Organization Development & Change Conference Paper Abstracts

ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT & CHANGE
Conference Paper Abstracts

"TOWARDS A HOLISTIC THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR
THE UNFOLDING OF PLANNED CHANGE"
Philippidou, Sophia; Athens U. of Economics and Business; sfilip@aueb.gr
Soderquist, Klas E.; Athens U. of Economics and Business; Soderq@aueb.gr
Prastacos, Gregory; Athens U. of Economics and Business; gpp@aueb.gr
The study of change in organizations has been described as suffering from problems in integrating
content and process, and from only looking at partial factors to explain why and how change efforts unfold
as they do in specific contexts. In this paper we develop a framework for the unfolding of planned change
efforts using as empirical field of investigation longitudinal case studies from Greek public organizations
that currently are undergoing radical change. We investigate change processes with respect to the
assumed presence and complementary interplay of the four change motors evolutionary, life-cycle,
dialectical, and teleological synthesised by Van de Ven & Poole. The paper is organized as follows: first
we briefly review theories of organizational change and introduce the four change motors. Then we
present findings from the fieldwork that consists of a detailed and longitudinal study of an operational
change program implemented at an inter-departmental level within the Greek public sector. We depict
and analyse the change process and build the foundations of an integrative theoretical framework. Rather
than working from preconceived change theories, our purpose is to identify the presence of the basic
change motors, describe how they influence the path of planned change efforts and determine if there is
a sequential interplay between the motors providing the basis of a holistic theoretical framework for the
unfolding of planned change.
Keywords: organizational change, change processes, public organizations
A CONSTRUCT VALIDATION OF A NEW JOB INSECURITY

MEASURE (JIM): THE EMERGING ROLE OF MANAGEMENT
O'Neill, Patrick Brennan; Curtin U. of Technology; patrick32@sympatico.ca
In the context of widespread downsizing and restructuring, job insecurity (JI)has emerged as a construct
with important implications for individual well-being and organizational vitality. Previous attempts to
explore the meaning and measurement of JI have been characterised by conceptual and methodological
inadequacies precluding the development of a JI measure with acceptable validity and reliability. To
address these shortcomings, this study explores the dimensionality of JI and provides evidence for the
construct validity of a new JI measure. A principal sample of 544 respondents was derived from a large
timber milling plant undergoing restructuring at the time of data collection. Confirmatory factor analyses
with tests of invariance supported a three-factor structure comprising Employment Uncertainty,
Managerial Distance, and Growth Climate. Significant associations with organizational commitment,
intrinsic job satisfaction, intention to resign, and negative job carry-over further substantiated the
instrument’s predictive validity. While Employment Uncertainty showed low to moderate correlations
consistent with previous research, stronger correlations were found for Managerial Distance and Growth
Climate in relation to all but one individual outcome. Further research should consider expanding and
revising the current measurement model and testing a more comprehensive structural model depicting
Managerial Distance and Growth Climate as mediators.
Keywords: Insecurity, Job, Measure
Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 1

RESPONDING TO A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT: ADAPTING
HUMAN AND SOCIAL CAPITAL TO IMPACT PERFORMANCE
Reed, Kira Kristal; Syracuse U.; kireed@syr.edu
Srinivasan, Narasimhan; U. of Connecticut; Narasimhan.Srinivasan@uconn.edu
Using a dynamic resource-based perspective, this paper seeks to better understand how firms respond to
a changing environment, specifically by leveraging dynamic resources such as human and social capital.
This study uses a sample of 135 personal banks to assess: (1) whether businesses make changes to
their human and social capital during environmental turbulence; and (2) what impact such adaptations
have on performance? Our results indicate that changing these resources concurrently impacts changes
in performance.
Keywords: social capital, human capital, adaptation
EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE CYCLE AND

ORGANIZATIONAL SLACK ON INTERNATIONAL GROWTH
STRATEGIES
Ang, Siah-Hwee; U. of Auckland; s.ang@auckland.ac.nz
Huang, Jason; U. of Auckland; huagd@xtra.co.nz
This study investigates the effects of organizational life cycle and unabsorbed organizational slack on a
firm’s choice of international growth strategies – greenfield investments, acquisitions or joint ventures.
Combining organizational life cycle and unabsorbed organizational slack to explain FDI provides a
perspective that emphasizes the needs of firms for survival and growth as well as organizational
constraints in managing international growth strategies. Organizational life cycle depicts the
developmental path, while unabsorbed organizational slack reflects the resource conditions of the firm at
the time of investment. Collectively, they reflect the co-evolution of the firm and its environment over time.
Based on the sample of listed local manufacturing firms New Zealand and Australia, we find that firms in
the later stages of the organizational life cycle are more likely to engage in acquisitions than in joint
ventures and in greenfield investments, though the likelihood to engage in joint ventures is indifferent
from that of greenfield investments. The result also shows that firms with more unabsorbed organizational
slack are more likely to engage in both joint ventures and acquisitions than in greenfield investments. The
likelihood to engage in joint ventures is not significantly greater than that of acquisitions. However, we do
not find any interaction effects of these two constructs on FDI behavior. The results of this study shed
light on the strategic management of international growth strategies. Various implications are discussed.
Keywords: international growth strategy, joint venture, acquisition
CONSTRUCTING SHARED UNDERSTANDING: THE ROLE

OF EMBODIED METAPHORS IN ORGANIZATION
DEVELOPMENT
Jacobs, Claus D; Imagination Lab Foundation; claus@imagilab.org
Heracleous, Loizos Th.; Templeton College, Oxford U.;
Loizos.Heracleous@templeton.ox.ac.uk

We present a novel metaphorical approach to organization development (OD), the use of embodied
metaphors, and in doing so we extend current understandings and uses of metaphor in OD. In terms of
understandings of metaphor, we go beyond the dominant semantic-cognitive dimension to address the
spatial and embodied dimensions. In terms of uses of metaphor, we discuss an intervention technology
based on embodied metaphors, which emphasizes induced rather than naturally occurring metaphors,
builds on a developed theoretical base of collaborative diagnostic technologies, and can be employed in a
targeted manner for issue diagnosis and intervention. Implications for the use of embodied metaphors in
OD are discussed.
Keywords: organization development, embodied metaphors
ANSWERS FOR QUESTIONS TO COME: REFLECTIVE

DIALOGUE AS AN ENABLER FOR STRATEGIC INNOVATION
Jacobs, Claus D; Imagination Lab Foundation; claus@imagilab.org
Heracleous, Loizos Th.; Templeton College, Oxford U.;
Loizos.Heracleous@templeton.ox.ac.uk
We suggest that strategic innovation as a form of organizational change requires shifts in existing mental
models of organizational actors that underlie the overall strategy paradigm of a firm; and that dialogue as
a form of reflective conversation holds promise in helping to alter mental models of managers by
revealing them and making them amenable to conscious, critical exploration. Dialogue’s diagnostic as
well as generative functions enable participants to inquire into their existing mental models, thereby
collectively developing a shared language that can concurrently engender the shaping of emergent
mental models; in turn fostering fundamental strategic innovation.
Keywords: strategic innovation, dialogue, mental models
INDUSTRIAL CHANGE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A

COMPARATIVE CASE ANALYSIS
Forster, Thomas H.; NZTE; thforster@yahoo.co.nz
Mouly, Suchi; U. of Auckland; s.mouly@auckland.ac.nz
Sankaran, Jay; U. of Auckland; j.sankaran@auckland.ac.nz
This paper reports the findings of a three-year long study on the content and process of change
associated with deregulation of the electricity industries in a developed country (New Zealand) and a
developing country (The Gambia) by studying the scope of change, the process of implementation, the
obstacles to change, and the outcomes of change. This study employs a case study methodology using
semi-structured interviews for primary data collection. A total of fifty-one respondents comprising senior
managers, consultants, and administrators were interviewed in both countries. Both manual and
computer-aided analyses were carried out. A major contribution of the present research has been to
throw into sharper relief (through a comparative analysis) the instrumental effects of a lack of economic
development on change programmes that are carried out to establish structures and procedures that
would enhance the cost-efficiency and effectiveness of key infrastructural industries such as electricity.
The study also lends empirical support to the argument that reform which is initiated, controlled, and
implemented endogenously at both the institutional and organisational levels is more likely to achieve the
desired outcomes than reform that is exogenously driven.
Keywords: Privatization, Change, Comparative case study

ACCOUNTING FOR ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN
REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE PROCESSES
Durand, Rodolphe; HEC (Paris); durand@hec.fr
Huy, Quy Nguyen; INSEAD; quy.huy@insead.edu
This article explains organizational accountability in context of a revolutionary change by the emotional
capability of an organization and the ethical orientation of its top executives. Four situations lead to four
propositions accounting for the level and durability of an organization’s accountability. This article fills a
gap in the literature by articulating two antecedents of organizational accountability, underlines the
relevance of organizational ethics and extends the realm of emotion management to strategic
organizational outcomes.
Keywords: change, ethics, emotion
CAN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE BE IMPROVED THROUGH

TRAINING?: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
Murray, Jane Patricia; Griffith U.; Jane.Murray@Griffith.edu.au
Jordan, Peter J.; Griffith U.; peter.jordan@griffith.edu.au
Hall-Thompson, Sally V; Griffith U.; S.Hall-Thompson@griffith.edu.au
The training of emotional intelligence in organizations continues to be the subject of much academic
discussion. Since the emotional intelligence construct first began to gain attention in the early 1990’s
academics and practitioners alike have debated whether the skills and abilities associated with emotional
intelligence can be learned. As the debate continues, organizations maintain their investment in emotional
intelligence training programs that propose to increase the emotional intelligence of individuals, and also
increase their overall workplace performance. In this paper we identify specific emotional intelligence
skills and abilities that can be trained, and compare these skills to current emotional intelligence training
interventions that are available to organizations. We then empirically compare the effect of two differing
training programs on the emotional intelligence of participants. These data are then compared to a control
group. The first training program comprises interpersonal skills, whereas the second includes
interventions focused on specific behavioral, relational emotional skills and abilities. The results indicate
that interpersonal skills training did not improve the overall emotional intelligence of participants, whereas
interventions that specifically focus on behavioral, relational and emotional skills and abilities did increase
the emotional intelligence of participants. The implications for the construction and development of
emotional intelligence training interventions within organizations are also discussed.
Keywords: Emotional, Intelligence, Training
GETTING READY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: TOWARD

A PROCEDURAL MODEL
Walinga, Jennifer; U VIC; insync@shaw.ca
Farish, Tanis; U VIC; tfarish@telus.net
Getting Ready for Change: Toward a Procedural Model Abstract Purpose: This research paper describes
and constructs an approach for encouraging readiness for change, a model illustrating the optimization of
emotions in the workplace. The goal of this paper is to provide change agents with the tools to facilitate

emotional readiness within their organizations, thereby enabling leaders and employees to meet the
challenges of change effectively. Practical Implications: Walinga proposes a practical procedural model
for change readiness that seeks to integrate methods and theories from cognitive, performance, and
organizational psychology while offering a procedural model for achieving change tolerance and
implementation. Originality/value: The readiness model seeks a more effective change management
strategy that involves facilitating the clarity and confidence individuals require in committing to and
implementing a change or performance initiative. By inquiring deeply into individual fears, anxieties, and
concerns related to the change, it is possible to facilitate a cognitive shift from ‘resistance’ to ‘creative
problem solving’.
Keywords: workplace stress, organizational change, creative problem solving
IMPROVISING WITHIN MANAGEMENT: OXYMORON,

