healthcare more age-friendly. Employee knowledge of ageing and their attitudes toward the elderly improved after this certification process. Appointing a chief executive officer, forming a steering committee, obtaining interdepartmental and interdisciplinary cooperation, and “soliciting support” for new policies from all employees, were identified as key factors influencing the success of age-friendly hospital (AFH) certification. This is the first study to apply Kotter’s eight-step framework of organizational change to an AFH certification process.

An organizational change framework for digital servitization: Evidence from the Veneto region

Product firms implementing integrated product/service solutions through in‐house development must have a long‐term commitment to the project and focus on enhancing their resource base and strategic agility. Our results confirm the importance of organizational capabilities and strong firm commitment to the development of integrated solutions. While previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the service business unit’s configuration, this article identifies critical variables (the firm’s strategic agility and capability) that influence make‐or‐buy decisions. Agility is a prerequisite for digital organizational transformation, and our results corroborate that weak firm agility is closely linked to the need for external development of integrated solutions.

Managing critical drivers for building information modelling implementation in the Singapore construction industry: an organizational change perspective

ABSTRACTBuilding information modelling (BIM) implementation has been mandated in the Singapore construction industry, but it is still plagued with challenges such as lack of contractor input in design models. Thus, the industry still needs changes in the BIM implementation. This study aims to identify critical drivers for change (CDCs) towards full BIM implementation, demonstrate the theoretical rational behind the CDCs, and formulate strategies to strengthen the CDCs. Conducting a questionnaire survey with 86 professionals, this study identified 31 CDCs, among which ‘BIM vision and leadership from the management’ was ranked top. The results indicated that these CDCs could be interpreted with an adapted organizational change framework in which process-related attributes were key to changing towards full BIM implementation. The identification of the CDCs and the strategies enables the project management team to obtain sufficient support for strengthening the positive influence from the CDCs and enhancing BIM implementation. Additionally, overseas construction practitioners can use the drivers and strategies identified in this study to prepare their customized lists of drivers and strategies.

Change within purchasing and supply management organisations – Assessing the claims from maturity models

It is a wide-held assumption that professional development and change within purchasing and supply management (PSM) organisations can be explained and guided by a maturity model. In this paper the guidance which the maturity model concept offers to understand a PSM organisation's performance is assessed. The methodology is based on the outcomes of a literature review of PSM maturity models, development of an organisational change framework and the learning from three qualitative case studies. An alternative understanding of the development of the PSM organisation is offered through an organisational change framework, composing 1) movement transitions, 2) scalability of change, 3) acceptability of change, and 4) the substantive element of change. The research found that extant PSM maturity models are too rigid for PSM managers to apply, and although maturity models are commonly accepted in PSM literature, in practice, they may produce the opposite effect of what is promised. The PSM maturity models suggest that their application will lead to increased status and influence of PSM within the organisation; expectations that may not be met. PSM organisations’ change processes are subjected to a range of situational and contextual power relations which must be considered in order to advance the specific PSM organisation roles and responsibilities.

The impact of legislation on the internal audit function

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to show how the presence of change caused a shift in the roles and responsibilities of the internal audit function (IAF).Design/methodology/approachThe methodological design/approach was constructed by combining specific aspects of widely known management accounting and organizational change frameworks. The theoretical premise was based on the old institutional economics component of institutional theory. As such, this study used the case study method to examine and analyze the impact of this change in eight specific organizations using the new two-tiered organizational change framework.FindingsThis new framework analyzes the multidimensional facets of organizational change in the IAF. From the findings, it was observed that the change can be evolutionary, episodic, continuous and/or teleological, and people, organisms and organizations that are subject to it will react or respond to that change in a myriad of ways.Practical implicationsMoreover, the implications of change can be environmental, socioeconomic and political.Originality/valueThis study makes an intellectual contribution by introducing a new two-tiered organizational change framework to explain the IAF’s response to the environmental change factor of regulation.

