Notes: Changing Organizational Culture
Inhoudsopgave
Week 1 ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 1 (intro) ......................................................................................... 3
Reading: Pettigrew et al (2001) .......................................................................................................................... 3
Notes college 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 2 .................................................................................................... 6
Reading: Van der Ven & Scott Poole (2005) ....................................................................................................... 8
Notes college 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 10
Week 2 ........................................................................................................................................................... 11
Reading: Ogbonna and Wilkinson (2003) ......................................................................................................... 11
Reading: Courpasson et al (2012) .................................................................................................................... 13
Notes college 3 ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Heracleous & Barrett (2001) ............................................................................................................................ 15
Tsoukas and Chia (2002) .................................................................................................................................. 16
Notes college 4 ................................................................................................................................................. 17
Week 3 ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Reading: Van den Ende & van Marrewijk (2018) ............................................................................................. 18
Week 4 ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Reading: Van Marrewijk, Veenswijk & Clegg (2010) ........................................................................................ 18
Reading: Gustavsen (2008)............................................................................................................................... 20
Guest lecture: Peter de Raaf – Fokker .............................................................................................................. 23
Notes college 6 ................................................................................................................................................. 24
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 3 .................................................................................................. 25
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 4 .................................................................................................. 26
Reading: Alvesson& Sveningsson - chapter 5 ................................................................................................... 26
Notes college 7 ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Week 5 ........................................................................................................................................................... 28
Reading: Thomas, Sargent & Hardy (2011) ...................................................................................................... 28
Reading: Van Marrewijk (2016) ....................................................................................................................... 31
Notes college 8 ................................................................................................................................................. 34
Reading: Alvesson chapter 6 ............................................................................................................................ 35
Reading: Alvesson chapter 7 ............................................................................................................................ 36
Reading: Alvesson chapter 8 ............................................................................................................................ 36
Reading: Alvesson chapter 9 ............................................................................................................................ 37
1
, Notes college 9 ................................................................................................................................................. 37
Week 6 ........................................................................................................................................................... 39
Reading: Alvesson chapter 10 .......................................................................................................................... 39
Reading: Alvesson chapter 11 .......................................................................................................................... 40
Reading: Alvesson chapter 12 .......................................................................................................................... 42
Reading: Yanow & Tsoukas (2010) ................................................................................................................... 42
Reading: Van Marrewijk, Veenswijk and Clegg (2014)..................................................................................... 46
Reading: Bjorkeng et al (2010) ......................................................................................................................... 49
Notes college 11 ............................................................................................................................................... 52
Week 7 ........................................................................................................................................................... 52
Reading: van Marrewijk 2009 .......................................................................................................................... 52
Notes college 12 ............................................................................................................................................... 56
2
,Week 1
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 1 (intro)
We live in a time of radical change, and organizations must adapt to these changes to ensure
survival. Culture is often seen as the key issue to be changed, or the key issue that makes
change possible. However, many attempts of planned change fail. Examples of drivers of
change are:
• Changes in consumer and labor markets
• Changes in technologies
• Pressures of financial markets
• Globalization
• New values
• Orientations from employees
Authors have argued that neglecting of aspects of organizational culture is a major reason for
failure. In Alvesson & Sveningsson (2016) organizational change efforts where culture was
claimed as a key theme are extensively elaborated.
Important issues when understanding organizational change:
- Time: we cannot understand changes through a snapshot, instead we need to emphasize
a longitudinal approach (e.g. historical context, episodic vs. continuous change).
- Motives of change: construction of the need for change.
- Context and level of analysis: micro vs. macro. Industries vs. SBU’s.
- Content of change: the means and/or outcomes of change projects.
- Actors of change: which different actors are involved and what are their interests?
- Theoretical perspective: this book proceeds from an interpretative perspective.
The books pays secondary attention to structural forces, fashions or institutional changes, and
focusses mainly on how people try to improve their organizations. The organization studied
in the book was formed as an independent company (subsidiary), having previously been a
large R&D unit within a very large, internationally leading firm. The challenge as seen by
management and consultants is: to make the company more market-oriented and also to
make the organization work better internally, through better leadership and teamwork.
Reading: Pettigrew et al (2001)
Studying organizational change and development: challenges for future research
This article proposes that students of change should pay attention to six key issues. (1) The
examination of multiple contexts and levels of analysis in studying organizational change, (2)
the inclusion of time, history, process, and action, (3) the link between change processes and
organizational performance outcomes, (4) the investigation of international and cross-
cultural comparisons in research on organizational change, (5) the study of receptivity,
3
, customization, sequencing, pace, and episodic versus continuous change processes, and (6)
the partnership between scholars and practitioners in studying organizational change.
