Changing the organization

The top management of many organizations in Britain and in other countries are trying to make major changes. In companies it is usually competitive pressure that provides the spur to do so; in the Civil Service, local authorities and the National Health Service it is government pressure. This chapter describes the kind of changes that are most often wanted and the lessons that can be learnt from examples of successful change. An alternative title could be ‘Changing the culture’, for that is how many managers describe their aim in organizational change. The broader title is used because cultural change is only one aspect of successful organizational change.