ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses a more critical position and explains what is meant by a ‘relational’ approach towards Change Management. It explores the case of Copperdale City Council a local government authority in the UK. The book also explores the scene for the case study by elaborating the broader public sector and local government context in the UK. It provides the term ‘counter-metaphor’ to encapsulate the metaphors that were wielded by employees and managers in opposition to the Change Agents strategic use of metaphor. These counter-metaphors mocked and presented an alternative reading of the transformation programme. The book considers what happened when Copperdale relocated 1,500 staff to a new, temporary building and how it became a site for struggle. It analyses three discourses on organisational politics in relation to organisational change—micro, meso and macro.