ABSTRACT

This chapter presents theoretical foundations and empirical findings of the construct of change agentry in order to aid change agents and scholars in effecting substantive organizational or educational change. Familiarity with this literature gives credibility to those of us in the educational communications and technology field seeking to effect significant change through collaborative efforts. We begin by defining change agentry and focusing on the theoretical foundations of change theories, agency theories, and diffusion theories. After this consideration of theoretical constructs, we turn to an examination of the empirical findings in research studies associated with K–12 school contexts, government organizations, corporations, and the healthcare 620industry. Our findings indicate three core ideas central to change agentry: (1) connecting an organization to its environment is important, (2) flexibly adaptive change may be a desired goal, and (3) local leaders as well as external supports are needed to support any successful change effort.