Good intentions and failed implementations: Understanding culture-based resistance to organizational change

Abstract

Based on the insight that culture shapes resistance to change in an organization, and the recognition that cultures of organizations are embedded in a broader societal culture, this study seeks to provide empirical evidence on how societal-based cultural understandings and values within an organization serve as a source of resistance to change among employees. The study is based on a case study of a medium-sized Turkish company. The study shows how certain managerial decisions toward a professionally running organizational design are difficult to implement due to societal-based patterns of understandings and meaning systems gathered around status, hierarchy, and emotion-based (personalized) relations in the company.

Keywords:

• Case study
• Culture
• Organizational change
• Resistance to change
• Turkey

The author thanks to C. R. (Bob) Hinings, Namrata Malhotra, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions and comments on the earlier draft of this article.

Notes

¹Turkish people usually use prefixes “Abi” for older males in addressing as an indication of respect for the older people.