Cliff Oswick, David Grant, Grant Michelson and Nick Wailes
This paper aims to review the discursive formation of organizational change and to consider the possible directions that change management initiatives may take in the future.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the discursive formation of organizational change and to consider the possible directions that change management initiatives may take in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
This closing piece identifies a traditional change discourse and an emerging change discourse. This is achieved through a review of the extant literature and the contributions to the special issue.
Findings
The paper highlights a shift of emphases in organizational change due to environmental imperatives. In particular, it reveals a move from problem‐centred, discrete interventions to a focus on continuous improvements. It also draws attention to the emerging significance of discourse‐based approaches concerned with image, identity, organizational learning and knowledge management.
Originality/value
Provides a framework for classifying different forms of organizational change activity and posits directions for future development.
Details
Keywords
David Grant, Grant Michelson, Cliff Oswick and Nick Wailes
This paper aims to examine the contribution that discourse analysis can make to understanding organizational change.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the contribution that discourse analysis can make to understanding organizational change.
Design/methodology/approach
It identifies five key contributions. Discourse analytic approaches: reveal the important role of discourse in the social construction of organizational change; demonstrate how the meaning attached to organizational change initiatives comes about as a result of a discursive process of negotiation among key actors; show that the discourses of change should be regarded as intertextual; provide a valuable multi‐disciplinary perspective on change; and exhibit a capacity, to generate fresh insights into a wide variety of organizational change related issues.
Findings
To illustrate these contributions the paper examines the five empirical studies included in this special issue. It discusses the potential for future discursive studies of organizational change phenomena and the implications of this for the field of organizational change more generally.
Originality/value
Provides an introduction to the special issue on discourse and organizational change.