Michael I. Harrison - Diagnosing Organizations: Methods, Models, and Processes

Applied Social Research Methods Series Volume 8

Series Editors

LEONARD BICKMAN, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville

DEBRA J. ROG, Vanderbilt University, Washington, DC

Methods, Models, and Processes

Applied Social Research Methods Series Volume 8

For information:

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In the decade since publication of the second edition of this book, several trends have emerged that make diagnosis of organizational problems and challenges even more crucial for change management than in the past. Businesses and even some not-for-profit organizations face increasingly uncertain operating conditions and stiff competition at home and abroad. Major business consulting firms have expanded their services in change management. Within firms, managers with technical or business backgrounds, rather than specialists in human resources and planned change, are leading ambitious reorganizations, implementing new technologies, and changing management practices. These changes seek dramatic improvements in productivity, competitiveness, and quality. Without careful diagnosis of organizational conditions and reasoned choice of change mechanisms, consultants and managers risk imitating fashionable management techniques that may not suit the focal organization and can even harm it. Similarly, when managers forge strategic alliances and introduce information technologies that are attractive from a business standpoint, they also need to assess how well these moves fit the less visible human features of their organizations, such as reward systems, culture, work practices, and cross-functional coordination.