Organizational Change: A Review of Theory and Research in the 1990s

Abstract

This review selectively examines the theoretical and empirical organizational change literature over the past nine years (1990–early 1998). Four research themes or issues common to all change efforts are discussed: (a) content issues, which largely focus on the substance of contemporary organizational changes; (b) contextual issues, which principally focus on forces or conditions existing in an organization’s external and internal environments; (c) process issues, which address actions undertaken during the enactment of an intended change, and (d) criterion issues, which deal with outcomes commonly assessed in organizational change efforts. Research dealing with monitoring affective and behavioral reactions to change is also reviewed. In closing, general observations and suggestions for future research are offered and it is concluded that the organizational change literature continues to be responsive to the dynamics of contemporary workplace demands.

The Organizational Change Process: Its Influence on Competences Learned on the Job

“…These results corroborate the assertion by Armenakis and Bedeian (1999) that results involving productivity are more frequently employed as criterion for the success of changes. This result bears important implications for people management in organizations, because it challenges to what extent people management is ready to take an important role in the processes of organizational change as advocated by several authors in this field (Legge, 2006;Mascarenhas, 2009;Mascarenhas & Kirchbaum, 2008).…”

“…According to Abushawish, Bin Ali and Bin Jamil (2013), Pandey and Guha (2014), Coetzee, Visagie and Ukpere (2013) and Cardoso (2009), managerial competences are most explored in contexts of organizational change, although learning new experiences is the core interest in those contexts. Armenakis and Bedeian (1999) affirm that change implementation necessarily demands encouraging individuals to adopt new behaviors to allow the accomplishment of the intended changes, although few studies explore that relation.…”

“…This paper defines context as the dimensions that characterize organizational change in terms of planning, degree of risk and the intensity with which it affects participants (Cunningham, 2006;Devos et al, 2007;Kalimo et al, 2003). The results of organizational changes perceived by individuals are adopted as criteria to evaluate the success or failure of changes (Armenakis & Bedeian, 1999). The support to informal learning on the job is defined as the individual's analysis about the psychosocial support they perceive when performing informal learning actions on the job (Coelho & Borges-Andrade, 2011).…”

“…In trying to understand how learning fosters organizational change, several authors have created concepts such as organizational learning and learning organizations whose definitions include the metaphorical use of this concept. Armenakis and Bedeian (1999) affirm that change implementation necessarily demands encouraging individuals to adopt new behaviors to allow the accomplishment of the intended changes. In this focus, the phenomenon is related to learning in the working environment because, according to Abbad and Borges-Andrade (2014) and the cognitive and behavioral approaches, learning has to do with changes occurring in individuals' behaviors (repertoire of knowledge, skills and attitudes) due to their interactions with other persons and the external environment.…”

“…Armenakis and Bedeian (1999) divide the research on organizational change into four broader topics: content, context, processes and results. Research involving content approach the targets of the change process or that will be object of the intervention.…”