PARADOX, OR LEGITIMATE WAY OF ACHIEVING?
Leybourne, Stephen; U. of Plymouth; stephen.leybourne@plymouth.ac.uk
This paper considers the evolving literature on Organizational Improvisation, and synthesises a number of
different perspectives relating to its use and acceptance within a typology of modern management styles.
A literature review addresses the growing maturity of the academic output since Cunha et al's (1999)
work, and the gradual integration of improvisational working styles into the lexicon of management theory.
The nature of improvisation, and its contradictory stance when considered against the understood notions
of managerial control, is then examined. Specifically, the oxymoronic and paradoxical concepts of
organisational improvisation are determined, drawing on the use of such descriptors in other areas of the
management literature, and a view is taken regarding support for this style of working as a useful addition
to the weaponry of the modern organisation. Ultimately, the evidence presented here supports the
oxymoronic and paradoxical nature of organisational improvisation, and offers the view that it is a valid
and useful addition to the lexicon of management skills in the turbulent and fast-changing environment
that persists in the first decade of the 21st century.
Keywords: Flexibility, Improvisation, Conceptual
THE GOVERNANCE OF TRANSITION PROCESSES IN AN

ORGANISATION: A COGNITIVE MAPPING APPROACH
Steur, Jessica; U. of Groningen; j.steur@ppsw.rug.nl
Wittek, Rafael; U. of Groningen; r.p.m.wittek@ppsw.rug.nl
This paper focusses on organisational governance during a process of organizational restructuring. We

analyse reorganization processes in terms of four types of problems that emerge during the transition:
coordination games, bargaining games, prisoner's dilemma games, and pure competition games. We
argue that the four types of problems or games differ with regard to their severity and the difficulty or ease
with which they can be resolved. Coordination problems are the least severe, because they are not
triggered by diverging interests and can be solved by provision of information to the exchange partners.
Pure competition games are the most severe, because they represent a zero-sum situation with opposing
interests. We hypothesize that successful management of transition processes implies that the relative
frequency of the more severe problems will decrease over time. We apply cognitive mapping techniques
to analyse interview material gathered from 18 directors and staff members of a Dutch bank. The
transcribed and coded interviews were used as a basis to identify the problems and game structures that
occurred during a three year transition period in which the bank underwent a process of centralization. A
total of 174 problems were identified. Correlational analysis shows that the probability for the occurrence
of severe games declines over time. The data also show that as the reorganization is proceeding,

manager's tend to use ‘positive’ causal more frequently than in the beginning of the reorganization
process. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for the study of organizational
change processes.
Keywords: Cognitive Mapping, Organizational Change, Social Dilemmas
MORE OR LESS THAN GIVE AND TAKE: MANIFESTED

ATTITUDES TO INTER-PARTNER LEARNING IN
COLLABORATION
Hibbert, Paul Charles; Strathclyde U.; paul.hibbert@gsb.strath.ac.uk
Huxham, Chris; Strathclyde U.; chris@gsb.strath.ac.uk
Within the general context of the theory of collaborative advantage, this paper focuses on one aspect of a
theme of research relating to the issue of learning in collaborative settings. The broad question that this
research is addressing is whether conceptualizations of issues relating to learning that face practitioners
can be useful in helping them to reflect on, and so address, the achievement of collaborative advantage
in their practical collaborative settings. The particular focus of this article is on attitudes to inter-partner
learning (that is, to exchange of knowledge between collaborating partners). The theoretical
conceptualizations derived are based upon action research within partnership development programmes
in both private and public sector settings. Basic attitudes to learning - “selfish”, “shared” and “sidelined” -
are identified and through an analysis of the data collected during the programmes, these are unpacked
to reveal stances that are subtle and varied manifestations of these. The findings suggest that the
distinction between selfish and shared learning in collaborations is fuzzy and that many stances have an
element of both basic attitudes. For practitioners, they suggest that learning attitudes may have an effect
on collaboration outcomes whether learning is a focal concern or not. The findings also contribute to
debates on the possibilities for “knowledge transfer” in such settings and the nature and usefulness of the
knowledge that obtains.
Keywords: collaboration, learning, attitude
GENERATING AND ACTING ON DEMAND FOR PUBLIC

REFORMS
Meyer, Christine Benedichte; NHH; christine.meyer@nhh.no
The aim of this paper is to examine the role of demand in getting political acceptance for public reforms.
The challenge facing reform agents not only lies in the creation of demand, but also in sustaining demand
over time and capitalise on it. This paper describes the process of getting a reform re-organising and re-
locating public supervisory agencies in Norway through the Norwegian government and parliament. The
methodology is based upon participatory action research whereby the author participated actively in the
process as a state secretary or junior minister for the Ministry of Labour and Government Administration.
To understand political decision processes in the political arena, I apply a political view on strategy
formulation or strategic action. Findings show that in politics demand creation is only the first step to get
acceptance for public reforms. Because public reforms often take years to formulate, a lot of effort has to
be put into sustaining the demand amongst those who support the reform and win or fight against those
who oppose. Moreover, there are distinct differences in the ways external and internal demand are
created, sustained and capitalised on. External demand is more powerful than internal demand in

mobilising decision-making power and also puts a pressure on implementation making the reform less
vulnerable to re-negotiations and abortions.
Keywords: political processes, public reforms, demand generation
MIDDLE MANAGERS IN CHANGE

Herzig, Sharyn Elizabeth; U. of Queensland; sharyn@psy.uq.edu.au
Jimmieson, Nerina; U. of Queensland; n.jimmieson@psy.uq.edu.au
The current paper is a qualitative study of the role of middle managers in organizational change and aims
to identify factors which facilitate or inhibit successful implementation of change. Interviews with 40
middle managers from a range of organizations revealed factors prior to and during change that were
important to middle managers’ experience of uncertainty management. Uncertainty was identified at pre-
implementation as regarding the strategic concept of the change, and at implementation as relating to the
appropriate procedures to implement. Middle managers’ uncertainty management was found to be
important in assisting their employees in the change transition. The factors identified as being either
facilitators or barriers to uncertainty management included: involvement in the design of change,
communication with senior management and employees, support from senior management, role conflict
and peer interaction. Change models were created to link barriers and facilitators with uncertainty.
Implications for organizational change research along with practical implications are discussed.
Keywords: Organizational Change, Middle Managers, Uncertainty
STRATEGICALLY REPOSITIONING AND TRANSFORMING

PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS
Nutt, Paul Charles; Ohio State U.; nutt.1@osu.edu
The paper offers a framework that suggests when a public organization is susceptible to change.
Situations are identified in which change seems likely and unlikely using organizational capacity,
responsiveness, and constituencies served as determinants. Types of change are considered that range
from strategic repositioning to transformation. Ways leaders can guide a public organization along a path
that makes a strategic repositioning and a transformation possible are discussed. Research questions are
formulated and a research program proposed with the questions posed by the framework.
Keywords: change, transformation, strategy
MANAGING THE PAST VS. FUTURE PARADOX: A

TRANSFORMATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF CHANGE
MANAGEMENT
Mascarenhas, André Ofenhejm; Escola de Administracao de Empresas de Sao Paulo;
andremascar@gvmail.br
Vasconcelos, Isabella Freitas; U. PRESBITERIANA MACKENZIE;
ivasconcelos@yahoo.com
In this article, we associate the themes of change management and people management in an analysis
based on a dialectical perspective of social evolution. We discuss the paradox constituted by the “past”

and “future” dimensions of reality and its harmful effects on change management. Through a case study,
we contribute to the discussions of the Transformational People Management Model, showing how an
organization was able to avoid the effects of the paradox in question by implementing changes through
adaptive strategies. Through these strategies, individuals used the means of action and cognition
developed in the previous organizational structure to build identification and engagement to the
implementation of a new organization project. The transformational model highlights the dialectic process
of construction and deconstruction that provides for evolution within organizations. We suggest that, as
change implies a dialectics of order and disorder, it is fundamental to deal with the contradictory aspects
that characterize a social reality in constant change. We intend to contribute to the discussions of the role
of people management in organizational change processes, showing that the adoption of certain people
management assumptions has the potential to decrease the effects of the “past vs. future paradox”, one
of the causes of resistance to change and of stress in change processes.
Keywords: change management, people management, organization paradoxes
CHANGE CLIMATE: UNLOCKING CHANGE POTENTIAL

Voelker, Troy A.; North Texas U.; VoelkerT@unt.edu
McDowell, William Cordell; U. of North Texas; mcdowellb@unt.edu
In an increasingly dynamic business world, organizations must demonstrate adaptability to survive. This
paper builds off decades of organizational development and change literature, creating a general model
for assessing change potential in individuals. In a correlational study using participants attending a large
southwestern university, evaluation of aspects of the general change model occur. Significant findings
demonstrate a correlation between the knowledge an individual has about his or her organization,
perceptions of threat to that organization, and beliefs about change in the same individual. These
relationships remained significant after controlling for age, job level, education, tenure, exit, and gender.
The hypothesized general model for change, established correlations, implications, and future research
are discussed.
Keywords: change, change-management, assessing change potential
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP,ORGANIZATIONAL
JUSTICE,AND EMPLOYEE CYNICISM ABOUT
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Wu, Ju-Chien Cindy; Baylor U.; Cindy_Wu@baylor.edu
Neubert, Mitchell J; Baylor U.; Mitchell_Neubert@baylor.edu
Yi, Xiang; Western Illinois U.; x-yi@wiu.edu
We examined the roles of supervisors’ transformational leadership, informational justice, interpersonal

justice, and employee group cohesion perceptions in reducing employee cynicism about organizational
change (CAOC). 467 employees from a large Chinese organization undergoing major organizational
change participated in this study. Results indicated that (1) transformational leadership was negatively
related to employee CAOC, (2) employee group cohesion perceptions moderated the relationship
between transformational leadership and CAOC, such that the higher the cohesion perceptions, the
stronger the influence of transformational leadership on employee CAOC, and (3) informational and

interpersonal justice fully mediated the transformational leadership-CAOC relationship. We discussed the
theoretical and practical implications based on these findings.
Keywords: Cynicism about Organizational Change, Transformational Leadership, Organizational