Multiple contexts and levels of analysis (how to link context with action)
Contextualism (focus on changing rather than on change) is presented with a dual challenge:
(1) to attempt to catch reality in flight and (2) to study long-term processes in their contexts
in order to elevate embeddedness to a principle of method.
Early contextualism work was divided into the outer and inner context of organizations. Outer
context included the economic, social, political, and sector environment. Inner context was
defined as features of the structural, cultural, and political environments through which ideas
and actions for change would proceed. → Change processes are embedded in contexts.
Time, history, process, and action (how to expose processes and mechanisms of change)
"Temporality is an essential feature of organizational behavior and it makes little sense to
ignore it, treat it implicitly, or treat it in an inadequate manner" (p. 699).
Process: a sequence of events that describe how things change over time (process in action).
Ryle (1949) made a distinction between achievement verbs (choice and change) and task
verbs (choosing and changing).
There is a challenge to study events and the social construction of events in the context of the
local organizational time cycles that modulate the implicit rhythms of social systems. → One
has to identify patterns in the process of changing.
Change processes and organizational performance outcomes
In organizational literature there is a lack of research on how organizational performance is
linked to change capacity and action. A more longitudinal understanding of organizational
performance is needed.
International comparative research on organizational change
There has been a lack of focus on national differences and their effects on organizational
change. An international perspective on change enables us to understand different contents
and directions of change as well as its processes and pace.
Receptivity, customization, sequencing, pace and episodic versus continuous change
Where and how questions have to be raised more often. → Where does a change agent begin
a given change initiative, and what are the varying degrees of receptivity to change in this or
that organizational division or national business context?
The term episodic change groups organizational changes that tend to be infrequent,
discontinuous, and intentional. Episodic changes occur as organizations move away from
equilibrium or change as a result of a misalignment or environmental encroachment.
Continuous changes are those that are ongoing, evolving, and cumulative. The distinctive
quality of continuous change is its small, uninterrupted adjustments, created simultaneously
across units, which create cumulative and substantial change.
4
Inhoudsopgave
Week 1 ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 1 (intro) ......................................................................................... 3
Reading: Pettigrew et al (2001) .......................................................................................................................... 3
Notes college 1 ................................................................................................................................................... 5
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 2 .................................................................................................... 6
Reading: Van der Ven & Scott Poole (2005) ....................................................................................................... 8
Notes college 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 10
Week 2 ........................................................................................................................................................... 11
Reading: Ogbonna and Wilkinson (2003) ......................................................................................................... 11
Reading: Courpasson et al (2012) .................................................................................................................... 13
Notes college 3 ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Heracleous & Barrett (2001) ............................................................................................................................ 15
Tsoukas and Chia (2002) .................................................................................................................................. 16
Notes college 4 ................................................................................................................................................. 17
Week 3 ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Reading: Van den Ende & van Marrewijk (2018) ............................................................................................. 18
Week 4 ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
Reading: Van Marrewijk, Veenswijk & Clegg (2010) ........................................................................................ 18
Reading: Gustavsen (2008)............................................................................................................................... 20
Guest lecture: Peter de Raaf – Fokker .............................................................................................................. 23
Notes college 6 ................................................................................................................................................. 24
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 3 .................................................................................................. 25
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 4 .................................................................................................. 26
Reading: Alvesson& Sveningsson - chapter 5 ................................................................................................... 26
Notes college 7 ................................................................................................................................................. 27
Week 5 ........................................................................................................................................................... 28
Reading: Thomas, Sargent & Hardy (2011) ...................................................................................................... 28
Reading: Van Marrewijk (2016) ....................................................................................................................... 31
Notes college 8 ................................................................................................................................................. 34
Reading: Alvesson chapter 6 ............................................................................................................................ 35
Reading: Alvesson chapter 7 ............................................................................................................................ 36
Reading: Alvesson chapter 8 ............................................................................................................................ 36
Reading: Alvesson chapter 9 ............................................................................................................................ 37
1
, Notes college 9 ................................................................................................................................................. 37
Week 6 ........................................................................................................................................................... 39
Reading: Alvesson chapter 10 .......................................................................................................................... 39
Reading: Alvesson chapter 11 .......................................................................................................................... 40
Reading: Alvesson chapter 12 .......................................................................................................................... 42
Reading: Yanow & Tsoukas (2010) ................................................................................................................... 42
Reading: Van Marrewijk, Veenswijk and Clegg (2014)..................................................................................... 46
Reading: Bjorkeng et al (2010) ......................................................................................................................... 49
Notes college 11 ............................................................................................................................................... 52
Week 7 ........................................................................................................................................................... 52
Reading: van Marrewijk 2009 .......................................................................................................................... 52
Notes college 12 ............................................................................................................................................... 56
2
,Week 1
Reading: Alvesson & Sveningsson - chapter 1 (intro)
We live in a time of radical change, and organizations must adapt to these changes to ensure
survival. Culture is often seen as the key issue to be changed, or the key issue that makes
change possible. However, many attempts of planned change fail. Examples of drivers of
change are:
• Changes in consumer and labor markets
• Changes in technologies
• Pressures of financial markets
• Globalization
• New values
• Orientations from employees
Authors have argued that neglecting of aspects of organizational culture is a major reason for
failure. In Alvesson & Sveningsson (2016) organizational change efforts where culture was
claimed as a key theme are extensively elaborated.
