This future scope provokes exploration on the coherence between the ontology and epistemology of organizational change, urging scholars and practitioners to critically align what is claimed as “change” with what is empirically studied. Despite decades of theorizing, the field remains fragmented, often conflating perceptions and evaluations with change itself. We advocate for methodological pluralism, triangulating multiple indicators—structural, behavioral, cultural, processual, and performative—to capture the multifaceted nature of change. Doing so, we propose five corrective actions: (a) integrating process and variance approaches, (b) aligning metrics with ontological assumptions, (c) triangulating data sources, (d) assessing alpha/beta/gamma change, and (e) matching temporal design to the pace of change. By foregrounding the complexity and dynamism of organizational change, the paper calls for renewed commitment to methodological rigor and reflective practice, ensuring that future research and consultancy genuinely advance understanding and impact in the field.
ArmenakisA. A.BedeianA. G. (1999). Organizational change: A review of theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management, 25(3), 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063990250030
2.
ArmenakisA. A.HarrisS. G.MossholderK. W. (1993). Creating readiness for organizational-change. Human Relations, 46(6), 681–703. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679304600601
AtwoodM. (1998). The Handmaid’s tale. Anchor Books.
5.
BanksG. C.WoznyjH. M.MansfieldC. A. (2023). Where is “behavior” in organizational behavior? A call for a revolution in leadership research and beyond. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(6), 101581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101581
6.
BartunekJ. M. (2020). Accomplishing impact by performing our theories: It can be done, though not easily. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 56(1), 11–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886319885451
7.
BeerM.EisenstatR.SpectorB. (1990). Why change programs don’t produce change: Effective corporate renewal starts at the bottom, through informal efforts to solve business problems. Harvard Business Review, 68(6), 158–166.
8.
BennisW. G. (1965). Theory and method in applying behavioral science to planned organizational change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1(4), 337–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/002188636500100404
9.
BhaskarH. L.OsamaM. (2025). Maximizing business process efficiency in Industry 4.0: A techno-functional exploration of process mining tools. Operations Research Forum, 6(1), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43069-025-00428-x
10.
BlakeR. R.MoutonJ. S. (1966). Some effects of managerial grid seminar training on union and management attitudes toward supervision. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 2(4), 387–400. https://doi.org/10.1177/002188636600200402
BurkeW. W. (2017). Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.
13.
CaciL.NyantakyiE.BlumK.SonparA.SchultesM. T.AlbersB.ClackL. (2025). Organizational readiness for change: A systematic review of the healthcare literature. Implementation Research and Practice, 6, 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/263348952513345
DaftR. L.WeickK. E. (1984). Toward a model of organizations as interpretation systems. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 284–295. https://doi.org/10.2307/258441
GarciaR. A.CabezaM.RahbekC.AraújoM. B. (2014). Multiple dimensions of climate change and their implications for biodiversity. Science, 344(6183), 1247579. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1247579
18.
GolembiewskiR. T.BillingsleyK.YeagerS. (1976). Measuring change and persistence in human affairs: Types of change generated by OD designs. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 12(2), 133–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/002188637601200201
19.
GraetzF.SmithA. C. (2010). Managing organizational change: A philosophies of change approach. Journal of Change Management, 10(2), 135–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697011003795602
KolbD. A.BoyatzisR. E. (1970). On the dynamics of the helping relationship. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 6(3), 267–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/002188637000600302
22.
LedfordG. E. (1985). The persistence of organizational change: Variance theory and process theory models. University of Southern California, School of Business Administration.
23.
MeyerC. B.StensakerI. G. (2023). Amplify or suppress? Top leader perspective on external stakeholders’ influence on organizational change outcomes. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 59(4), 647–686. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863231193462
24.
Miake-LyeI. M.DelevanD. M.GanzD. A.MittmanB. S.FinleyE. P. (2020). Unpacking organizational readiness for change: An updated systematic review and content analysis of assessments. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 106. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-4926-z
25.
MillerD.FriesenP. H. (1980). Momentum and revolution in organizational adaptation. Academy of Management Journal, 23(4), 591–614. https://doi.org/10.2307/255551
26.
OregS.VakolaM.ArmenakisA. (2011). Change recipients’ reactions to organizational change: A 60-year review of quantitative studies. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(4), 461–524. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886310396550
27.
PettigrewA. M.WoodmanR. W.CameronK. S. (2001). Studying organizational change and development: Challenges for future research. Academy of Management Journal, 44(4), 697–713. https://doi.org/10.5465/3069411
PooleM. S.Van de VenA. H. (2004). Handbook of organizational change and innovation. Oxford University Press.
30.
PooleM. S.Van de VenA. H.DooleyK.HolmesM. E. (2000). Organizational change and innovation processes: Theory and methods for research. Oxford University Press.
31.
RaffertyA. E.JimmiesonN. L.ArmenakisA. A. (2013). Change readiness: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 39(1), 110–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206312457417
32.
RoeR. A. (2008). Time in applied psychology: The study of “what happens” rather than “what is”. European psychologist, 13(1), 37–52.
33.
ScheinE. H.LippittG. L. (1966). Supervisory attitudes toward the legitimacy of influencing subordinates. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 2(2), 199–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/002188636600200207
34.
SchwarzG. M. (2012). Shaking fruit out of the tree: Temporal effects and life cycle in organizational change research [article]. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 48(3), 342–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886312439098
35.
SchwarzG. M.BouckenoogheD. (2024). Honey, we shrunk our impact: Social impact in organizational research. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 60(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863231223870
36.
ShippA. J.JansenK. J. (2021). The “other” time: A review of the subjective experience of time in organizations. Academy of Management Annals, 15(1), 299–334.
37.
StevensG. W. (2013). Toward a process-based approach of conceptualizing change readiness. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 49(3), 333–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886313475479
38.
VakolaM.ArmenakisA.OregS. (2013). Reactions to organizational change from an individual-differences perspective: A review of empirical research. In OregS.MichelA. (Eds.), The psychology of organizational change: Viewing change from the employee's perspective (pp. 95–122). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139096690.008
39.
Van de VenA. H.PooleM. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 510–540. https://doi.org/10.2307/258786
40.
Van de VenA. H.PooleM. S. (2005). Alternative approaches for studying organizational change. Organization Studies, 26(9), 1377–1404. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840605056907