Justice
USING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS TO INFORM

ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE PRACTICE
Lambert, Faye Charlotte; Not Specified; flambert@stmichaels.vic.edu.au
This paper is designed to link theory with practice by describing the conceptual frameworks that have
guided the design and implementation of a major organisational change and development initiative in a
learning institution. It argues strongly the merits of moving beyond the confines of organisational change
literature in designing development strategies and for the value of leaders expanding their theoretical
understandings across the boundaries of different fields of study. More specifically, it demonstrates how
frameworks selected from the literature on organisational change and development, program evaluation,
effective leadership and leadership development, and assessment and learning were explicitly applied in
a real-life case study of organisational transformation. Of particular interest, is the combination of
frameworks selected from the fields of organisational change and program evaluation. These are
considered together to underline the value in bridging the gap that often exists between these two
strongly related fields. The case study itself provides a unique example of a change initiative with a
double agenda: it describes how a leadership development program can be used directly to generate a
different level of thinking about and support for changes in organisational structures and processes. The
results have been a significant shift in leadership capability and a transformation of teaching and learning
practices within the institution.
Keywords: conceptual frameworks, leadership, program evaluation
DYNAMIC SCHEMING: MIDDLE MANAGERS STRIVING FOR A

SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Essex, Elizabeth M.; Case Western Reserve U.; eme4@po.cwru.edu
Wyss-Flamm, Esther; Alliant International U.; ewyssflamm@gmail.com
This study is about an organization’s movement toward environmental and social responsibility, and the
internal narratives that facilitate and reflect the change dynamics and values at each level of the
organization. We interviewed 50 individuals; each level and each functional area of the company is
represented in the data. The interviews took place at a medium-sized, publicly-traded food manufacturing
company known for its environmentally and socially responsible products and initiatives. We found that
the tension between “doing the right thing” and profit and growth goals shows up most profoundly at the
middle management level of the organization. Our findings include a detailed description of a core group
of employees we call the “activists,” who push for radical change. Among the activists, the self-described
“dynamic schemers,” are middle managers who engage in a form of organizational dissent. Our paper
offers three main contributions: 1) it describes the important contribution of the activist group to the
company’s movement toward environmental and social responsibility, 2) it highlights a remarkable
phenomenon of organizational dissent, which occurs when those who have the means and the power feel
that the company is not doing enough on environmental and social initiatives, and 3) it illuminates
significant implications in this field for management practice and further research.
Keywords: sustainability, middle managers, organizational dissent

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT BUSINESS EXIT?
Decker, Carolin; U. of Paderborn; Carolin.Decker@notes.upb.de
Research on business exit or divestiture (the reverse side of acquisition) is rare (Bowman, Singh, Useem,
& Bhadury, 1999; Singh, 1993), even though divestitures are increasingly important change initiatives in
practitioners’ eyes (Dye, Hulme, & Roxburgh, 2003; Dranikoff, Koller, & Schneider, 2002). Current trends
predict that the annual number of corporate divestitures will augment (Kelly, 2002). However, up to now
researchers, especially empirically-minded scholars have seemingly neglected this topic (Karakaya,
2000: 665; Schiereck, & Stienemann, 2004: 18). Since there are many different exit phenomena, we here
concentrate on only one type, namely business exit, i.e., a diversified firm’s withdrawal from one of its
lines of business, such as Intel’s abandonment of the DRAM business (Burgelman, 1996). More
precisely, we ask: What do we know about business exit? The contribution of this paper to management
research is two-fold. Firstly, we present a review of recent theoretical and empirical work on business exit.
Following Geroski’s (1995) example, this paper will be organized as a series of stylized facts and stylized
results which briefly summarize our current knowledge on this topic. Secondly, a series of key questions
will be discussed as promising avenues for future research.
Keywords: corporate restructuring, business exit, divestiture
PROCESSES OF RADICAL ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE:

TRANSFORMATION THROUGH SEDIMENTATION
Malhotra, Namrata; Imperial College, U. of London; n.malhotra@imperial.ac.uk
Hinings, C R; U. of Alberta; chinings@ualberta.ca
Based on an in-depth qualitative analysis of three law firms the study empirically tests the theory of
sedimentation as a process of radical transformational change. There are three key findings. First, the
study finds empirical support for the process of sedimentation as an alternative theoretical explanation to
punctuation equilibrium theory for how radical transformational change happens. The study shows that
radical change can be achieved not just through a process punctuated by short, sharp bursts of
revolutionary transitions but through a more gradual, elongated process. Speed and swiftness are not
necessary for accomplishing radical transformational change. Second, the study finds that the degree of
variation in the layers of the old and the new sediments of key organizational elements is an indicator of
the firm’s likelihood of achieving transformational change. We find that in the process of sedimentation
firms that manifest greater variation developing among the layers and sediments of the old and the new
are more likely to achieve transformational change. Third, and related to the second, we find that greater
variation develops through the layers of sediments if the change initiatives themselves are radical rather
than conservative.
Keywords: Transformation, Change, Sedimentation
THE LABORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: EMOTIONAL

AND AESTHETIC LABOR BEYOND THE SERVICE ENCOUNTER
Bryant, Melanie; Monash U.; Melanie.Bryant@BusEco.monash.edu.au
Wolfram Cox, Julie; RMIT U.; julie.wolfram-cox@rmit.edu.au
In this paper we explore employee narratives of organizational change within the framework of emotional
labor theory. We highlight that the practice of long-term management of emotions during periods of

organizational change is considered by some participants as being functional and central to coping with
change, while others deem emotional labor to be dysfunctional and a major contributor to decreased
health and wellbeing. We then analyze dysfunctional narratives within the framework of aesthetic labor
and argue that those who report dysfunctionality may not necessarily be unable to display and manage
organizationally-appropriate emotions. Rather, aesthetic labour theory suggests that individuals embody
traits and dispositions when entering organizations that are mobilized through recruitment and training
practices. Consequently, we argue that individuals who report dysfunctional narratives may possess
embodied traits and behaviours that were compatible with the organization prior to change, but may no
longer be appropriate in the post-change workplace. The study contributes to theories of emotional labor
and aesthetic labor by extending both areas of research beyond the service encounter and into the
realms of organizational change and we call for further research into emotional and aesthetic labor
requirements in changing organizations.
Keywords: Narrative accounts, Emotional Labor, Aesthetic Labor
EMPOWERMENT - CATALYST FOR OR IMPEDIMENT TO

MANAGING TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE? AN
EXPLORATIVE STUDY
Gebert, Diether; Berlin Technical U.; gebert@perform.ww.tu-berlin.de
This paper examines situational conditions under which empowerment (decision autonomy, dialogic
leadership) is connected with positive and negative effects, respectively, in regard to managing
transformational change. Acquisitions by foreign investors and privatizations through employee buy-out
provide the context for this study. It is shown that empowerment within these two variants of
transformational change is connected in different ways with indicators of crisis management. From these
findings, we deduce practical consequences for empowerment and transformational change, along with
suggestions for future research.
Keywords: Empowerment, Transformational Change, Crisis Management
REDUCING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE: THE ROLE OF

MANAGERIAL INFLUENCE TACTICS AND LEADER-MEMBER
EXCHANGE
Furst, Stacie; Louisiana State U.; sfurst1@lsu.edu
Organizational changes are often met with resistance from employees. Reducing this resistance may be
difficult given employees’ disparate motives, interests, and needs. The influence literature has explored
the various tactics that are available to managers to gain employee cooperation. This literature suggests
that by using different influence tactics, managers can shape employee behaviors by creating favorable
beliefs about the requested behavior. However, research does not show a consistent relationship
between various types of influence tactics and employee reactions. In this paper, I attempt to make sense
of these conflicting findings by considering how an employee’s relationship with the supervisor who is the
source of influence impacts how they interpret and respond to influence attempts. Specifically, I explore
the underlying dynamics of interpersonal influence to develop a theoretically-grounded model of four
broad forms of managerial influence tactics. In two independent studies, I empirically assessed the higher
order factor structure of the proposed typology. I then demonstrate the discriminant validity of these
categories by showing how supervisors’ influence attempts affect employee resistance to organizational
change initiatives. Next, I test a series of hypotheses concerning the extent to which relationship quality
(LMX) moderates the relationship between various forms of influence and employee resistance. Results

confirm that employee resistance reflects both the type of influence a supervisor uses and the strength of
leader-member exchange.
Keywords: organizational change, influence tactics, leader member exchange
THE ROLE OF CYNICISM AND OTHER DEFENSE STRATEGIES

IN THE CONTEMPORARY CHANGING WORKPLACE
Simpson, Gareth; U. of Queensland; g.simpson@business.uq.edu.au
The topic of cynicism has received increasing attention in management research, coming to be
recognized as an important facet of contemporary organizations, particularly with regard to organizational
change. However, discrepancies and debate over how cynicism should be conceptualized, and the real
impact of cynicism on organizations, currently characterize the literature. The bulk of management
research to date has focused on cynicism as a nefarious and damaging phenomenon, capable of
disrupting and undermining change efforts, brought about by ‘psychological defects’ or irrational
dispositions in employees. Newer research is emerging providing a more optimistic conceptualization of
cynicism, suggesting that cynicism may not actually be the exclusively negative phenomenon it has
traditionally been portrayed as. Such research provides an alternative perspective on the concept of
cynicism, demonstrating that cynicism may lead to positive outcomes for employees and their
organizations. The research agenda presented in this document aims at examining the nature of
employee cynicism and other defense strategies that employees invoke to deal with the negative aspects
of change, and their causes and consequences in contemporary organizations. Psychodynamic theory is
put forward as an intuitive and potentially powerful underlying framework to use in researching
employees’ reactions to change, guiding the development of an explanatory model of change outcomes
capable of accounting for individual differences. Future research directions, and the implications of
conceptualizing the process by which work-related outcomes of change develop using psychodynamic
theory, are discussed.
Keywords: Cynicism, Organizational change, Defense strategies
THE COMMUNICATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

QUESTIONNAIRE: DEVELOPMENT, RESULTS, AND
APPLICATION
Bennebroek Gravenhorst, Kilian M.; U. of Amsterdam;
K.M.BennebroekGravenhorst@uva.nl
Elving, Wim; U. of Amsterdam; W.J.L.Elving@uva.nl
Werkman, Renate; Vrije U. Amsterdam; ra.werkman@fsw.vu.nl
Communication is increasingly being recognized as a critical factor in organizational change processes.

Organizational communication (OC) theory stresses that communication is a central means for
organizations. However, organizational change gets relatively little attention in OC theory. Organization
development (OD) theory traditionally focuses on the process of change, yet it does not specifically
address the role of communication. Combining insights from OC and OD theory can teach us more about
the different aspects of communication during organizational change and provide ways for improving
change communication. This is important because research shows that poor communication is a major
barrier to change. We developed the Communication and Organizational Change Questionnaire to
assess change communication. The questionnaire measures how forms of change communication and
the communicative behavior of change agents are evaluated. In addition, it measures uncertainty,
readiness for change, and support for change. The reliability of the questionnaire’s scales was

satisfactory and the results proved helpful for the participating organizations. Results obtained from two
organizations showed different assessments of communication. In one organization, all forms of
communication seemed problematic, whereas the communicative behavior of change agents was
evaluated positively. In the other organization, results were more positive, except for the communicative
behavior of the consultants. Feeding back the results to the teams helped people to understand change
communication and to develop ideas for improvement. We suggest using the questionnaire as part of a
survey feedback because this intervention makes it possible to simultaneously assess the change
communication and to change communication in organizations.
Keywords: change communication, questionnaire, survey feedback
WHEN DO MANAGERS ENGAGE IN DOWNSIZING? A

CONTINGENCY PERSPECTIVE ON ORGANIZATIONAL
MIMICRY.
Berends, Peter; Maastricht U.; p.berends@os.unimaas.nl
This Paper contributes to the discourse around the antecedents of downsizing. Downsizing has become
an accepted strategy while performance studies show at best mixed results. Specifically this paper offers
a twofold contribution. First, we prepare a contingency theory of organizational mimicry in the case of
downsizing. Here, we formulate and test hypotheses to get insight into why and when managers engage
in copying behaviour. Second, this paper investigates these relationships in a global industry at the firm
level for a period of 24 years. We propose a model predicting that downsizing is dependent on rational
factors, institutional factors and the interaction between these explanations. The results suggest that
managers are more likely to follow higher proportions of population downsizing if their firm’s productivity is
high and if the industry’s capacity utilization is high. We propose that this is the consequence of
managers trying to safeguard the relative position of their firm. Furthermore we found that productivity
(efficiency) has a more pronounced direct effect on the decision to downsize than profitability
(effectiveness). Overall, this study suggests that it is a fruitful undertaking to combine economic and
social theories in a contingency framework to understand when and why downsizing occurs.
Keywords: downsizing, contingency, antecedents
THE EXPERIENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: THE

SIGNIFICANCE OF CONVERSATIONS ACROSS LEVELS
Lingham, Tony; ESADE; t.lingham@esade.edu
Richley, Bonnie; Case Western Reserve U.; bar2@po.cwru.edu
Although organizational change has been studied extensively, research on the experience of this process
has not received its due attention. The focus of this paper is to highlight the importance of understanding
the experience of organizational change. Based on an organizational change intervention and having
conversations and feedback from organizational members, we realize the complexity of the experience of
organizational change and its multifaceted nature based on the experiences at different organizational
levels. This paper establishes the need to expand beyond existing models and explores organizational
change from the perspective of Chaos Theory, general processes of change, the four Ideal-Types as
presented by Van de Ven and Poole (1995) especially that of the Quad-Motor Change process. As
organizations are really human systems, it is proposed that juxtaposing general change processes, the
four Ideal-Types and Chaos Theory would help us understand organizational change as a holistic process
involving human systems during organizing. The findings from this paper show that the experience of
organizational change is a complex one and central to the success of the change process is the need to

create a psychologically safe context for managers and leaders of organizations to have conversations
with their members. This paper highlights the significance of conversations as part of understanding
organizations and the organizing process. From this perspective, managers and leaders in the 21st
century can learn to create successful organizational change.
Keywords: conversation, experiencing organizational change, chaos
CONCEPTUALIZING ETHNICITY, JUSTICE, AND RESISTANCE

DURING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Glover, Ahmad; Touro U. International; aglover@tourou.edu
Dent, Eric B.; University of North Carolina, Pembroke; eric.dent@uncp.edu
This paper builds on work demonstrating that resistance to change is better conceptualized as resistance
to loss and that change or loss has too many different manifestations to be addressed as a single
phenomenon (Dent & Goldberg, 1999a; 1999b). Consequently, we explore the loss of justice, perceived
through the lens of ethnicity, as a factor in organizational change. Key variables are analyzed within three
workplace constructs: change, ethnic culture, and justice, to explore the many dimensions of
organizational resistance. It is argued that organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) serves as a useful
proxy for resistance - reduced levels of OCB equate to increased resistance. The dimensions of American
minorities are conceptualized and explored to challenge theories of workplace resistance. Lastly, to
explore the complexity of organizational injustice, interpretations of non-instrumental procedural justice is
viewed separately from distributive and interactional (anticipatory) justice. By addressing organizational
injustice as one factor in reduced acceptance of change, the study opens the door for a new line of
research into the many psychosocial factors that account for performance differences during the
organizational change process.
Keywords: resistance, justice, ethnicity
SOCIETAL CULTURE AND ORGANIZATION DESIGN, A TALE

OF TWO ORIENTAL CITIES
Li, ji; Hong Kong Baptist University; jili@hkbu.edu.hk
Researchers have tended to view societal culture as a stable construct influencing organization design
and other managerial interventions (e.g., Hofstede, 1980). This view does not fully explain the relevant
empirical findings from two Oriental cities, Hong Kong and Singapore. In this paper we discuss these
findings and propose an alternative perspective on the relationship between societal culture and
organization design. This perspective places greater emphasis on the notion of societal culture as a
malleable rather than a fixed construct. It also pays greater attention to the interactions between
organization design and societal culture, especially in societies with a tradition of government intervention
in firm activities. Specifically, government intervention may lead to societal cultures being influenced by
organization design in a relatively short period of time rather than over a long period of evolution. On the
other hand, following a change in the societal culture, some unexpected results of the government-
promoted organization design can occur, which can be seen, from the point of view of a society, as a
failure of the intervention. The paper concludes with a discussion on the important implications of this
perspective for managerial research and practice.
Keywords: OD, government, culture

RELATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF
MEANING: A NETWORK MODEL OF CHANGE
INTERPRETATION
Kyriakidou, Olympia; Aegean U.; O.Kyriakidou@aegean.gr
This paper defends a social constructionist approach to conceptualizing and managing organisational
change. This approach requires that we pay more attention to the relational qualities of ongoing
interaction processes among the parties involved, and that we conceptualise the individual and the
organisation as inextricably linked rather than separate entities to be related. Specifically, we take the
relationship as constructed by employees as the focus of analysis. We illustrate that by focusing on the
relational quality of the interface between individuals and organizations, new possibilities for dialogue
among parties can be created and new ways of intervening can be contemplated. To illustrate this
argument, a detailed case study of a planned change scenario is described looking in particular at the
way employees construct the change as a basis for identifying the core elements of meaning construction
in this instance. Our findings reveal that contrary to management assumption, employees interpret
change as either attractive or non-engaging rather than as either a threat or an opportunity. The findings
highlight the importance of actively managing the attractiveness of the new organization (its corporate
identity and image) as an integral part of the change effort rather than focusing solely on strategic issues.
Keywords: relational meaning, change interpretation
CORPORATE LEVEL MANAGEMENT'S ROLE IN THE

DIVESTMENT PROCESS: DYNAMOS OR DINOSAURS?
Brauer, Matthias F.; U. of St.Gallen; matthias.brauer@unisg.ch
Divestments, the most common form of business exit, have been widely acknowledged as a major lever
for corporate level value creation in corporate strategy research. While corporate strategy research
assumes divestments to be the domain of corporate level management, the sparse empirical evidence on
business exits suggests that divisional rather than corporate level managers may in fact be the drivers of
and major change agents within the divestment process. In an explorative, single case study of one of
Europe’s leading high-technology firms which divested four units in the late 1990s, this study thus
investigates the role of corporate level management in the divestment process. The current study’s
findings posit a much stronger role of corporate level management in the divestment process than prior
empirical research, revealing four key corporate level activities: external aligning, internal aligning,
detaching and disentangling. The study contributes to both theory and practice by developing a tentative
process model of firm divestments which highlights key corporate level managerial actions as well as
major contingencies (capital market pressure; choice of exit mode) which explain for the presence and
flow of those key activities in the particular case. In doing so, the study goes beyond purely theoretical
discussions on corporate level’s role in divestments and proposes a greater consideration of process
issues (e.g. actors, actions, context, temporal interconnectedness) in divestment research.
Keywords: corporate level actions, divestments, process model of divesting

TEAM GOAL COMMITMENT IN INNOVATIVE PROJECTS
Hoegl, Martin; Bocconi U.; martin.hoegl@unibocconi.it
Parboteeah, K. Praveen; U of Wisconsin - Whitewater; parbotek@uww.edu
In this paper, we investigate a relatively neglected but important aspect of team research, namely team
goal commitment or the team members’ attachment to the team goal. Our study attempts to address two
major questions: (1) Is team goal commitment related to team performance and does this relationship
depend on the innovativeness of the team task? (2) How can team goal commitment be enhanced at the
project level? Specifically, we examine whether the performance effect of team goal commitment is
contingent on the level of innovativeness of the team task. Furthermore, we also examine five controllable
team-level antecedent factors to team goal commitment. Testing our hypotheses on interviews with 575
members, leaders, and (team-external) managers referring to 145 software development teams, results
provide support for the hypothesis that team goal commitment is related to performance only in teams
with highly innovative tasks. Moreover, as hypothesized we find that two factors, namely constructive task
feedback and participative decision-making are both positively related to team goal commitment while
team size is negatively related to team goal commitment. Surprisingly, outcome interdependence, and
team-external obligations are not related to team goal commitment. Implications for practice and research
are discussed.
Keywords: Team Goals, Commitment, Innovation
NOT GOING GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT: PURSUING

ORGANIZATIONAL AFTERLIFE
Walsh, Ian; Boston College; walshia@bc.edu
Death remains a largely understudied topic among organizational scholars. Whereas some deaths lead to
voids of organizational life, others enable organizational afterlives that preserve or continue certain
organizational elements beyond a formal death. This paper describes alternate types of organizational
death following from impermanent or incomplete closing processes that enable afterlives. I contrast these
death processes and provide a conceptual explanation of organizational afterlife using the literature on
organizational death, decline, and sensemaking. I review possible origins of an afterlife by examining a
range of conditions that lead members to perceive an impending death. I also outline ultimate outcomes
of an afterlife, including commonly preserved elements, subsequent manifestations, and accrued benefits.
To illustrate this type of organizational death and the nature of an afterlife, I relate the example of the
Shakers, whose members created afterlives for their closing communities. I also discuss theoretical and
practical implications of this research.
Keywords: Death, Afterlife, Preservation
CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON SUPPORT FOR

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Lamm, Eric; Boston College; lammer@bc.edu
Consultants, organization leaders, and scholars all want to better understand why some organizational
changes succeed and others fail. While micro-organizational studies of organizational change have
shown how members have the capability of influencing change processes, there is little understanding of
the numerous contextual factors influencing a person’s decision to support organizational change.
Further, despite this era of global alliances, mergers, and international acquisitions, culture remains a

major unexplored variable influencing one’s perspectives on organizational change. This study examines
change decisions from a cultural context by evaluating the influence of an individual’s membership in
three cultural groups: societal, organizational, and organizational subgroup. The three cultural groups and
the degree to which the individual identifies with them are theorized to influence a person’s predisposition
to resist change, which then mediates his or her behavioral support for particular change processes as
well as his or her organizational commitment. A model with testable propositions is offered for the
theorized relationships. Implications for multiple literatures will be discussed.
Keywords: resistance, change, culture
SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP THEORY AS A SOURCE FOR

ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATION
Fry, Louis W; Tarleton State U. Central Texas; fry@tarleton.edu
Whittington, J Lee; U. of Dallas; jlwhitt@gsm.udallas.edu
Two streams of thought are emerging within the field of organizational studies that have important
implications for organization development and transformation: positive organizational scholarship and
workplace spirituality. In this paper we review some of the basic tenets of these emerging paradigms and
then discuss spiritual leadership theory as a model that integrates the key elements of each. The creation
of organizations that meet these qualities described by POS and the workplace spirituality literature
requires an authentic leader (Luthans & Avolio, 2003) who is guided by a set of personal values that is
rooted in universal or consensus values. Authentic leaders strive to create organizations in which there is
individual, group, and organizational level value congruence and consistency among the values, attitudes,
and behavior of the organization’s members. In this paper we review and critique the concept of authentic
leadership. We use the characteristics of authentic leadership to critique the transformational and
servant-leadership models of leadership and point out that, while both contain elements that are
consistent with the ideas of authentic leadership, they lack a connection to a solid base of consensus
values. Finally, building on the limitations we see in these existing models, we seek to extend our
understanding of authentic leadership by discussing spiritual leadership (Fry, 2003) as model for
organization development and transformation, which also has the potential to guide the evolution of
positive organizations where individual spiritual well-being and organizational-level performance can not
only coexist, but can be maximized.
Keywords: Positive Organizations, authentic Leadership, Spiritual Well-Being
EXPLAINING FACTORS AFFECTING THE SPEED OF CHANGE

ADOPTION : A CASE STUDY APPROACH
Vas, Alain; Catholic U. of Louvain; vas@poge.ucl.ac.be
Coeurderoy, Régis; Catholic U. of Louvain; coeurderoy@poge.ucl.ac.be
Change management research suggests that the potential increased performance can remain unrealized
because of individual resistance related to users' non-acceptance and unwillingness to use the new
technology. In our present research, we study the impact of both context and content dimensions on the
process of change adoption through survival analysis. For that purpose, we select factors for each of the
three dimensions. For the context dimension, we select proxies about technological background, group
leadership and organizational supports. For the content dimension, we use proxies on usefulness and
complexity. For the process dimension, we study the speed of change adoption by shop-floor employees.
The research is based upon individual cases involved in a major change project, within a large European
Telecommunications company named Technico (fictive name). The project was designated Work Force

Management System (WFMS), which included targets automation, control, and follow-up of each work
order transmitted to field technicians. Statistical research findings confirm the importance of speed in
order to assess strategic change adoption. The results highlight factors having a direct influence on the
speed of individual change adoption. At each level of analysis - individual, team and organization - our
adoption model suggests salient variables to explain the speed of change adoption.
Keywords: speed of change, case study, survival analysis
CHANGING ORGANIZATIONS: REDUCING COMPLEXITY, NOT

DENYING IT
Werkman, Renate; Vrije U. Amsterdam; ra.werkman@fsw.vu.nl
Boonstra, Jaap; Sioo; boonstra@sioo.nl
Van der Kloot, Willem; Leiden U.; vanderkloot@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Despite innumerable efforts of scientists and practitioners to understand it better, organizational change
remains a complex process. Little extensive empirical research has been done to understand the
problems in introducing change and the reasons underlying failure to change. In this study, we examine
organizational change from multiple perspectives and distinguish five configurations in the change
capacity of organizations. Unique and coherent aspects of change processes, organizational aspects and
change perceptions characterize each of these configurations. The five configurations are related to
specific context factors and change strategies. They demonstrate that we should address barriers to
organizational change from multiple perspectives if we really want to comprehend what hinders and helps
organizations change.
Keywords: organizational change, configurations, perspectives of actors in change processes
LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS: MANAGERIAL CONTROL

MODELS?
Akella, Devi P; Albany State U; dakella@hotmail.com
Learning Organizations: Managerial Control Models? Abstract Learning organisations have been
described in somewhat reverential terms like employees’ paradises, good management practices,
socialistic models, workplace democracies etc. These organisations provide working environments where
the employees and management together reflect on all decisions, resolve all differences if any through
mutual dialogue, and open communication systems resulting in high levels of trust, co-operation,
commitment on the part of employees which enables generation of learning. To develop such an
atmosphere, these organisations adopt flat and flexible structures, dialogue as a mode of open
communication, personnel oriented managerial style and appraisal systems, which encourage flexibility
and creativity. This paper will argue that the very essence of learning organisations i.e., its constituting
elements or characteristics can be interpreted as a subtle form of hegemonic control system which could
impede the whole process of learning itself. Keywords: learning organisations, organisational structure,
performance appraisal and reward systems, communication systems, learning culture.
Keywords: Learning Organizations, Management, Control

COEVOLUTION OF ALLIANCES AND ORGANIZATIONAL
KNOWLEDGE GAPS: A RETROSPECTIVE PROCESSUAL
ANALYSIS
Haider, Sajjad; Napier U.; s.haider@napier.ac.uk
This paper attempts to explain the co-evolution of alliances and organizational knowledge gaps by looking
into the evolutionary patterns of alliances over time, focusing particularly on the spillovers of the
knowledge acquired through alliances. It identifies and explores the underlying processes of those
phenomena by investigating the critical organizational events in the course of the development of the
case study companies. Drawing on the concept of ‘organizational knowledge gaps’ which was introduced
elsewhere (Haider 2003), this paper investigates the changes introduced in organizations over time in an
effort to fill their knowledge gaps using retrospective processual analysis of the data collected from the
two case study companies. The findings of this study argue that the evolutionary patterns of alliances are
determined by the continuous identification and filling of the organizational knowledge gaps. It was noted
that organizations in order to fill their knowledge gaps and to facilitate learning from alliances introduce
numerous changes in their systems and processes over time. These changes transform organizations
and transformed organizations with improved knowledge identify new knowledge gaps, leading to a new
cycle of identifying knowledge gaps, introducing changes, and selecting strategies to fill those knowledge
gaps. These cyclic processes explain the co-evolution of alliances and organization knowledge gaps.
Keywords: co-evolution, knowledge, alliances
CONFLICT IN MERGERS: INTEGRATING PSYCHOLOGICAL,

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES ON MERGER
FAILURE
Marmenout, Katty; McGill U.; katty.marmenout@mail.mcgill.ca
This conceptual paper presents the current state of the literature on the human side of M&A, reviewing
the psychological, social and cultural perspectives, in order to set the stage for a more parsimonious
approach to the study of post-merger dynamics through a focus on conflict. The adoption of the disputing
perspective is proposed in order to advance our understanding of post-merger integration issues. A
process model of conflict in merger situations, integrating psychological, social and cultural perspectives,
is presented and it is argued that adopting this perspective in the study of the human side of mergers,
would allow us to arrive at a better understanding of the phenomenon. For practitioners this approach
should provide a better base for intervention towards establishing a harmoniously functioning
organization.
Keywords: mergers and acquisitions, conflict, post-merger integration

CHANGE NOW BECAUSE I SAY SO! SPECIALIZED
MANAGEMENT IDENTITY AND COERCIVE RAPID
TRANSFORMATION
Sekerka, Leslie E.; Naval Postgraduate School; lesekerk@nps.navy.mil
Zolin, Roxanne; Naval Postgraduate School; rvzolin@nps.edu
Simon, Cary; Naval Postgraduate School; csimon@nps.edu
The fall of the Berlin Wall, the “9/11” terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and subsequent war on
terrorism have created a critical need for rapid transformation of United States defense doctrine and its
many organizations. When the environment changes, rapid transformation may be necessary for survival,
but procedures to achieve reform with speed may or may not be effective. This paper examines how
engaging in military style rapid transformation impacted a premiere educational institution of the
Department of Defense, a university with specialized identities held by the military management and
academic faculty subgroups. The leader and head change strategist of this institution took a multiple
identity organization and mandated rapid transformation. To date, little research has been conducted to
understand the coercive mode for managing multiple organizational identities in the process of rapid
transformation. To explore this subject and to edify existing theory, interviews were conducted with
members of an organization two years after a rapid transformation initiative was deployed. Using an
informed grounded theory analysis we examine and discuss how the strategies employed to achieve
reform may have reduced the initiative’s success to instill rapid transformation and limit the organization’s
range of future capabilities. Based upon our findings we develop a model to depict a specialized
management identity that employs a deletion strategy using coercion to effect rapid transformation. We
conclude with recommendations for specialized identity change management strategies.
Keywords: Organizational identity, Rapid transformation, Coercion
SELECTING GLOBAL SUPPLIERS: SUPPLIER SELECTION

DECISION MODELS AND STRATEGIC INTENT
Park, Daewoo; Xavier U.; parkd@xavier.edu
Krishnan, Hema A; Xavier U.; krishnan@xavier.edu
This study examines the effects of industry and executive characteristics on U.S. firms’ global supply
chain partners’ supplier selection decision models and strategic intent. Knowledge of supplier selection
models and strategic intent provides information on potentially controllable strategic dimensions critical in
managing successful organizational changes as well as global supply network development. Based on
past research we would expect supplier selection decision models to vary by the country and within a
particular country as well. The results of this study show that the criteria used to make supplier selection
decisions vary by industry, education and work experience. The resulting supplier selection decision
frameworks provide information important for identifying strategic intent of U.S. firms’ Asian supply chain
partners and effectively managing organizational changes and global supply chain partnerships.
Keywords: Organizational Changes, Supplier Selection, Strategic Intent

USING ATTACHMENT THEORY TO COMPARE
TRADITIONAL ACTION RESEARCH AND APPRECIATIVE
INQUIRY
Neilsen, Eric H; Case Western Reserve U.; ehn@po.cwru.edu
Proponents of appreciative inquiry (AI) argue that traditional action research focuses on problem solving
and deficit based thinking while appreciative inquiry takes a strength based approach that is more
generative and uplifting. While agreeing that AI is a powerful technique, we argue that traditional action
research and its problem solving orientation have been unduly criticized. The real issue is not whether a
given situation is framed as a problem or an opportunity but whether whatever framework is used bestirs
the actors involved to think, collaborate and learn at their best. Sometimes the invitation to problem solve
can evoke dreams of heroism and thereby heighten imagination and daring, while at others it can bring
depressing memories of failure and blame. Drawing on attachment theory from the field of child
development and short term therapy, we argue that what determines the response is the nature of the
actor's attachment to the organization at the time the invitation to problem solve occurs. Paralleling
attachment theory on an interpersonal level, we hypothesize four categories of organizational attachment:
secure, dismissive, resistant and passive. Participants respond positively to either kind of OD initiative
when they experience their attachment to the organization as secure. Past negative experiences with
action research may evoke less secure attachments, but past successes can evoke a secure response.
AI hedges its bets by inviting actors to explore memories of secure attachments before dreaming new
possibilities and creating designs that may cause the participants to address problems in implementation.
Keywords: appreciative inquiry, action research, attachment theory
TOWARD A PREDICTIVE MODEL OF INDIVIDUAL READINESS

TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
Vakola, Maria; Athens U. of Economics and Business; mvakola@aueb.gr
One area of emerging research focuses on readiness to change which has a strong impact on many
decisions in a change process such as planning, implementation, communication institutionalisation etc.
However, the term readiness still creates confusion and it is presented in a simplistic way. I define
readiness as a three level concept, micro –individual readiness, meso-group readiness and macro-
organizational readiness and use individual as the unit of analysis because I follow the argument that first
and foremost, change is initiated and carried out by individuals in organizations. I identify the main
ingredients of individual readiness to change which constitute a predictive model. This conceptual paper
ends with a discussion of the potential use of this model both for diagnosing and creating individual
readiness to change
Keywords: Individual readiness to change, predictive model, organizational change
THE 'POLITICS' OF MARKET PAY AND PERFORMANCE

COMPARISONS IN LEGITIMATING UK CEO PAY AWARDS
Ogden, Stuart; Manchester Business School; stuart.ogden@umist.ac.uk
Watson, Robert; U. of Durham; robert.watson@durham.ac.uk
This paper examines the use of pay and performance comparisons by remuneration committees to
legitimate their CEO pay decisions. Comparisons play an important role in the determination of CEOs'

base pay. They also influence incentive arrangements, both in terms of the size and form of incentive
reward, but are particularly prominent in the calibration of the performance targets which have to be
achieved before incentive pay provisions may be triggered. However the use of comparisons is not
without controversy, and remuneration committees have had increasingly to justify the selection of
particular comparisons they make to a variety of audiences. In this context pay and firm performance
comparisons not only provide useful information for pay decisions, but act as an important symbol of the
company's commitment to use procedures in the determination of executive remuneration that represent
a "visible demonstration of organizational attentiveness" (Suchman and Edelman, 1993) to governance
concerns. The paper presents evidence from in depth case studies of the operation of remuneration
committees in six of the ten U.K. privatised water plcs. The main findings suggest that comparisons are
imbued with far more complexity than has hitherto been considered, and that the selection of
comparisons is not as biased towards serving the interests of executive directors as has been previously
argued.
Keywords: pay, comparisons, performance
PREDICTORS OF EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING: MAXIMIZING

VALUE FROM DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS
Palmer, Rachael Helen; U. of Melbourne; rhp@iinet.net.au
Hart, Peter Michael; Insight SRC; hart@insightsrc.com.au
Wearing, Alexander J; U. of Melbourne; ajwe@unimelb.edu.au
This study examined the discriminant and predictive validity of organizational climate and positive and
negative work experiences. Measures of organizational climate, positive and negative work experiences,
extraversion, neuroticism, morale, distress, and job satisfaction were completed by 1,115 education
department employees over three consecutive years. The results demonstrated that organizational
climate and positive and negative work experiences measured different aspects of organizational
characteristics. It was concluded that initiatives to improve employee well-being are best developed
based on data collected using measures of organizational climate.
Keywords: change interventions, organizational climate, employee well-being
DEVELOPING CAPACITY FOR CHANGE ACTION

Meyer, Christine Benedichte; NHH; christine.meyer@nhh.no
Stensaker, Inger G.; Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration;
inger.stensaker@nhh.no
In this conceptual paper we examine how organizations can develop sustainable capacity for change
action, which we define as the ability to implement changes at minimum costs for the organization.
Balancing the efforts to make change happen without destroying well-functioning aspects in an
organization requires both capabilities to change and capabilities to maintain stability in terms of attending
to daily operations. Such capabilities are tied not only on managements’ ability to mobilize action but also
to organizational member’s reactions to change. The change literature includes a number of process
prescriptions on how change action can be mobilized. We discuss how these process prescriptions
contribute in developing an organization’s capabilities to change and assess costs, such as potential
consequences on operational capabilities or long-term costs, which reduce the organizations capacity to
make subsequent changes.
Keywords: Change capacity, implementation, change management

CHANGE MANAGEMENT MATTERS: A POLITICAL
PERSPECTIVE ON CHANGE PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES
Stensaker, Inger G.; Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration;
inger.stensaker@nhh.no
Langley, Ann; HEC, Montréal; ann.langley@hec.ca
It is commonly believed that the processes used to manage change affect the outcomes achieved. In a
longitudinal study of three change processes in a large oil company, we found that how the process was
managed surprisingly had no effect on the substantive change achieved in the organization. However,
change management did affect relational and political outcomes. We analyze different change
management attempts using a political perspective and examine how use of different power dimensions
affect the change process and outcomes. In the organizations studied, systemic power constrained the
possible degree of change. Managements’ use of decision making power, and to a certain extent non-
decision making power, was insufficient to secure substantive change and had destructive effects on
relational outcomes. Our findings indicate that using a sophisticated repertoire of political processes leads
to important relational and political outcomes without reducing the actual changes put in place.
Keywords: change management, politics, power
ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT IN THE GLOBAL CONTEXT: A

CRITIQUE
Thatchenkery, Tojo; George Mason U.; thatchen@gmu.edu
M.G., Gopakumar; Tata Management Training Centre; gkumar@tata.com
Despite the call for a redefinition of organization development due to the growing prominence of
globalization of organizations, most current practices have a modernist flavor, often synonymous with the
Western world view of science, society, and organizations. The economic and political forces of
globalization have led Organization Development in the direction of increasing homogeneity. OD’s
theories of the person, group, and organization are all based on modernist assumptions of rationality and
universalism. As a result, the rich heterogeneity that existed across the various national cultures has
given way to a form of homogeneity supported by a global capitalist system based on efficiency,
optimization, and commodification. This paper examines the gradual emergence of this homogeneity in
Organization Development at the global level and the accompanying weakening of the idealized notions
of culture-specific or culture-unique OD practices. We suggest that the analytical distinctions of global
versus local and its attendant dichotomy of homogeneity versus heterogeneity be dropped to better
appreciate the contemporary global context. While doing so, OD scholars and practitioners should be
cautious to refrain from generating yet another set of totalizing narratives and giving up the richness of
local diversity.
Keywords: Globalization, Modernity, homogeneity

MODELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND THE
ADOPTION OF WEB TECHNOLOGIES: ENCAPSULATING
PARTICIPATION
Nielsen, Jørn Flohr; U. of Aarhus; jflohr@econ.au.dk
A considerable gap is apparent between the rather sophisticated theories of change that analyze how and
why change occurs and the practice-oriented focus of the implementation and guidance of actual change
processes. This paper attempts partially to close this gap by illustrating how recent developments in
change theory may be useful in understanding the actual adoption and implementation of emergent
Internet technologies. Empirically, the paper draws on two surveys of Internet-technology adoption by
Nordic banks and manufacturers. The point of departure is Van de Ven and Poole’s (1995) identification
of four basic types of theories regarding change processes: life cycle, teleological, dialectical, and
evolutionary theories. These theories all encapsulate planned change processes in that they can explain
actual processes and outcomes. Combined with specific research they may also help to explain why key
persons’ participation in the Internet banking projects is only weakly associated with greater agreement,
more congruent frames, and better outcomes. Furthermore, they can enrich the perceptions of
participants in actual projects. On this basis we argue for more comprehensive diagnostic models of
organizational development and for research strategies that explicitly incorporate practitioner views.
Keywords: Motors of change, Participation, Internet adoption
LINKING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIMENSIONS TO

INDIVIDUAL AS WELL AS ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Kontoghiorghes, Constantine; Cyprus International Institute of Management;
Constantine@ciim.ac.cy
Papadopoulou, Io; Cyprus International Institute of Management;
iopapadopoulou@cytanet.com.cy
The main purpose of this study was to describe the association between certain emotional intelligence
dimensions and individual as well as organizational performance. For the purposes of this study,
organizational performance was assessed in terms of the following dimensions: quality of work output,
customer satisfaction and loyalty, employee productivity, rapid change adaptation, rapid technology
assimilation, organizational competitiveness, innovative performance, and profitability. Individual
performance was measured in terms of these indicators: job motivation, job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, and absenteeism. The construct of emotional intelligence was measured in terms of the
following dimensions: emotional self-awareness, self-regard, empathy, flexibility and problem-solving
skills. The results of this study reflected a moderate association between the investigated emotional
intelligence dimensions and organizational as well as individual performance. In all, emotional self-
awareness and empathy were found to be the strongest predictors of organizational performance.
Empathy and problem-solving skills were found to be the strongest and only predictors of performance at
the individual level.
Keywords: Emotional, Intelligence, Performance

AUTHORITY RELATIONS AND CAREER BLOCKAGE IN
REFORMING CHINA
Ma, Dali; U. of Chicago; dalima@uchicago.edu
The Chinese economic reform from planned to market economy has attracted considerable attention.
There are two major debates regarding consequences of the reform. The “market transition debate”
focuses on whether economic return of political power declines, and the “guanxi debate” focuses on
whether the significance of instrumental personal relationships declines. By combining political power with
personal relationships, I argue that people who have (1) closer (2) positive relationships with superiors
are less likely to be demoted or laid off in organizational changes, and the significance of authority
relations is a cultural continuity. The empirical evidence from a 1998 reform in the Chinese Academy of
Sciences supports the hypotheses, and additional statistical analysis predicting individual income
indicates that, while power mechanisms (authority relations) are significant in determining career
development, market mechanisms (revenue) are significant in determining personal income. In
organizational analysis, there are few studies measuring authority relations and analyzing their effects on
careers in strategic organizational change. Since it can be generalized to an American context, the result
of this study can enhance our understanding of organizational change.
Keywords: Power, Careers, China
EXECUTIVE RESISTANCE TO CHANGE: THE ROLE OF

EXEMPLARITY
Melkonian, Tessa; EM Lyon; melkonian@em-lyon.com
This paper focuses on the role of exemplarity and its impacts on executive resistance to top-down
change. Qualitative responses gathered over two years during interviews with 60 executives in a large
French multinational corporation who were facing top-down change requirements, sheds light upon the
role of the exemplarity construct in the context of organizational change. The empirical findings highlight
the idea that the ability to set examples -through both systems alignment and supervisor modeling- that
reinforce the change objectives is critical for implementing the change. These findings suggest that
special attention should be given to the role of exemplarity in organizational change and that exemplarity
is a new construct useful to consider in the context of implementing organizational changes.
Keywords: Top-down Change, Change Resistance, Exemplarity
CHANGE VISIONS AND THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

PROCESS: A CROSS-CASE MULTI-LEVEL ANALYSIS
Whelan-Berry, Karen S; Utah Valley State College; whelanka@uvsc.edu
The organizational change process is not fully understood and very few organizational change models
provide empirically-proven, multi-level organizational change process models. Multi-level analysis
provides for a richer understanding of phenomenon being studied, yet multi-level research on the
organizational change process remains limited. This paper uses three organizational change cases to
complete a cross-case, multi-level analysis of the organizational change process. In particular, this paper
focuses on the process of how the change vision is moves through the organizational, group and
individual levels, and is then adopted by groups and individuals. The cases are used to answer three
research questions: 1) What happens during the organizational change process as the organizational
change vision moves from the organizational level to the group and individual levels?, 2) How does a

change vision or stated desired outcomes move from abstract to concrete for groups and individuals
involved in a given organizational change, and how does it impact individual change adoption?, and 3) In
a cross-level analysis, what is most important in organizational change implementation process to the
individual adoption of the change vision? Discussion focuses on how the change vision is best shifted
from the organizational to the group and individual levels of analysis, how the change vision moves from
being abstract to concrete and implemented, and what the specific cases add to our understanding of
change drivers and their relationship to individual adoption of change.
Keywords: organizational change process, cross-case, multi-level
CREATING AN EXCELLENT SERVICE CULTURE:A SCHOLAR

