Accomplishing desired benefits from investments in planned change is problematical for organizations, their leaders and the change agents charged with delivery. This is despite a well-developed literature, replete with advice on how change should be achieved. Examination of this literature shows the primary focus on change agents and their practices. This research widens the focus by observing the influence of change agents, change recipients and line managers on organizational routines undergoing planned change. It examines the interplay between stability and change in organizational routines, adopting a social practice perspective, and the routine intended to change as the unit of analysis (Feldman and Pentland, 2003, 2005). The research builds on claims that to understand the patterns of action within routines requires the internal dynamics – the claimed duality between ostensive (in principle) and performative (in practice) aspects - to be examined. A research method to operationalize the study of this claimed duality was devised following the principles of Strong Structuration (Stones, 2005). This method enabled a unique conceptualization of the study of routine dynamics, focused on planned change from the perspective of multiple, interdependent actors. Two cases of change agents following the advice in the planned change literature were explored. In one case, stability of the routine persisted when change was intended. In the other, change was relatively easy to achieve irrespective of change agent actions. The primary contribution is the demonstration of how the attitudes to change of change recipients, line managers and change agents influence the internal dynamics of routines undergoing planned change. Other contributions pertain to the method of ‘unpacking’ organizational routines and its potential for shaping future practice. This research does not offer new ‘normative’ advice but instead sensitizes planned change practitioners to the level of analysis they need to carry out to ensure that their interventions are suitably designed.

Accomplishing desired benefits from investments in planned change is problematical for organizations, their leaders and the change agents charged with delivery. This is despite a well-developed literature, replete with advice on how change should be achieved. Examination of this literature shows the primary focus on change agents and their practices. This research widens the focus by observing the influence of change agents, change recipients and line managers on organizational routines undergoing planned change. It examines the interplay between stability and change in organizational routines, adopting a social practice perspective, and the routine intended to change as the unit of analysis (Feldman and Pentland, 2003, 2005). The research builds on claims that to understand the patterns of action within routines requires the internal dynamics – the claimed duality between ostensive (in principle) and performative (in practice) aspects - to be examined. A research method to operationalize the study of this claimed duality was devised following the principles of Strong Structuration (Stones, 2005). This method enabled a unique conceptualization of the study of routine dynamics, focused on planned change from the perspective of multiple, interdependent actors. Two cases of change agents following the advice in the planned change literature were explored. In one case, stability of the routine persisted when change was intended. In the other, change was relatively easy to achieve irrespective of change agent actions. The primary contribution is the demonstration of how the attitudes to change of change recipients, line managers and change agents influence the internal dynamics of routines undergoing planned change. Other contributions pertain to the method of ‘unpacking’ organizational routines and its potential for shaping future practice. This research does not offer new ‘normative’ advice but instead sensitizes planned change practitioners to the level of analysis they need to carry out to ensure that their interventions are suitably designed.

Syfte:                              Syftet med studien är att analysera hur förändringsmottagare upplever att ledningens kommunikation inför organisationella förändringar påverkar dem för att få en beredskap inför förändringen.   Metod:                               Studien är en kvalitativ fallstudie med en abduktiv ansats, där den empiriska datainsamlingen gjorts genom intervjuer med anställda på ett företag i telekombranschen. En analys av insamlad data genomfördes genom en tematisk analys.   Resultat och slutsats:        Kommunikation inverkar på förändringsmottagarnas beredskap från sändarsidan, men effekten av denna dämpas på mottagarsidan av ett filter bestående av två faktorer, avtrubbning och påverkan på förändringsmottagarna.                                                                                      Förändringsmottagarna motsätter sig eller upplever en likgiltighet gentemot organisatoriska förändringar om kommunikationen upplevs som knapphändig eller är otydlig. Likaså påverkar bristen på möjligheter att återkoppla till ledningen för att skapa klargöranden, mottagarna i negativ riktning. Studiens bidrag:               Ge en djupare förståelse och kunskap i             kommunikationens betydelse för att skapa beredskap till förändring, och på så vis öka möjligheterna att genomdriva lyckosamma förändringsarbeten.   Förslag på vidare forskning:                          Att undersöka de faktorer som skapar avtrubbning till förändring hos förändringsmottagaren och hur dessa kan komma att undvikas.

The popularity of agile methodologies is steadily increasing. This study is an intent to balance the agile change literature with a psychological perspective and quantitative measures of an agile change made within a Swedish organization. Organizational change recipients’ beliefs (discrepancy, appropriateness, valence, efficacy, & principal support) and trust in management were measured in an online survey to see how well these variables could predict a successful agile change towards transparency. The results indicate a lack of support for several previously cited success factors in the agile literature and a need for more quantitative and research-driven literature. No support could be found for a relationship between discrepancy, appropriateness, valence, principal support, trust in management, and the outcome of a successful implementation of transparency. Efficacy was found to be a significant and robust predictor of the outcome. More research is needed to ensure the generalizability of the results.

The importance of incorporating Diversity Management (DM) in organizations has become a viral debate in recent years in response to social pressures worldwide. While there is extensive research on the effects of DM, how the implementation process is managed is much less obvious. Furthermore, DM is a multidimensional concept that lacks a universally accepted definition in terms of organizational practices, which presents operations managers with various challenges. To identify these challenges and how they are managed, a qualitative case study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with Top and HR managers of a listed, Large Cap company in Sweden. The theories of Change Agents and Sensemaking were applied to analyze the implementation process of DM within The Company. The findings were categorized into; (1) the challenge of mobilization, (2) the challenge of creating a shared meaning, and (3) the challenge of the diversity paradox. Based on these findings, the conclusions indicated that unity, communication, awareness, and persistence are important factors to consider when managing these challenges.