Impact of Organizational Change on Organizational Culture

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) seeks to integrate the expertise of individual practitioners with the best available evidence within the context of the values and expectations of clients. Prior to implementing EBP, it is important to understand the significance that organizational change and organizational culture play. This article seeks to explore the literature associated with both organizational change and organizational culture. The analysis of organizational culture and change draw upon findings from both the private, for-profit sector, and the public, non-profit field. It is divided into four sections: organizational change and innovation, organizational culture, managing organizational culture and change, and finally, applying the findings to the implementation of EBP. While the audience for this analysis is managers in public and nonprofit human service organizations who are considering implementing EBP into their work environment, it is not intended to provide a "how to" guide, but rather a framework for critical thinking.

Theories of Organizational Behavior

“…Due to the pervasive nature of organizational culture, organizational change takes place within the context of an organization's culture and needs a change in the culture (Austin and Ciaassen 2008). However, changing the culture is not an easy task for an organization.…”

“…Despite the difficulty in changing organizational culture, two approaches were found in previous studies. Austin and Ciaassen (2008) argued that sustainable changes in organizational culture involved changing the basic assumptions, then addressing the values level, and, finally, dealing with the cultural artifacts. However, Beer et al (1994) advocated first changing the organizational context (such as individuals' responsibilities, roles, and the interpersonal relationship), which would result in changed behavior and associated attitudes.…”

“…Organizational change tends to take place within the culture of an organization due to the pervasive nature of the organizational culture (Austin and Ciaassen 2008). Unsupportive organizational culture, structural inertia, and group inertia are the sources of resistance that can be linked to the organizational culture theory.…”

Preventive Mental Health at School

“…An organizational team can work to facilitate the process of change. In order for schools to integrate evidencebased practices into schools, for example, there must be considerable change at the organizational level as well as at the individual level (Austin & Claassen, 2008 ). In order for schools to move from reactive to proactive, or to embrace a preventive mental health practices model, change is needed.…”

The impact of organisational change and fiscal restraint on organisational culture

“…It can be difficult to predict and to account for emergent challenges over the implementation period [9, 11]. Planned change management processes will often take organisational culture into account, with attention to ensuring buy-in from staff to assist staged change [12]. Unplanned change, especially that arising from external forces, combined with limited organisational control and limited ability for proactive planning, can adversely impact organisational culture [2, 9].…”