Managing Change

One of the mantras that we hear today is that change is the only certainty. Further, we are often told that we are living through a period of unprecedented change driven by globalisation, the internet, deregulation and the rate of technological innovation occurring. Previous eras may be able to lay claim to rapid and radical change but there is little doubt that technological advancements mean that we are living through a second industrial revolution (MacIntosh, 2003). Most of the time, most organizations are managing change through the deliberate selection of organizational structures, processes and practices which we hope will produce particular results. This is often called change work (Beech & MacIntosh, 2012) and can emanate from within the organization, be driven by shifts in the external environment or through a combination of both. Change may therefore be optional or unavoidable, rapid or slow, radical or evolutionary.