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The tyranny of change: Organizational Development revisited

Journal of Business Ethics volume 12, pages 93–104 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

The premise of this paper is that planned organizational change, commonly known as organizational development, induces compliance and conformity in organizational members and thereby increases the power of management. These consequences occur because organizational development efforts create uncertainty, interfere with the informal organization, reinforce the position of management, and further entrench management purposes. These consequences occur regardless of the intentions of management and regardless of whether the goals of the organizational development intervention were achieved. Instead of examining these consequences, practitioners and theorists have engaged in self-deception and depoliticized the practice of induced organizational change by creating a field known as Organizational Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, Grand Valley State University, 49401-9403, Allendale, MI, USA

    Marie McKendall

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  1. Marie McKendall
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Marie McKendall, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of management at the Seidman School of Business, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Michigan. Her research interests are primarily in the areas of corporate crime and management ethics.

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McKendall, M. The tyranny of change: Organizational Development revisited. J Bus Ethics 12, 93–104 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871929

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00871929

Keywords

  • Economic Growth
  • Organizational Development
  • Development Effort
  • Organizational Change
  • Development Intervention