ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ideas which lie behind organizational change processes. The exercise of control is one of the main preoccupations of classical management theory. Classical management principles identified major organizational characteristics, mainly to do with the creation and control of stable organizations. In classically-structured organizations, specialisation is applied to skills and responsibilities. Communication patterns tend to follow the organizational structure, being primarily vertical. There will be some concessions to cross-boundary communication via special projects, managerial posts with integrative responsibilities and other devices. Organizations designed on the basis of classical management theory can be effective vehicles for certain kinds of change. Skills and training are emphasised in bureaucracies, as part of the need to develop professionalism and in the interests of efficiency. The human relations approach reappraises the role of the individual in organizational change. It changes the circumstances in which people engage with change, from discharging clearly-delineated roles, to broader and more flexible participation.
