Abstract
This article describes the transformation process of the Svetogorsk paper mills in 1988-1992 under conditions of perestroika, and the subsequent eco nomic reforms in the former Soviet Union. The study was carried out as a piece of action research, which means that crucial knowledge about the transformation was generated in the actual process of changing the produc tion and maintenance management of the mills.
The decentralization of the planning system generated enthusiasm, opti mism and energy in the ranks of management. The results of the initial change efforts proved to be positive, and the most acute production prob lems were successfully resolved. But technical improvements and new main tenance practices were not enough. The instability and unpredictability of the institutional environment had destroyed the prerequisites for profitable business. The study provides some insight into the difficulties of organiza tional change under the conditions of a constantly changing environment and a weak internal resource base. It is a study of an organizational crisis under systemic collapse.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.