Skip to main content

Exploring the Notion of Change in Business and Organizational Systems

  • Chapter
Critical Issues in Systems Theory and Practice
  • 21 Accesses

Abstract

The paper seeks to open up a debate on the nature of change at a conceptual and theoretical level. It argues that the abundance of methodologies and strategies for managing change within business and organisational systems belie a desperate lack of any clear understanding of the very nature and essence of change itself. This deficiency is seen as a critical issue which is currently constraining further theoretical development of intervention approaches for organisational systems, and must be addressed. A greater understanding of the fundamental dynamics of change is called for. A cross discipline approach is proposed and the paper concludes with some suggestions for work.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Bennis, W.G., Benne, K.D., and Chin, R., eds., 1970, “The planning of change”, Holt Rinehart and Winston, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg, P.O., 1979, “Emotional Structures in Organisations: A Study of the Process of Change in a Swedish Company”, University of Lund Student Literature, Sweden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertalanffy, L. von, 1968, “General Systems Theory”, George Braziller, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boulding, K.E., 1956, General systems theory, Mgmt Sci. 2 (3): 199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callan, V.J., 1993, Individual and organisational strategies for coping with organizational change, Work and Stress. 7(1):63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahrendorf, R., 1959, Social theory, social research and a theory of action, Am. J. Soc. 16: 1309–1335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flood, R.L. and Jackson, M., 1991, Total systems intervention, Syst. Pract. 4(3): 197–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golembiewski, R.T., Billingsley, K. and Yeager, S., 1976, Measuring change and persistence in human affairs, J. App. Behav. Sci. 12:133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, P.S., and Associates, Eds. 1982, “Change in Organizations”, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henry, J., 1991, “Creative Management”, Sage Publications, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernes, G., 1976, Structural change in social processes, Am. J. Soc. 82(3):513–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lauer, R., 1971, The scientific legitimation of fallacy, Am. Soc. Rev. 36: 881–889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Litwick, R., 1987, quoted in: “Encylopedia of Organisational Change Methods,” A. Huczynski, Gower Publications, Aldershot.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundberg, C.C., 1984, Strategies for organisational transitioning, in: “New Futures”, J.R. Kimberly and R.E. Quinn, eds., Dow Jones-Irwin, Homewood, IL.

    Google Scholar 

  • March, J., 1981. Footnotes to organisational change, Admin. Sci. Quart. 26: 575.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, G., 1986. “Images of organisation”, Sage Publications, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pettigrew, A.M., 1990, Longitundinal field research on change, Org. Sci. 1(3):269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rappaport, A., 1988, The relevance of the systemic outlook to our present predicament, in: “Yearbook of the International Society for the Systems Sciences,” 31:5–12, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K.K., 1982, Philosophical problems in thinking about organizational change, in: “Change in Organisations”, P.S. Goodman & Associates, eds., Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stickland, F. and Reavill, L.R., 1994, Understanding the nature of system change, in: Procs. 38th Annual Meeting of the Int. Soc. Sys. Sci. 2:1509–1520, Pacific Grove, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsoukas, H., 1991, The missing link: A transformational view of metaphors in organizational science, Acad. Mgmt Rev. 16(3):566–585.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Ven, A.H., 1987, Review essay: Four requirements for processual analysis, in: “The management of strategic change,” A. Pettigrew, ed., Basil Blackwell, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vickers, G., 1980, Some implications of systems thinking, in: “Systems Behaviour”, J. Beishon & G. Peters, eds., Harper and Row, Milton Keynes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D.C., 1992, “A Strategy of Change: Concepts and Controversies in the Management of Change,” Routledge, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zaltman, G., and Duncan, R., 1977, “Strategies for Planned Change”, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, B.J. and Hurst, D.K., 1993, Breaking the boundaries: The fractal organization, J. Mgmt Inquiry. 2(4):334–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Stickland, F. (1995). Exploring the Notion of Change in Business and Organizational Systems. In: Ellis, K., Gregory, A., Mears-Young, B.R., Ragsdell, G. (eds) Critical Issues in Systems Theory and Practice. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9883-8_24

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9883-8_24

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9885-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9883-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics