Abstract
Karl E. Weick is one of management’s and organizational science’s most influential social psychologists. He, more than most theorists, is responsible for pointing to the prevailing theories of management and organizational change and asking very pragmatic questions such as: “Is this plausible? What are we missing? What if we say this?” This chapter focuses on only four concepts within his large body of work: (1) organizing as a human process; (2) collective interpretation and loose coupling; (3) sensemaking; and (4) surprise and managing the unexpected. These concepts represent major departures from traditional rational models of organizational change. They are not necessarily labeled organizational change phenomena per se; however, each of them has been and remains critical to understanding human actions in the continuous flow of social change.
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Further Reading
As Further Reading, I Would Suggest the Following Books that Provide a Scholarly/Research Perspective to Weick’s Work (with Complete Citations Provided in the Reference Section):
The Social Psychology of Organizing (2nd ed., Weick 1979)
Making Sense of the Organization (Vol. 1, Weick 2001, and Vol. 2, Weick 2009)
The Following Books Provide a Broader Scope for the Scholar Practitioner:
Sensemaking in Organizations, 1995
Managing the Unexpected: Sustained Performance in a Complex World (3rd ed., 2015, with K. M. Sutcliffe)
The Following Papers Provide Insights for Change Agents:
“Fatigue of the spirit in organizational theory and organization development: Reconnaissance man as remedy” (1990)
“Collective mind in organizations: Heedful interrelating on flight decks” (1993, with K. H. Roberts)
“Drop your tools: An allegory for organizational studies” (1996)
“Drop your tools: On reconfiguring management education” (2007)
Weick, K. E. (1990). Fatigue of the spirit in organizational theory and organization development: Reconnaissance man as remedy. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 26(3), 313–327.
Weick, K. E. (1996). Drop your tools: An allegory for organizational studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 301–313.
Weick, K. E. (2001). Making sense of the organization (Vol. 1). Oxford: Blackwell.
Weick, K. E. (2009). Making sense of the organization (Vol. 2). Malden: Blackwell.
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Schwandt, D. (2018). Karl E. Weick: Departing from Traditional Rational Models of Organizational Change. In: Szabla, D., Pasmore, W., Barnes, M., Gipson, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Organizational Change Thinkers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49820-1_62-2
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