Organizational Change: Relationship between Reactions, Behaviour and Organizational Performance

Abstract

Describes one aspect of a longitudinal case study conducted in an Australian college of advanced education undergoing transformation to a university and explores the relationship between the espoused and observed reaction by staff to the changes, their actual behaviour, and the performance of the organization. Findings from the research did not vindicate the assumption in the culture literature that organizational culture has a direct and predictable effect on organizational performance, as the organization performed very well according to stakeholders′ criteria, in spite of widespread opposition at both grass roots and middle management levels during a period of forced, rapid change. Qualitative evidence is given of the very negative reactions to the forced behaviour changes, while quantitative evidence is given of the level of performance achieved by the organization during the same period. The conclusion is drawn that, on an organization‐wide scale, whole patterns of staff behaviour may be changed without a corresponding positive change in values or assumptions.

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