Organisational Change Theories
Introduction
The world economy changes at noticeably fast rates, and so organisational culture is required to. The results of change on organisations in international context, however, are summarised by academics to have a disappointing rate of success. Several assumptions could be made about reasons underpinning this issue. First, the speed and frequency of change management initiatives and a single organisation have been increased, making certain market leaders to transit their core business processes into a constant change process and this investing more time and resources. Second, the lack of awareness on organisational change models and theories probably makes certain organisational change approaches unstructured and poorly envisioned, where change roadmaps are not consistent with organisational strategy and mission. While first mistake requires more advanced business competence, the second, generally, occurs due to the lack of initial research and application of theory to the problem.
This paper address the second issue, focusing on detailed investigation in three models of organisational change applied in international business context and discussing potential change programme that a chief executive of a large multinational company could implement based on research findings. Paper concludes with highlighting essential change elements and recommendation for the future programme development.
Organisational Theories Overview
The importance of organisational change theories and models is explained by helpfulness in assessing change at the macro level, or the way how institutional leaders should see their businesses (Kezar, 2001).
Applying models of change for particular businesses helps to identify the driving forces of change, as well as to evaluate how the change occurs (for instance, stages of change and process characteristics) and what will actually happen. Understanding different models of change follows the purpose of applying multidisciplinary approach to review the problem from different perspectives, so that the change could be understood against the capacity to manage and shape it (Kezar, 2001). Contemporary organisational change models and theories applied in multinational context nowadays incorporate various paradigms, from relational, based on complex and adaptive process resulting from active participation and commitment, to hierarchical, grounded on top-down, linear and thoroughly planned change management approach (Mazzei & Quaratino, 2013). Some organisations tend to create their own organisational change models along with terms and classifications looking more natural for their business context.
For instance, Muratbekova-Touron (2005) described the case of French multinational industrial company Lemma, which incorporates preservation of some traditional values like French origins, working language and somewhat paternal management structure, but in the meantime changes its behaviour under different business conditions as a natural response to the market changes. It led to establishment of business-specific terms like ‘humanist’ culture, explaining mutual respect, and ‘particularism’ in business relations, which is focusing on business relationships required for professional co-operation (Muratbekova-Touron, 2005). Organisation change models are also represented through typologies, normally differentiated by the nature of business or activities the firm is engaged in. Academics and practitioners in healthcare industry, for instance, are frequently refer to stage theory and organisational development theory …