Employee Perceptions Regarding an Organizational Change Initiative in a State Wildlife Agency

ABSTRACTStrategic planning is a common pathway used by state wildlife agencies to adapt to financial constraints and changing societal needs; both are accelerating developments. Yet evaluations of organizational change because of strategic planning, especially from perspectives of agency personnel, are not well reported in wildlife literature. We provide a template for capturing employee perceptions toward an organizational change initiative within one state wildlife agency. We used an organizational change framework to recognize outcomes and create a customized employee survey to evaluate attitudes toward changes as part of the long term strategic plan. Positive employee reactions to organizational changes were evident throughout the agency. Areas for organizational improvement identified included enhancing communications about change efforts and diffusing strategies working in collaboration with stakeholder groups. Employees identified more with their individual work groups than with the agency as a whole. Insights provide a basis on which to improve future change processes.

Dynamics of Enterprise Architecture in the Korean Public Sector: Transformational Change vs. Transactional Change

Enterprise architecture (EA) is one of the most important tools for implementing e-government effectively and delivering high-quality information technology services to citizens. To develop a robust EA research model with key success factors, we apply the theory of organizational change proposed by Burke and Litwin, using the concepts of transformational and transactional change. The analysis is conducted by using South Korea’s EA project launched in 2003. This study classifies EA implementation in the South Korean public sector into three stages and explains the characteristics of each stage from the organizational change perspective. We raise the issue of EA application level compounded by the problem of diverse EA definitions and discuss the difficulties of EA implementation based on the framework of organizational change. In addition, 20 EA experts are surveyed to confirm the findings of this study. Finally, we propose a new research model for future empirical study based on the presented findings. We believe that this study, as an in-depth review of EA implementation from an organizational change perspective, will benefit EA experts from a practical point of view, as well as academics from a research perspective.

Integration of nurse practitioners using a change management framework: the way forward.

Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate and describe the application of a change management theoretical framework in relation to nurse practitioner (NP) role integration. Methods A survey formed Phase 1 of a broader mixed-methods study to explore perceptions of the change process involved with integrating NPs into Australian health care settings. The stakeholder participants were NPs, nurse managers and nurse policy advisers. Results Key themes were identified adding information about how NPs, nurse managers and nurse policy advisers perceive the integration of NPs into Australian healthcare. The themes correlate to the components of organisational change management necessary to embed NPs into the healthcare workforce. Conclusions Healthcare reform is a complex organisational change. Alignment of several key elements is required for the process to be successful. A change management proposal for reframing organisations provides an apt framework for use in the Australian context of reforming workforce to integrate NPs into healthcare teams. The theoretical framework proposes that multiple lenses be applied to change processes, to integrate NPs into the workforce and highlights the need for exceptional leadership throughout such endeavours. What is known about the topic? NPs provide safe and efficient care to patients, often in settings where access to health care is limited. NPs have been identified as a key strategic workforce reform initiative to address some of the known healthcare gaps. What does this paper add? This paper adds information about how NPs, nurse managers and nurse policy advisers perceive progress of the integration of NPs into healthcare settings. The findings are contextualised within an organisational change framework and highlight the complexity of healthcare reform. What are the implications for practitioners? The findings provide a novel approach for managing workforce reform and identify the components of change management necessary to embed NPs into the healthcare workforce.

The success of the Uttarakhand Cluster: a case study of organisational change towards disability inclusive development.

BackgroundPersons with disability are often marginalised and excluded from international development efforts. This case study reviews the success of Uttarakhand Cluster of development NGOs in changing organisational behaviour towards being disability inclusive in their development (DID) activities.MethodsA triangulation of qualitative research methods was used, including key informant interviews, focus group discussions and review of textual data.ResultsThe results synthesise data into Kotter’s framework for organisational change, explaining the different stages of change experienced by the Cluster as it moved towards DID. Development of a disability mission, sharing of capacity and resources, and presence of disability champions were key in the organisations' transition towards DID.ConclusionThis case study demonstrates that the Cluster, a low - cost network, was able to drive organisational change and promote DID.

Establishing a Telephone Medication Order Policy and Protocol for a Small Private Hospital in Jamaica.

