The Innovating Organization

Citation

Bali, R.K. (2001), "The Innovating Organization", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 22 No. 4, pp. 186-188. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.2001.22.4.186.2

The contributors to The Innovating Organisation have collectively put forward new theories of change and management which have been informed by various programmes of research. I was immediately encouraged by an excellent introductory chapter (“Theoretical perspectives on new forms of organizing”) which discusses the evolution of management thinking through the ages. Unlike some competing texts, the authors of this initial chapter pay due regard to the increasingly important role played by knowledge management.

The book continues by detailing eight case studies which are the first set of 18 cases under investigation. Some of the cases deal with organisations undergoing technology‐based implementations. The results of each study have tangible benefits for the organisations concerned. Change management has been very much in vogue in recent years and the contributions of this book add to this interest by analysing organisations “before and after” innovative change programmes. The editors write that the cases involve a timescale of between five and 50 years. Such lengthy examinations add credence to change programmes; the “empirical gap” of recent papers is shortened as a result.

Chapter 2 deals with an engineering design organisation and examines transformance throughout the organisation. Having established customer and competitive pressures as the drivers for change, the case develops to analyse social controls and its effect to condition the organisation’s behaviour. Chapter 3 looks at Cooper & Lybrand’s (Europe) pharmaceutical network and examines the role of network governance and social controls, namely, member firms, partners, consultants and project teams.

Chapter 4 looks at ABB’s development over a ten‐year period encompassing three major change programmes. Taking the global matrix as a foundation, the chapter concludes by arguing that ABB’s last change project in 1988 involved both continuity and change. Chapter 5 moves to the Dutch‐based Rabobank. Taking a triad perspective (whole organisation, member banks, internal service unit) of this multinational financial services company, the authors take a unique and innovative methodological stance. This viewpoint acknowledges that change moves at different speeds in these three levels and regards the management of knowledge as a fundamental precept.

Hilti, a Liechtenstein‐based construction firm, takes centre‐stage for Chapter 6. The authors discuss eight phases of development and provide details on process sequencing. They appreciate that communication, leadership and hierarchical roles were important factors during the change process. Chapter 7 looks at the Spanish firm Fremap. There is an interesting insight into the interaction between the mutual insurance sector and the traditionally conservative Spanish business environment. Innovative change programmes in such an atmosphere need to pay careful attention to corporate culture and the approach adopted in this change programme shows how a collaborative effort (spanning HRM, IT and management accountability systems) can act as a catalyst for change.

SAAB Training Systems (Chapter 8) is a small, high‐tech organisation which has effectively used a team‐based structure to support business processes. The chapter urges caution as, in SAAB’s experience, these teams were effective in production processes but were weak on development issues. Co‐operation is required to ensure that teams do not form boundaries. Chapter 9 uses the experiences of AGBAR (an international provider of water services) to advocate a gestalt stance which pays additional regard to how organisational factors interact to produce an organisational whole.

In summary, the editors have compiled a decent collection of innovation‐based studies without compromising their focus on organisational perspectives. I am sure that the book will be a notable resource for both researchers and practitioners as they continue to understand the cross‐disciplinary nature of the dialogue on organisations and how to best manage its inherent knowledge‐based processes.