ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses an organization – regardless of its mission, (non)profit orientation and societal role – through the fundamental processes and models of change. An organization has clearly defined external borders that serve as a vehicle for communication with the external environment(s). The change of an organization can take several different forms and many variations. In many Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, the processes of enterprise privatization and restructuring were either non-transparent and/or frustrating for employees, who were not used to downsizing (restructuring, reduction of surplus labor) or to the introduction of new, capital-intensive technology. M. Beer has emphasized the conditions for individual acceptance of organizational change. The systemic approach to change strives to create general models of 'living' organizations, either tangible (in print), or intangible (embedded in computer software). The technical, political and cultural approaches/perspectives of change 'work together' in order to provide overall organizational performance.