AND PRACTITIONER EXPLORE A SUCCESSFUL CHANGE
CASE
Whelan-Berry, Karen S; Utah Valley State College; whelanka@uvsc.edu
Alexander, Patricia L; Texas Wesleyan U.; palexander@txwes.edu
Scholars and practitioners do not fully understand the organizational change process, and successful
culture change remains a challenge for organizations. Existing literature notes that culture change in
organizations takes three to five years. This paper explores a successful culture change in a university
setting - the implementation of a culture of excellent service in the student services division, which has
initially occurred over a two year period. The case is used to describe the change implementation process
and what contributed to this successful change effort, and to answer two research questions: In a
successful organizational culture change implementation, what is most important in the change
implementation process?, and What change drivers are most important to the successful implementation
of organizational culture change? In addition, the paper is authored by a scholar who has researched the
change since its inception and the organizational leader of the change initiative, resulting in an
insider/outsider collaboration. These two perspectives are used to further understand what made the
change successful, and what is critical in the change implementation process, by answering the research
question: What can we learn from a scholar’s and practitioner’s view of what is most important to
successful organizational culture change implementation? Discussion focuses on key aspects of
successful organizational culture change in this case, linking organizational resources allocated during
change implementation to change drivers identified in the literature, and learnings from and benefits of
insider/outsider collaboration on organizational change efforts.
Keywords: successful organizational change, case, practice
TIME TO CHANGE, TIME FOR CHANGE: HOW WAS TIME

USED TO CHANGE A GLOBAL COMPANY?
Lee, Heejin; The U. of Melbourne; heejin@unimelb.edu.au
Lee, Ji-Hwan; Ewha Womans U.; jlee903@nate.com
Lee, Jiman; Yonsei U.; jlee@base.yonsei.ac.kr
Choi, Chong Ju; Australian National U.; chong.choi@anu.edu.au
Time is often claimed as the core of culture, and culture is an essential aspect of organizational change.
Therefore, time can affect, and be affected by, organisational change. The role of time is rarely
investigated in organisational development and change. This paper describes and analyzes a case where
time was used as a catalyst for organisational change. In early 1990s, an alarm rang among the
employees of one of the largest conglomerates (chaebol) in Korea, Samsung, that it was ¡®time to
change¡¯ to compete and survive in the global market. The company¡¯s chairman ingeniously spotted

¡®time as a tool for change¡¯. The company introduced a new temporal scheme by which its employees
had to start at seven in the morning and leave office at four in the afternoon. This paper investigates how
the new temporal scheme affected various aspects of organizational culture, which in turn caused
organizational change. The new temporal system contributed to facilitating organizational change in three
ways: (i) by creating a sense of crisis for change, (ii) by searching for new ways of working, and (iii) by
making the employees more aware of the value of time as a resource. Although the new temporal
scheme failed to survive internal and external challenges, it left many positive heritages to the
organizations and employees involved, to some of which the success of the company in following years
can be attributed.
Keywords: time, organizational culture, organizational change
USING CHANGE PROCESS PROFILES TO STUDY

IMPLEMENTATION: AN EMPIRICAL DEMONSTRATION
Ford, Matthew W; Northern Kentucky U.; fordmw@nku.edu
Greer, Bertie M; Northern Kentucky University; Bmgreer@aol.com
Profile anlaysis is proposed as a means to advance empirical change process research. To demonstrate
its potential usefulness, an empirical study of Lewin's (1951) three-stage model of planned change is
conducted. Results suggest profiles of organizations change during implementation to refelect more use
of refreezing activities, and that organizations realizing successful change outcomes display a change
process profile that reflects higher systematic use of activities in each stage than lower performers.
Findings of this investigation also point towards the importance of refreezing activities for achieving
effective change
Keywords: planned change, profiles, change process
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AS AN ORGANIZATION

DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTION IN TAIWAN
Lien, Bella Ya-Hui; National Chung Cheng U.; bmayhl@ccu.edu.tw
Hung, Richard Yu-Yuan; Toko U.; ryyhung@mail.toko.edu.tw
Organizational learning is about how individuals collect, absorb, and transform information into
organizational memory and knowledge. This case study explores how Taiwanese organizations choose
organizational learning as an organization development intervention strategy. Issues included: (a) how
individuals, teams, and organizations learn; and (b) the extent to which organizational learning activities
contributed to organizational performance. Therefore, the purposes of the study included to: (a) explore
and understand organizational learning processes and the activities involved in selected high-tech
companies. (b) explore and understand the application of organizational learning as OD intervention in
these companies. (c) understand the organizational learning processes at the individual, team, and
organizational levels. Six high-tech Taiwanese companies were participated in this exploratory case
study. The findings are based on the three emergent categories: (a) the goal of OL, (b) OL strategy and
techniques, and (c) the results of OL. And the following questions are answered respectively: (a) what are
the organizational learning processes? (b) how do individual, team, and organizational learning happen?
(c) how does organizational learning influence organizational performance?
Keywords: Organizational Development, Organizational Learning, Taiwan

MANAGERIAL ATTENTION AND FIRM PERFORMANCE
FOLLOWING AN ENVIRONMENTAL SHIFT
Cho, Theresa; Rutgers U; cho@rbs.rutgers.edu
In this study, we explore the effects of an industry deregulation on the top executive teams¡¯ collective
attention and the linkage between such cognitive changes and firm-level performance. The results from
the analysis of deregulated airline industry indicate that the top executive teams that became more
proactive and entrepreneurial in their outlook were associated with higher ROE and growth in profit. This
finding highlights the importance of realignment between managerial cognition and external environment
as a mechanism for an organization adaptation after an environmental change.
Keywords: Managerial Attention, Organizational Change, Firm Performance
INERTIA OR CHANGE? EMPIRICAL EXPLORATION OF A FIRM

Paruchuri, Srikanth; U. of Florida; paruchur@ufl.edu
Scholars of organizational studies are split into two camps on the assumption of organizational inertia:
organizational ecologists on the one hand and adaptation theorists on the other. Despite the vast
significance, this assumption is not empirically examined. Though later organizational ecologists tried to
reconcile their differences with adaptation theories, they still maintain that core components of
organizations cannot change as fast as the environmental change, especially when environmental
changes are non-radical. I examine changes in the R&D, a core component of organizations in chemical
industry, of Dow chemical with respect to the changes in the environment. I examine both the content and
process of change apart from performance implications. I find that changes in Dow chemical are at least
as fast as the changes in the environment without detrimental performance effects. I also find that new
inventors act as carriers of change and are assimilated into the knowledge network of the firm through
their collaborations with inventors who have high status and span broad structural holes.
Keywords: Change, Inertia, dynamics
MANAGING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE CULTURAL IMPACT

OF GLOBALIZATION ON ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES
Shelton, Charlotte D.; Rockhurst U.; charlotte.shelton@rockhurst.edu
Yang, John Z.; China Center for Economic Research,Peking U.;
jyang@bimba.edu.cn
Gartland, Myles P.; Rockhurst U.; Myles.Gartland@rockhurst.edu
This study compared current and ideal organizational cultures in the United States and the People?s
Republic of China using data collected from 1838 employees in 129 U.S. and 111 Chinese firms. We
hypothesized that the forces of globalization are creating increased similarity in organizational cultures in
these two countries. Our expectations were partially supported for current organizational cultures and
strongly supported for ideal cultures. Further analysis of the data suggests a crossvergence of cultural
values with each of these countries adopting values that have previously been associated with the other.
Keywords: organizational culture, globalization, values

MODELS OF EMOTION MANAGEMENT FOR CHANGE
Kimberley, Nell; Monash U.; nell.kimberley@buseco.monash.edu.au
Hartel, Charmine; Deakin U; hartel@deakin.edu.au
The purpose of this paper is to integrate the current literature on emotion management with change
concepts and theories through the examination of leadership, culture and climate. The perspective
adopted is also anticipatory based on the assumption of continuous change. This paper offers a number
of strategies for emotions management which will assist in creating organizational change readiness. The
discussion of change leadership which follows highlights the importance of executives as change leaders
in diminishing negative emotions such as anxiety and generating positive emotions such as confidence,
trust and commitment. The paper concludes by exploring a change-ready climate as a set of day-to-day
attitudes and behaviors arising from an organizational orientation toward unity and action.
Keywords: Emotions, Organizational change readiness, Change leadership
ARCHITECTURE AS AN ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT

INTERVENTION: TWO HOSPITAL CASE STUDIES
Hamilton, Kirk; Texas A&M U., College Station; KHamilton@whrarchitects.com
Sherman, Walter Scott; Texas A&M U., Corpus Christi; ssherman@cob.tamu.edu
The purpose of this study was to examine whether the design of the patient unit in a hospital, when
combined with a cultural intervention designed and led by an OD consultant, made a significant
contribution to organizational effectiveness. Hospitals in the United States are replacing and renovating
facilities at an increasing rate in a period when economic performance and patient safety are major
management concerns. It is important that health facility design contribute to improved economic and
clinical performance. The study compared two completed hospital construction projects, both involving
the same architect and featuring the design of inpatient nursing units. One site had an OD practitioner as
a member of the design team, and the other did not. The method of the study was an exploratory case
study. It used organizational performance data based on employee opinion surveys at the two study sites.
The study demonstrated that an architectural project could have a measurable positive impact on
organizational characteristics. Possible limitations of the study included researcher bias, alternate
explanations for the results, survey administration methodology, and expansion of the cases to include
entire organizations rather than units or sub-units. The study illustrated a method for architects to do
applied research related to their projects. The study encouraged architects to learn formal organization
theory to help clients achieve improved performance and effectiveness. It suggested OD practitioners
should learn about the value of facility design as a potentially effective tool in a process of planned
change.
Keywords: Intervention, Architecture, Healthcare
THE POSITIVE ROLE OF RESISTANCE IN THE CONDUCT OF

CHANGE
Ford, Jeffrey D; Ohio State U.; ford.1@osu.edu
Ford, Laurie; Critical Path Consultants; laurieford@columbus.rr.com
D'Amelio, Angelo; Landmark Education; Ange54@Earthlink.net
Resistance is generally accepted as a given in the conduct of change. It is also reliably seen as a
negative factor – an obstacle or barrier to the successful implementation of change. Accordingly,

managers are encouraged to adopt various strategies for overcoming and avoiding resistance. This paper
takes a different perspective. Consistent with the theme of “a new vision for management in the 21st
century”, we propose that it is time to give up the one-sided view of resistance as a problem or obstacle,
and consider the positive contributions it makes to effective organizational change. In particular, we
propose that resistance to change can keep a change process alive, accelerate the process of
implementation, and improve management practices.
Keywords: change, resistance, positive
MAKING THE HERD DRINK: THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL

