Current Theory and Research in Transforming Organizations

Perhaps the best word to describe the past fifteen or so years of the twenty first century is “change.” Spurred on by the massive layoffs, and reorganizations that took place during the recessionary period starting in late 2007, to changes in labor demographics, technology, competitiveness, and the very nature of work, business transformations have become the norm. Even the most stodgy and inflexible organizations – universities – are beginning to understand the need for radical change if they hope to be sustainable in the future. From our perspective as researchers in management, we became increasingly interested in new trends and ideas in the field of transforming business and non-profit enterprises. What are the variables associated with success? What determinants may mediate whether or not change efforts actually lead to more sustainable systems? And, how do such change efforts differ from strategic planning, which has obviously been around and used for many years? To begin answering such questions, this volume attempts to bring together a number of scholars who present conceptualizations and preliminary research insights concerning organizational change, and in two of the chapters, explore the relationship between change efforts and strategy formulation/implementation.