Understanding the dictating impact of systemic (trans)formations in organizational change outcomes

This paper uses CHAT to examine and explain the varying outcomes of organizational transformation in four research and technology organizations in four developing countries. The purpose is to provide theoretical understanding on how systemic (trans)formations in the organizations’ activities influenced the level to which their desired needs are attained. The transformation process is underlined by the implementation of a best management practices model (Mengu and Grier, 1997). By implication, the organizations sought to use the model to replace their prevailed-object of activity (i.e., carrying out research under full government funding) with a new object of activity (i.e., to carry out commercial-oriented research activity under reduced government funding, but with the capability to self-generate income). After six years of organizational activity transformation in each of these organizations, their leaps towards the attainment of this new object measured differently and which phenomenon is studied. Data is collected from identifiable groups (agents) such as the management team and staff members by triggering the conflictual questioning of the existing standard practices in the organizations. Comprehensive reading of the internal and public discussion concerning the activities in the organizations are undertaken through participant on-site observations and discussions (interviews) with employees involved in specific activities or having expertise about it, and the conduction of problem-identification workshop (Junk and Mullert, 1987; Sanda, 2006). The historic developments (Engeström, 2001) associated with the transformation that occurred in the organizational activity systems of the four organizations is analyzed. The result shows that the dictating factor in the variable outcomes in the organizations’ transformation processes is the (in)ability to deal with the systemic interfaces in their organizational activity systems. The functionalities of these interfaces are found to influence the functionality of the organizational activity system and the corresponding output that emerges from it.Godkänd; 2011; 20110910 (mohami