Critical review a paper concerned with change Essay

Critical review a paper concerned with change - Essay Example The case study focuses on the beer distribution system and the structural inertia as a result of a long serving CEO. The case study also dwelled on the problems encountered in the company as a result of subsequent CEO successions and how these problems affected different levels of management. Organizational change is introduced so as to move the organization from the current state to a desirable state (Ragsdell, 2000). This can be achieved in several ways such as radical change and incremental change. The interaction between these two models can be evaluated using the punctuated equilibrium model of change. This is helpful for identifying two shapes of organizational change and elaborating on the link between these shapes. It also helps identify the role played by the top and middle management in implementing the two types of organizational change. A case study of Heineken can be used to illustrate the shapes of organizational change and the application of the punctuated equilibrium model. The company is ideal for identifying the factors determining a particular shape of organizational change. The research method was a case study of the Dutch beer brewing company. However, the findings of the case study cannot be generally valid since the research did not provide any general results. Further research is necessary before the findings can be extended to other companies in other industries. Heineken was selected due to the long history that is well documented with numerous sources of information regarding the company. On the other hand, the long history means that the company has dealt with several challenges of organizational change. The available sources have detailed information regarding the challenges experienced by Heineken when dealing with organizational change. In the late 1980s, the CEO of the company was changed, which had a large impact on the organization. Therefore, the choice of the case study was ideal since there were several journals and reviews that provide information about the company. The levels and changes in management make it easy to apply the punctuated equilibrium model of organizational change. Tushman and Romanelli (1985) developed the punctuated equilibrium model that proposes an interaction between incremental and radical organizational change. They argue that convergent periods experienced in an organization cause reorientation that demarks and sets the bearing for the coming convergent period. Long time spans of incremental change are referred to as convergent periods, and short periods of radical and discontinuous change are called reorientations. Organization change occurs in five domains: organization culture, structure, strategy, power distribution, and control systems (Romanelli and Tushman, 1994). These domains are central to activities of the organization and important for its survival. Activity domains interact in different levels of performance and inertia, which are the basic factors for organizatio nal change. Inconsistent activities lead to low performance and organizational failure. High performance is achieved when activities are consistent and coupled to each other. Although the punctuated equilibrium model suggests a distinction between radical and incremental change, Stace and Dunphy (1996) propose four types of change. The first type is fine tuning where change is a continuous process characterized by a match between strategy, structure, processes, and people. The second type is incremental