EFFICACY FOR CHANGE IN INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION
Hill, N. Sharon; U. of Maryland, College Park; shill@rhsmith.umd.edu
Bartol, Kathryn M.; U. of Maryland, College Park; kbartol@rhsmith.umd.edu
This paper contributes to research that identifies factors influencing successful implementation of
organizational innovations. We define a new construct, organizational efficacy for change (OEC), which is
organizational members’ collective belief that the organization can successfully implement change. We
develop a model that describes OEC’s antecedents and its relationship to innovation implementation
effectiveness. Finally, we show how the OEC model results in a more dynamic view of innovation
implementation. Implications for practice and research are also discussed.
Keywords: Organizational Change, Innovation Implementation, Organizational Efficacy
CHANGE FROM BELOW: THE CASE OF THE VOICE OF

THE FAITHFUL
Carboni, Inga; Boston College; inga.carboni@bc.edu
Although there is a relatively large literature on structural change efforts within organizations, especially
on second-order changes involving decentralization and participative decision-making, almost all of this
research assumes that these movements are led by top management. Far less attention has been paid to
efforts “from below” to effect second-order structural change. Under what conditions can relatively low
power employees induce broader structural change in their organizations? One area of research that has
examined the efforts of low power change agents to induce structural change is that of social movements.
Research on social movements has identified three key components of social movements: mobilizing
structures, political opportunities, and framing processes. However, most studies of social movements
have focused on external change agents. Relatively little work has examined the efforts of internal
change agents Therefore, to extend current theory on both organizational change and social movements,
the present research examines the efforts of the Voice of the Faithful, a Catholic group formed in the
wake of the sexual abuse scandal, to create a more democratic Church structure. Examination of the
emergence of the Voice of the Faithful provides support for a model of second-order change from below.
The model suggests conditions and ways in which similar change efforts may gain power within
centralized, hierarchical organizations.
Keywords: social movements, second order, structural change

RELATIONAL BASES FOR ORGANIZING
Bradbury, Hilary; Case Western Reserve U.; hxb22@PO.cwru.edu
Good, Darren Jason; Case Western U.; djg23@cwru.edu
Robson, Linda; Not Specified; linda.robson@case.edu
New models of organizing have been increasing in response to the complex demands of the global
marketplace. Our inquiry focused on one such organizational form- the inter-organizational collaboration,
specifically how collaboration is fostered and sustained in the often unstable environment of cross-
boundary alliances. Our paper highlights the relational aspects of collaboration in a consortium of multi
national corporations dedicated to grappling with issues of sustainable development. In developing a
conceptual model special emphasis is placed on the relational elements that facilitate and impede
learning oriented collaboration.
Keywords: Collaboration, Inter-organizational, Relational
CONNECTEDNESS AND RELATABILITY OF STRATEGIC

CHANGE PROCESSES
Kappler, Florian; U. of St. Gallen; florian.kappler@unisg.ch
Effective management and evaluation of change is replete with difficulties as most organizations have
built-in sources of inertia and resistance to change, which constitute the context for change processes.
Consequently, the importance of a contextual approach to studying organizational change has been
emphasized. Any change management effort has to be studied contextually as well as retrospectively.
Most change management models are assumed to start when leaders make an explicit decision to initiate
the transformation, neglecting the influence of history. Therefore, historical conditions as influential factors
on the success of change processes often get overlooked. This study investigates the relation of strategic
change processes to their historical preconditions and intends to provide insights into the importance of
historical discourses influencing their success. Accordingly, our attention focused on the connectedness
or relatability (Anschlussfähigkeit) of strategic change processes to their historical context. We asked how
and in which way the connectedness or relatability of strategic change processes affects the success of
transformation processes considering novelty and confirmation as characteristics of change discourses. It
can be argued, that the value of information or discourse is based upon the opposing characteristics of
novelty and confirmation. Only through a reasonable combination of novelty and confirmation
connectedness or relatability can be accomplished and successful change achieved. The connectedness
or relatability of transformation processes can be accomplished through confirmation, stability or reliability
within the dimensions of content, context or process of change processes.
Keywords: strategic change process, connectedness and relatability, change discourse
TIE STRENGTH AND TIE DYNAMIC: ALTERNATIVE

RELATIONSHIPS AND REALITIES.
Kaser, Philipp; U. of Zurich; phkaser@access.unizh.ch
Research indicates that innovation unfolds increasingly in inter-organizational networks of learning rather
than within individual firms. One of the most prominent notions refers to learning as a trade-off between
exploitation and exploration. Following this notion, actors who intend to practice either exploration or wish
to alternate between exploration and exploitation have to cultivate dynamic ties. In addition, there is

evidence that both exploration and exploitation require actors to relate in strong ties that are
characterized by reciprocity and trust. However, research indicates that strong ties give rise to binding
and therefore stable ties. This implies that it is impossible to have strong ties that are dynamic. I offer a
solution to this dilemma and suggest that those ties that are based on intrinsic reciprocity and transferable
trust as opposed to extrinsic reciprocity and sticky trust can indeed be strong and dynamic. I illustrate
these proposed alternative relationships between tie strength and tie dynamic with realities from the
biotech industry.
Keywords: Tie dynamic, reciprocity, trust
MANAGING CHANGE: TIME FOR CHANGE

Farias, Gerard F; Fairleigh Dickinson U.; gfarias@fdu.edu
The results of efforts to change organizations has been less than 50% (and therefore dismal) according to
some experts in the field. Several models of change have emerged over the years, each claiming to be
the panacea for the problems that belie managing change. Organization development professionals are
perhaps the most organized practitioners of organizational change and there has been considerable soul
searching among these professional about the future of the field. While several reviews have been
written, few have questioned the underlying assumptions of the field itself. The key question: Should
change be managed? The paper argues that the real problem is one of management. Organizations,
whose members are committed to achieving excellence will change naturally in their pursuit of
excellence. Change is not a project, but an ongoing process as an organization and its members attempt
to meet higher and higher levels of performance.
Keywords: Change;, excellence, natural change
SIMULATING INSTITUTIONAL CONTROLS ON

COUNSUMPTION PATTERNS IN THE COMMONS
Huerta, Timothy; U. of British Columbia; tim.huerta@ubc.ca
In 1968, Garrett Hardin identified a class of common goods that suffer under traditional market
mechanisms. As a result, institutions play pivotal roles in defining acceptable consumption behavior. This
paper describes the results of an agent-based computer simulation used to study how institutional forces
shape consumption patterns. The results suggest common-interested behaviors support a greater
population at a higher quality of living; however, exclusively common-interested behaviors result in
underutilized commons, and whole is generally less well off. Overall, when populations generally act in
the common-interest, the commons, the population and individuals all experience higher quality outcomes
than when they act in generally or exclusively self-interested ways. The paper frames further applications
in terms of managing growth for long-term sustainability.
Keywords: Simulation, Common Pool Resources, Sustainability

EMERGING CREDIT CARD MARKETS: A COMPARISON OF
RUSSIA AND THE US
Guseva, Alya; Boston U.; aguseva@bu.edu
Based, in part, on original fieldwork in Moscow, Russia, in 1998, 1999 and 2004, this paper focuses on
two markets at their conception points – the American credit card market of the late 1950s and 1960s and
the Russian credit card market of the 1990s. Emerging credit card markets need to solve two problems:
the problem of uncertainty inherent in lending and the complementarity problem of simultaneously
attracting merchants and cardholders. American banks jump-started the market by mailing unsolicited
cards to thousands of unsuspecting and unscreened individuals. This resulted in staggering losses, but
allowed to attract merchants. American banks eventually solved the uncertainty problem through formal
institutional means: they shared account information with the third parties (credit bureaus) and based pre-
screening on the calculation of risk, which made bank-customer relations completely impersonal. The
dominant way to disseminate cards in Russia is through payroll agreements with enterprises, whereby the
employees are issued cards secured by their salaries directly deposited to the bank. Not only does the
rapid increase of cardholders attract merchants, but payroll projects also solve the uncertainty problem
through two-stage embeddedness: banks rely on employing organizations to mediate their relations with
cardholders. As a result of dissimilar solutions to the uncertainty and complementarity problems, the
structures of Russian and American credit card markets differ as well.
Keywords: credit cards, uncertainty, new markets

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ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT & CHANGE

Conference Paper Abstracts

Keywords: organizational change, change processes, public organizations

A CONSTRUCT VALIDATION OF A NEW JOB INSECURITY

Keywords: Insecurity, Job, Measure

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 1

Keywords: social capital, human capital, adaptation

EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL LIFE CYCLE AND

Keywords: international growth strategy, joint venture, acquisition

CONSTRUCTING SHARED UNDERSTANDING: THE ROLE

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 2

Keywords: organization development, embodied metaphors

ANSWERS FOR QUESTIONS TO COME: REFLECTIVE

Keywords: strategic innovation, dialogue, mental models

INDUSTRIAL CHANGE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A

Keywords: Privatization, Change, Comparative case study

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 3

Keywords: change, ethics, emotion

CAN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE BE IMPROVED THROUGH

Keywords: Emotional, Intelligence, Training

GETTING READY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: TOWARD

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 4

Keywords: workplace stress, organizational change, creative problem solving

IMPROVISING WITHIN MANAGEMENT: OXYMORON,

Keywords: Flexibility, Improvisation, Conceptual

THE GOVERNANCE OF TRANSITION PROCESSES IN AN

This paper focusses on organisational governance during a process of organizational restructuring. We

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 5

Keywords: Cognitive Mapping, Organizational Change, Social Dilemmas

MORE OR LESS THAN GIVE AND TAKE: MANIFESTED

Keywords: collaboration, learning, attitude

GENERATING AND ACTING ON DEMAND FOR PUBLIC

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 6

Keywords: political processes, public reforms, demand generation

MIDDLE MANAGERS IN CHANGE

Keywords: Organizational Change, Middle Managers, Uncertainty

STRATEGICALLY REPOSITIONING AND TRANSFORMING

Keywords: change, transformation, strategy

MANAGING THE PAST VS. FUTURE PARADOX: A

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 7

Keywords: change management, people management, organization paradoxes

CHANGE CLIMATE: UNLOCKING CHANGE POTENTIAL

Keywords: change, change-management, assessing change potential

We examined the roles of supervisors’ transformational leadership, informational justice, interpersonal

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 8

Keywords: Cynicism about Organizational Change, Transformational Leadership, Organizational

USING CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS TO INFORM

Keywords: conceptual frameworks, leadership, program evaluation

DYNAMIC SCHEMING: MIDDLE MANAGERS STRIVING FOR A

Keywords: sustainability, middle managers, organizational dissent

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 9

Keywords: corporate restructuring, business exit, divestiture

PROCESSES OF RADICAL ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE:

Keywords: Transformation, Change, Sedimentation

THE LABORS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: EMOTIONAL

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 10

Keywords: Narrative accounts, Emotional Labor, Aesthetic Labor

EMPOWERMENT - CATALYST FOR OR IMPEDIMENT TO

Keywords: Empowerment, Transformational Change, Crisis Management

REDUCING RESISTANCE TO CHANGE: THE ROLE OF

Organization Development & Change Paper Abstracts -- 11

Keywords: organizational change, influence tactics, leader member exchange