ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the main elements of a processual approach to understanding change. It identifies some analytical tools for engaging in research that aims to study change as it happens and provides a framework for explaining how organizational change initiatives shape change and how change shapes new initiatives. The chapter discusses number of analytical distinctions useful for research purposes in studying the introduction of change initiatives in organizations. It provides some brief comments on what is involved in doing this type of research in terms of commitment, methods and approach. The chapter details a conceptual frame for understanding organizational change that facilitates research and explanation of the processual nature of organizational change. Change from a processual perspective is dynamic and continuous. The collection of longitudinal data from long periods of digging in the field is central to processual research that seeks to observe social interactions between individuals and groups and the dynamic processes of workplace practices.
