Organization Change : Theory and Practice (9781506378763) by Burke W. Warner

Author:Burke, W. Warner [Burke, W. Warner]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781506378763
Publisher: LightningSource
Published: 2017-03-24T13:35:02+00:00

Source: From “A Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change,” by Burke, W. W., & Litwin, G. H., in Journal of Management: Official Journal of the Southern Management Association, 18, pp. 523–545. Copyright © Southern Management Association. Reprinted with permission from SAGE Publications, Inc.

As noted, the 12 boxes that compose the model represent our choices of what we consider to be primary for organizational understanding and analysis. Although we made our own choices, we have definitely been influenced by the thinking of others. One can easily see overlap with the Weisbord (1976), Porras and Robertson (1987, 1992), Nadler and Tushman (1977), and Tichy (1983) models. And like some of these authors, we have accounted for dimensions at the larger-system level with such variables as mission, strategy, leadership, and culture; at the group or local work unit level with climate; and finally, at the individual level with individual needs and values, task requirements and individual skills, and motivation.

The arrows that connect the boxes and go in both directions signify the open-system principle of multiple effect; that is, a change in any one category or box will eventually affect all the remaining boxes. To portray the model as close to reality as possible, there would need to be arrows, or linkages, between each box and all the other boxes. Figure 10.2 depicts some of the more important linkages rather than attempting to show every possible connection. The clutter of displaying all connections would look rather daunting, if not messy. But daunting and messy is no doubt closer to reality. Moreover, our two-dimensional display is limited. Closer to reality would be a display of the model in the form of a hologram. Circular arrows would depict reality much more accurately. Yet our model predicts cause, so some directions are more important or weightier than others when it comes to planning and implementing successful organization change. A quick example can be provided by comparing the linkage between the culture and systems boxes. Although the arrow connecting the two is bilateral, culture probably has a stronger influence on systems than the other way around. Evidence for a strong linkage between the two boxes has been provided by Kerr and Slocum (1987). Their research showed that an organization’s reward system (a subdimension of the larger systems box) is a manifestation of its culture and that the reward system can be used, perhaps should be used, to facilitate change in an organization’s culture. In other words, their study supports the notion of linkage and its bidirectional nature. With our display of culture above the systems box (and therefore carrying more “weight,” or influence), we are going further than the Kerr and Slocum study—that is, beyond mere linkage—and stating that culture, especially the aspects of beliefs and values, helps determine the type of reward system senior managers deem appropriate. Therefore:

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