Modelling of Planned Change of Organizational Work Processes in Terms of

Abstract

In planned change field previous research mostly focused on organizational level factors and their influence on the outcome of change. Organization size, history of innovations, senior management support, organizational culture, political aspects were considered as important factors influencing change process. Less attention was paid to understanding the process through which new behaviours are developed and change plans become ongoing practice. Therefore this article focuses on planned change of organizational work process. This enables to analyze change in intermediate level between organization and individual. Consequently the research question of the article is how organizational work processes change in the context of planned, purposive change in terms of process internal structure. The article sheds light on micro processes that occur inside the organizational work processes that undergo planned, purposive change. It reveals how change plans are translated into action and by doing so, if and how they got modified, adapted and changed. The planned change of organizational work process is modelled in terms of Feldman’s and Pentland’s (2003) theory of internal structure of organizational processes. According to proposed model of planned change of organizational work process, change of work process occurs through conceptualization and communication of change and adaptation of change (discovery and integration of new process performance). The proposition was tested using qualitative approach and embedded single case design to investigate the change of work process in organization which is implementing planned change; the design was embedded in that the unit of analysis (process change) encompassed data on three states of process (process before change, planned process, process after change) and on change implementation process. Information about three states of the process was needed in order to reveal how work process evolved and evaluate if change was effective. The evolution of process and effectiveness of change was evaluated by comparing three states of process under investigation according to 4 diagnostic blocs whish were operationalized into 18 empirical indicators. We conducted 9 interviews, from which 3 at the first stage and 6 at the second stage. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and indexed according list of indicators and proposed model of planned change of organizational work process. It is argued that previous research has treated change either as episodic or emergent. Therefore this inquiry reveals that difference between episodic and emergent change perspectives seems to be too explicit. Empirical study of work process revealed that both planned and emergent elements constitute the realized structure after a purposive, planed change effort in organization. This suggests that more nuanced approach of planned, purposive change is necessary. The article challenges the traditional perspective on role of change initiators, concept of finite change time window and criteria for evaluation of effectiveness of change. The study revealed that top management’s (as change initiators) role is moderate. Top management must communicate change and be attentive if subtle processes of change interpretation, discovery of new performances and integration of new ways of acting and interacting is under way. Therefore change effectiveness mostly depends on process participants. Because both planned and emergent elements constitute the realized process, evaluation of change effectiveness by conformity of planned process to resulting process is incorrect. The resulting work process may differ severely from planned process because of change adaptation. Change conceptualization, communication, discovery and integration are neither linear stage model nor have a defined end. Planned change must be perceived as proposition of new way of thinking and acting which never ends.