Managing Organizational Change: Process, Social Construction and Dialogue

Abstract

'Managing Organizational Change: Process, Social Construction and Dialogue' is the first change management textbook to focus on the connections between process, social construction and dialogue. The guiding philosophy of this book is that change is not a transient event; rather, it is an ongoing dynamic process that unfolds over time. This conception of change as a process is derived from the observation that change is the only constant in life. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus is reported to have said: 'You cannot step into the same river twice'; to which his student responded: 'Not even once, since there is no same river.' Change is thus a process of permanent flux. An important claim made by process scholars is that change as a phenomenon is, first and foremost, based on an ongoing process (stream of interactions) of 'becoming' rather than being (Tsoukas and Chia, 2002). Gergen (1999: 145) conceives 'becoming' through his notion of 'coordinated action' achieved through its social supplement. Weick and Quinn (1999) conceive 'becoming' through changing and organizing. As for Taylor and Van Every (2000: xi), they conceive it by thinking of 'organization as an emergent reality'. Change becomes synonymous with 'moments' of experience (Bakhtin, 1993: 54) that continue to unfold. It is through such perspectives that the guiding philosophy of this text is developed. Since a process view of change is not a doctrine but an orientation (Tsoukas and Chia, 2002), it can be developed in ways that would help in exploring change. This text calls upon process orientation, social construction and dialogue to produce useful ways of thinking and managing change. Such ways are greatly needed given the intense demands placed on organizations to be more innovative and responsive to the technological shifts occurring in their external environment.