Reshaping Change

Patrick Dawson is a Professor of Change, Creativity and Innovation at the University of Adelaide, Professor of Organizational Change at the University of Northumbria, and an Emeritus Professor of Management at the University of Aberdeen.

• List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments IntroductionIntroductionThe case for adopting a processual approachThe temporal dynamics of changing organizationsGrounding a processual perspective in empirical researchMain aims of the book The Development of the Processual Perspective and the Process Turn in Organization StudiesIntroductionLaying the foundations: The importance of context and processPettigrew’s contribution to the processual-contextualist approachThe process turn in organization studiesEmpirically grounded processual research and process philosophy: Issues and challengesDeveloping a typology of process research in fieldwork studiesProcesses of narrative change: Stories, sensemaking and dialogueProcesses of temporal change: Time, temporality and practiceConclusion A Processual Framework: The Non-linear Dynamic Processes of Organizational ChangeIntroductionStudying change over time: Analytical distinctions and conceptual considerationsType of organizational changeThe before, during and after of organizational change: ‘Catching reality in flight’ through conventional timeframesThe importance of multiple times and multiple temporalitiesDoing processual research: Approach, commitment and methodsDigging in the field: The committed researcherLongitudinal research designs in collecting processual dataThe processual framework reappraised and developedTemporal contextBeyond contextual boundariesCulture and historySensemaking and sensegivingTime and temporalityStories and narratives for understanding changePower-political processesSociomaterial relationsAssemblages and entanglement: Some early debatesThe concept of sociomateriality reappraisedConclusion Miners’ Stories and the Power-Political Processes of Contested Change IntroductionThe power of stories, storytellers and storyingThe power-political process of contested change at Glenrothes collieryStories and the storying process in changing organizationsRetrospective stories and prospective storyingTemporal sensemaking and change: It’s ‘us’ against ‘them’Attribution of blame in making sense of performanceReview and appeal: The power of stories to resist and steer changeConclusion Temporal Context and Non-linear Change at General MotorsIntroductionContext, time and temporality in the study of changing organizationsMoving context beyond business considerations dominant in mainstream change management modelsAlternative conceptions of time and the concept of temporal contextTemporal context: The illustrative example of General MotorsThe historical context of General Motors HoldenData gathering and the concern with data triangulationStories in temporal context: Narrative in the making and processes in the shapingTemporal context and depth of contextual knowledgeTemporal context and the sociomaterial dynamics of cell designTemporal context and power-political processConclusion Sociomaterial Relations in the Emergence and Growth of Micro-XIntroductionOngoing change and sociomateriality at Micro-XThe concept of sociomateriality and the importance of timeMicro-X: A high-tech start-up company based in AdelaideThe birth of a business: From idea generation to marketing and product emergenceFinding a partner organization for distribution and salesSecuring finance and building networksPrototypes, reliability testing and the core technologyEstablishing a Micro-X facility in South Australia: From design to manufactureDrawing on the experience of ex-Holden employeesQuality supply and manufactureStrategy, collaboration and innovationConclusion: Sociomaterial relations and the Micro-X story The Design of Longitudinal Case Study Research and the Importance of Process and Time7. The Design of Longitudinal Case Study Research And The Importance Of Process And TimeIntroductionTime and temporality in processual research and the ethnographic case studyProcess ontology and debates on temporality and changeTemporal practices and temporal awareness in researching workplace changeA facilitating framework for accommodating time and temporality in extended case study researchThe design and practice of longitudinal researchLongitudinal design and processual research: Practical constraints and contextual opportunitiesConclusion Conducting Processual Fieldwork: Data Collection and AnalysisIntroductionTacit knowledge: There is no substitute for dirty handsDoing it: Processual research and the task of data collectionObservational methodsThe use of interviewsCombining observation and in-depth interviewingOther data collection techniques and supplementary methodsProcessual analysis: The long vigilThe essential needs of processual analysisThe need for contextual richness in accommodating conflicting dataConclusion Disseminating Processual Research: Audience and StorytellerIntroductionStories and storytellingThe anecdotal story as a recipe for success: The popular management literatureStories and storytelling in academic studyThe processual case study in written formThe question of higher levels of output and the constraints of research group pressuresThe case study and the audience: A typologyContent and style of the case materialThe currency of publications: Challenges, opportunities and constraintsConclusion ConclusionIntroductionPractical dimensions of processual researchConcluding comments on developments in the processual approachAppendix I: Some Examples of Interview Schedules and a Supervisor’s QuestionnaireIntroductionSupervisor’s interview scheduleYard staff interview scheduleSupervisor’s questionnaireAppendix II: An Example of a Processual Case Study Write-up for Company Agreement on Publishable MaterialIntroductionThe company write-up: Total quality management at Laubman and PankIntroductionResearch strategy and methodsLaubman and PankQuality management at Laubman and PankSenior management assessment of service excellenceLaboratory manufacturing and service excellenceService excellence and competitive optometric practiceConclusion: TQM in the Laubman and Pank GroupConclusionAppendix III: An Example of a Processual Case Study Used for Teaching PurposesIntroductionGuidelines for case study tutorialsA recommended approachThe British Rail case study: Learning from the past?The computerisation of freight operations controlThe implementation problemThe ‘task force’ approachCreating a culture of changeTechnological change and organizational innovationCase study questionsConclusionBibliography Index