ABSTRACT
Companies struggle with the process of change as well as the outcomes of the change process. Some of these changes occur unexpectedly, other changes are forecast but not seen as priorities. This chapter focuses primarily on planned change, though even in those cases, cultural responses are enough of a wild card that what is planned often appears as unplanned. Organizational leaders typically craft plans to disseminate innovations or address issues. Organizational history, role models, traditions, and old newsletters are part of the culture, as are expectations for future job performance, plans for expansion or contraction, initiatives in the development stage, and long-term contracts. Anthropologists strive for as holistic an understanding of culture as possible. Models of organizational change generally reflect a core theme or centralizing concept. Three distinct steps or stages characterize most of the process models of change, whether explicitly or implicitly: inconsistency identification, transition period, and implementation.
