An enquiry into the suitability of organisational change theory to embed optimum change process and academic acceptance at a UK university

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship between organisational change theory and the perceptions and reactions of both academics and their senior management to workplace change, within a British post-1992 predominantly teaching university.  The objectives are to illustrate the impact of change policy and process on the academic working environment and then compare these perspectives to those of the senior management team who design such change.  The goal is to establish how and why these reactions occur and to discover if organisational change theory can provide tools to better embed change and establish best practice as defined by the Higher Education Change Implementation Model (Caswell, 2006).

The study uses an interpretive phenomenological philosophy with an inductive qualitative design using the Casewell model as an advocacy lens.  It represents action research in a case study format and utilises seventeen academic and six senior management in-depth interviews.

Findings are mostly contrary to the Caswell model as the university uses a top-down change implementation approach, resulting in academic resistance to unexplained change.  Academics respond to their lack of change ownership with re-interpretation strategies and disengagement.  The senior management acknowledge academic change concerns but lack a true understanding of how they are generated.  Poor communication systems within the university and lack of reward for new behaviour exist.  Recommendations include the development of strategies to counter disengagement and encourage academics to participate in the development of change policy, through clearer communication of both the purpose of change and overall corporate goals and providing a public forum, to involve academics in change design and not just implementation.

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