Choosing the Right Change Path

Lewin Kurt , “Frontiers in Group Dynamics, Concept Method and Reality in Social Science; Social Equilibria and Social Change,” Human Relations, 1 (1947): 2–38.

See, for example, Ginsberg A. Bucholz A. , “Converting to For-Profit Status: Corporate Responsiveness to Radical Change” Academy of Management Journal, 33/3 (1990):445–477, for a discussion of what they call inductive and inertial forces. (See Myer A. Brooks G. Goes J. , “Environmental Jolts and Industry Revolutions: Organizational Responses to Discontinuous Change,” Strategic Management Journal, 11(1990): 93–110, for a review of the literature on different patterns of change.)

This article is based on my recently published book, Paul Strebel, Breakpoints: How Managers Exploit Radical Business Change (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 1992), which contains the sources of the quotes and examples of change management other than the BP story.

For a summary of the literature or the change processes see Strebel P. Välikangas L. , “Organizational Change Processes in a Force Field,” International Review of Strategic Management (forthcoming).

This is essentially the steady state behavior described for example by Cyert R. M. March J. G. , A Behavioral Theory of the Form (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1963).

This is similar to the evolutionary adaptation described for example by Lawrence P. R. Lorsch J. W. , Organization and the Environment (Boston, MA: Harvard Business School, 1967).

Sporadic Change is essentially the logical incrementalism described by Quinn J.B. , “Strategic Change: Logical Incrementalism,” Sloan Management Review, 20 (1978): 7–12.

Discontinuous Change has been described, for example, by Meyer A.D. , “Adapting to Environmental Jolts,” Administrative Science Quarterly, 27 (1982): 515–537.

For a discussion on the urgency of change, see Fry J.N. Killing J.P. , Strategic-Analysis and Action, 2nd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989), Ch. 12.

Most of the BP story and all the quotes are taken from Hargreaves Ian , “When Thoroughness Is Not Enough,” Financial Times, June 26. 1992, p. 19; Lascelles David , “Horton is Ousted as Chairman of British Petroleum,” Financial Times, June 26, 1992, p. 1. See also Simon David , “Managing Cultural Change at BP.” Target-Management Development Review, 4/3 (1991): 16–19.