Cultural Change and Leadership in Organizations

Jaap Boonstra is Professor of Organization Dynamics at Esade Business School in Barcelona and Professor of Organizational Change and Learning at the University of Amsterdam. He is involved in strategic change processes of international companies like KLM, Bayer, Ahold and Arcadis. In addition he is a non-executive board member of several organizations including the International Choreographic Arts Centre and the Dutch Immigration Services. He is the co-author of Intervening and Changing: Looking for Meaning in Interactions (with Léon de Caluwé, Wiley, 2004) and author of Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning (Wiley, 2007).

The need for change within organizations is not uncommon, whether as a result of financial crisis, collaboration issues following an international merger, or other major events. But how can organizations effectively transform themselves? Jaap Boonstra argues that it is not possible to achieve positive strategic change without cultural change, but cultural change is itself not a simple process. So what steps can leaders take in order to tackle cultural change successfully and what are meaningful change strategies?
 
Offering a clear vision on organizational change, Cultural Change and Leadership in Organizations outlines the conditions and factors necessary for an organization's positive strategic and cultural transformation. Boonstra explores the relationship between culture and leadership, and details ways to effectively combine and organize diverse approaches for strategic and cultural change within organizations. Throughout the text, he combines inspirational and conceptual material with practical examples and concrete interventions for planning and implementing these changes. The text is an invaluable addition for students of MBA and executive MBA programs, as well as a broad range of practitioners.

Cultural Change and Leadership in Organizations discusses ways in which organizations are able to implement successful strategic change; inspirational and conceptual material is combined with practical examples and concrete interventions for planning and implementing cultural change within organizations.

About the Author xiv
 
Preface xv
 
Introduction 1
 
Part 1 Cultural Change in Organizations 9
 
Introduction 11
 
Essence of this part 11
 
Structure of this part 12
 
1 Perspectives on Organizational Cultures 13
 
Developments in Thinking about Organizational Cultures 13
 
Culture as the Identity of the Organization 20
 
Culture as a Source of Conflict and Renewal 24
 
Culture as a Learning Process 27
 
Culture and Customer Value Creation 30
 
Culture and Business Idea 33
 
Notes and References 35
 
2 Reasons for Strategic and Cultural Change 37
 
Surviving Crisis Situations 37
 
Strengthening Legitimate Position 38
 
International Expansion 40
 
Qualifying for the Future 41
 
Reinventing Business Propositions 42
 
Appreciating and Valuing Variety 44
 
Breakthrough Innovation 45
 
Maximizing Customer Value 46
 
Reasons for Cultural Change: An Overview 47
 
Notes and References 51
 
3 Conclusions of Cultural Change in Organizations 52
 
Do not Dare to Call it Cultural Change 52
 
Knowing your Meaning and Business Idea 52
 
Playing with Urgency and Ambition 53
 
Innovation and Expansion as Impulses for Strategic Renewal 54
 
Deep Change 54
 
Reinventing Business Propositions 55
 
Balancing Between Identity and Innovation 55
 
Change Starts with Standstill 55
 
Discussing the Undiscussable and Playing with Differences 56
 
Trajectories for Cultural Change in Organizations 56
 
Part 2 Strategies for Cultural Change 57
 
Introduction 59
 
Essence of this part 59
 
Structure of this part 60
 
4 Generating energy for change 61
 
Using crisis as a driver of change 61
 
Creating a sense of urgency 64
 
Articulating problems 66
 
Expressing humiliation and shame 68
 
Note and Reference 69
 
5 Envisioning 70
 
Building Common Ground 70
 
Clarifying Ambitions 73
 
Articulating Mission Statements 74
 
Expressing Levels of Change 76
 
Note and Reference 78
 
6 Creating Commitment 79
 
Being There 79
 
Bridging Gaps and Distances 81
 
Building Leading Coalitions 83
 
Organizing Involvement 85
 
7 Focusing on Clients 87
 
Realizing Customer Value 87
 
Redesigning Business Processes 88
 
Achieving Horizontal Synergy 90
 
Note and Reference 92
 
8 Combining Upwards and Downwards Initiatives 93
 
Generating Creativity for Renewal 93
 
Using Power to Force Change 95
 
Changing Players and Roles 97
 
9 Playing with Time, Space and Rhythm 99
 
Playing with Time and Rhythm 99
 
Reflecting and Learning 101
 
Creating Peace and Quiet 104
 
Offering Guidance and Space 105
 
Notes and References 107
 
10 Conclusions on Strategies for Cultural Change 108
 
Basic Principles for Cultural Change 108
 
No Single Best Way of Changing an Organizational Culture 109
 
Not Every Change Approach is Effective 109
 
Step-by-step Change Useful for Cultural Change 113
 
Building a Vital Coalition 113
 
Change Based on Own Qualities Without Consultants 114
 
Notes and References 114
 
Part 3 Organizational Culture and Leadership 115
 
Introduction 117
 
Essence of this Part 117
 
Structure of this Part 118
 
11 Authentic Leadership 119
 
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