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Strategically Repositioning and Transforming Public Organizations

Research in Organizational Change and Development

ISBN: 978-0-7623-1326-6, eISBN: 978-1-84950-425-6

Publication date: 27 March 2007

Abstract

A framework is offered that predicts when public organizations are susceptible to change. Many researchers interested in change focus on leadership. Such an approach overlooks structural factors that inhibit change and what leaders seeking to realize change can realistically hope to accomplish. The framework identifies organizational capacity, responsiveness, and constituencies as key structural factors that govern change feasibility. Capacity, responsiveness, and constituencies are knitted together in the framework to identify types of public organizations that are ready for change and those apt to resist change. Types of change are considered that range from strategic repositioning to transformation. Also discussed are guidelines for leaders seeking to strategically reposition or to transform a public organization. To realize a transformation requires a new kind of leader, called a Mutualist. The skills required by Mutualist leadership and Mutualist leaders are identified and compared to those identified in the transformational leadership literature. Research questions are formulated and a research program proposed to deal with research issues identified by the framework.

Citation

Nutt, P.C. (2007), "Strategically Repositioning and Transforming Public Organizations", Pasmore, W.A. and Woodman, R.W. (Ed.) Research in Organizational Change and Development (Research in Organizational Change and Development, Vol. 16), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 253-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0897-3016(06)16008-5

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited