Philosophies of Organizational Change

Book excerpt: This exceptional book maps the vast change management landscape, demystifies its complexities, and engages readers with an accessible and balanced style. Through their original evaluation of organizational change philosophies and theories, the authors encourage us to move beyond prescriptive, paradigm-centred theories in order to understand the opportunities that each offers. Philosophies of Organizational Change offers an innovative re-evaluation of the assumptions governing decisions about organizational change. It will command interest and stimulate lively debate from practitioners, students and researchers in organization theory. Ian Palmer, RMIT University, Australia Using an approach similar to Gareth Morgan s Images of Organization, the authors have brought order to influential and highly disparate approaches to organizational change and have done so in a manner that is both well-researched and accessible to readers at many levels. It is a welcome resource for research, teaching and consulting indeed for anyone who wishes to look beyond favoured approaches to organizational change. This lively and up-to-date text will be most useful for students, scholars and scholar-practitioners alike. Julie Wofram Cox, Deakin University, Australia Philosophies of Organizational Change explains the assumptions that drive different perspectives on organizational change management. The book describes and examines the myriad philosophical interpretations of change, revealing how and why managers confront change using so many competing methods. Each philosophy introduces the reader to the key theories used to diagnose organizations and prescribe change interventions. The book critically evaluates the arguments underpinning organizational change approaches and shows how they lead to different techniques and tools for practical change. With its critical examination of current thinking on organizational change approaches, this book will appeal to scholars and researchers in organization theory and organization studies. It will also make an ideal resource for graduate and senior undergraduate students and practitioners looking to deepen their understanding of change interventions.