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  • Journal of Change Management

Reflections: Toward a Normative and Actionable Theory of Planned Organizational Change and Development

By: Michael Beer
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Abstract

A normative and actionable theory of planned organizational change and development is proposed based on fifty years of engagement by the author as a scholar-consultant. Five principles are central features of the theory and practice proposed: 1) Organizations are systems and successful transformations require senior teams to lead a strategic high engagement organizational learning process to develop, make public and change the whole system of organizing, managing and leading; 2) Six publicly undiscussable and potentially inconvenient truths about organizational and leadership barriers to an effective and human centric organization must be made discussible and changed if the transformation is to be sustained; 3) A five-step process for an honest, collective and public conversation about the six silent barriers and senior team’s plans for change in them is essential for successful and sustained change; 4) Successful change in a large and complex system is a unit-by-unit process with each unit’s leadership team employing the normative five step process proposed; and 5) Successful change requires collaboration with consultants acting as both facilitators of and expert resources to the honest conversation. The relative success of the planned change process proposed is moderated by leaders’ motivation to lead change, openness to constructive conflict, and their possession of human centric values.

Keywords

Consultant; Process; Systems; Silence; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Learning; Management Teams

Citation

Beer, Michael. "Reflections: Toward a Normative and Actionable Theory of Planned Organizational Change and Development." Journal of Change Management 21, no. 1 (2021).
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About The Author

Michael Beer

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    Developing Strategic Human Resource Theory and Making a Difference: An Action Science Perspective

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More from the Author
  • Developing a Sustainable High Commitment, High Performance System of Organizing, Managing, and Leading: An Actionable Systems Theory of Change and Development By: Michael Beer
  • Developing Strategic Human Resource Theory and Making a Difference: An Action Science Perspective By: Michael Beer
  • Making a Difference: Developing Actionable Knowledge for Practice and Theory By: Michael Beer
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