Important issues when understanding organizational change:
- Time: we cannot understand changes through a snapshot, instead we need to emphasize
a longitudinal approach (e.g. historical context, episodic vs. continuous change).
- Motives of change: construction of the need for change.
- Context and level of analysis: micro vs. macro. Industries vs. SBU’s.
- Content of change: the means and/or outcomes of change projects.
- Actors of change: which different actors are involved and what are their interests?
- Theoretical perspective: this book proceeds from an interpretative perspective.
The books pays secondary attention to structural forces, fashions or institutional changes, and
focusses mainly on how people try to improve their organizations. The organization studied
in the book was formed as an independent company (subsidiary), having previously been a
large R&D unit within a very large, internationally leading firm. The challenge as seen by
management and consultants is: to make the company more market-oriented and also to
make the organization work better internally, through better leadership and teamwork.
Reading: Pettigrew et al (2001)
Studying organizational change and development: challenges for future research
This article proposes that students of change should pay attention to six key issues. (1) The
examination of multiple contexts and levels of analysis in studying organizational change, (2)
the inclusion of time, history, process, and action, (3) the link between change processes and
organizational performance outcomes, (4) the investigation of international and cross-
cultural comparisons in research on organizational change, (5) the study of receptivity,
3
, customization, sequencing, pace, and episodic versus continuous change processes, and (6)
the partnership between scholars and practitioners in studying organizational change.
Multiple contexts and levels of analysis (how to link context with action)
Contextualism (focus on changing rather than on change) is presented with a dual challenge:
(1) to attempt to catch reality in flight and (2) to study long-term processes in their contexts
in order to elevate embeddedness to a principle of method.
Early contextualism work was divided into the outer and inner context of organizations. Outer
context included the economic, social, political, and sector environment. Inner context was
defined as features of the structural, cultural, and political environments through which ideas
and actions for change would proceed. → Change processes are embedded in contexts.
Time, history, process, and action (how to expose processes and mechanisms of change)
"Temporality is an essential feature of organizational behavior and it makes little sense to
ignore it, treat it implicitly, or treat it in an inadequate manner" (p. 699).
Process: a sequence of events that describe how things change over time (process in action).
Ryle (1949) made a distinction between achievement verbs (choice and change) and task
verbs (choosing and changing).
There is a challenge to study events and the social construction of events in the context of the
local organizational time cycles that modulate the implicit rhythms of social systems. → One
has to identify patterns in the process of changing.
Change processes and organizational performance outcomes
In organizational literature there is a lack of research on how organizational performance is
linked to change capacity and action. A more longitudinal understanding of organizational
performance is needed.
International comparative research on organizational change
There has been a lack of focus on national differences and their effects on organizational
change. An international perspective on change enables us to understand different contents
and directions of change as well as its processes and pace.
Receptivity, customization, sequencing, pace and episodic versus continuous change
Where and how questions have to be raised more often. → Where does a change agent begin
a given change initiative, and what are the varying degrees of receptivity to change in this or
that organizational division or national business context?
The term episodic change groups organizational changes that tend to be infrequent,
discontinuous, and intentional. Episodic changes occur as organizations move away from
equilibrium or change as a result of a misalignment or environmental encroachment.
Continuous changes are those that are ongoing, evolving, and cumulative. The distinctive
quality of continuous change is its small, uninterrupted adjustments, created simultaneously
across units, which create cumulative and substantial change.
4
