The relationship between selected organisational characteristics and the process of change leading to a new structure of governance for the Sisters of Mercy (Australia) in 1981: A case study

Abstract

This case study investigated the relationship between selected organisational characteristics and the process of change which led to the adoption of a new structure of governance for the Sisters of Mercy (Australia) in 1981. To gain an understanding of the complex nature of the religious organisation, data were collected from several sources, through interviews with delegates at the first formal meeting of the newly-constituted Mercy Institute, through questionnaires distributed to a random sample of Sisters in each Mercy group, through analysis of archival material, and from the experience and insights of the researcher, herself a Sister of Mercy and participant observer. The research techniques were used as complementary to each other, in the research strategy known as "triangulation". To order the collection of data, the researcher investigated the research problem through three subproblems, and organised the findings in the sequence in which those subproblems were treated. A conceptual framework was formulated to assist in analysing the process of change. Conclusions about each of the four organisational characteristics (reported in Chapter 5) and the change process (reported in Chapter 6) were synthesised to draw conclusions about the relationship between the characteristics and the change process. ... The findings and conclusions from this study and the methodology used have a number of implications for the analysis of change in a religious community. The case study approach and the conceptual framework for analysis provided a new perspective into the process of change in a religious community.