To institutionalize an evidence-based policy/protocol adapted from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) national medication standards for managing telephone medication orders (TMO) and to determine the impact of the policy/protocol on the number of telephone medication errors (TME) on two medical units of a small private hospital in Jamaica. Kotter's Eight-step Change Model was used to facilitate organizational change among nurses and physicians by teaching and implementing the TMO policy/protocol adapted from AHRQ standards and collecting pre-policy and post-policy frequency of TMEs. A convenience sample of 80 nurses and physicians participated in training about the policy/protocol, took post-instructional tests and participated in the implementation of the policy/protocol. Chart audits over six weeks monitored adherence to the policy/protocol. The annual monthly mean of TMEs for the prior year was compared with the number of TMEs just prior to implementation of policy/protocol and at the end of the first six weeks of implementation. One hundred per cent of the convenience sample of 80 nurses and doctors passed the post-instructional test; the workforce adhered fully to the protocol during six weeks of implementation, and there was a 100% reduction in TMEs between the prior year and six weeks after policy/protocol implementation. Kotter's eight-step framework of organizational change was a successful strategy in institutionalizing and sustaining adherence to the TMO policy/protocol, reducing the number of TMEs and positively influencing the organizational culture.

Understanding Changes in Board and Director Roles in a Nonprofit Organization: The Need for Paradigm Synthesis and Elaboration

This article presents a case study examining nonprofit board and director roles in the first 5 years of an organization’s life, using 3 organizational change approaches: contingency, life-cycle, and cognitive-interpretive. Data include monthly board meeting minutes and director’s reports for the first 5 years of a nonprofit human service agency’s existence. The article concludes that although all 3 theoretical approaches are productive explanatory frameworks for organizational change, each one, on its own, is incomplete. The findings point to the need for further theoretical synthesis and paradigm elaboration to inform our understanding of nonprofit director and board relationships.

A theoretical framework of organizational change

PurposeOrganizational change is a risky endeavour. Most change initiatives fall short on their goals and produce high opportunity and process costs, which at times outweigh the content benefits of organizational change. This paper seeks to develop a framework, offering a theoretical toolbox to analyze context‐dependent barriers and enablers of organizational change. Starting from an organizational identity perspective, it aims to link contingency‐based approaches, such as environmental scan, SWOT and stakeholder analysis, with insights from organizational behaviour research, such as knowledge sharing and leadership.Design/methodology/approachThe framework is informed by long‐lasting field research into organizational change in an international policing environment. The theories in the framework are selected from the perspective of field validity in two ways; they were chosen because the topics covered by these theories emerged as relevant during the field research and therefore it can be expected they have applicability to the field. The authors' insights and suggestions are summarised in 13 propositions throughout the text.FindingsThe analysis provides a clear warning that organizational change is more risky and multifaceted than change initiators typically assume. It is stressed that the external environment and the internal dynamics of organizations co‐determine the meaning of managerial practices. This implies that cure‐all recipes to organizational change are bound to fail.Originality/valueThis paper makes an ambitious attempt to cross disciplinary boundaries in the field of organizational change research to contribute to a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of change processes by integrating perspectives that focus on the internal context and the external environment of organizations.

Facilitating Change in Health Organizations

Purpose: Significant time and effort are needed to facilitate organizational change; thus a well-constructed conceptual model may help health professionals identify and overcome the barriers impeding this process.Design / methodology / approach:Currently, there is no single framework for organizational change that has gained widespread acceptance. However, two well-validated organizational models are the Prochaska and DiClemente transtheoretical model and Green et al. al.’s health promotion model. In this paper we synthesize these models in the context of organizational change for a physician audience. Findings: We created a new model of organizational change that keeps the best elements of both the Prochaska and DiClemente transtheoretical model and Green et al. al.’s health promotion model. Furthermore, an example is illustrated using this approach.Originality / value: Most health organizations lack a consistent approach to managing change. As a result they have not been as effective in this area as they could be. Most previous organization change theorists have attempted to solve this dilemma by constructing new models of organizational change, which they hope will eventually become the dominant model. Our approach is original in that we have incorporated the best features of two pre-existing models. The value of this approach is that improving these existing models has a much greater potential for widespread acceptance than developing yet another new model.