Organizational Frame Bending: Principles For Managing Reori

• Published in: The Academy of Management Executive Vol. 3; no. 3; p. 194
• Main Authors: Nadler, David A, Tushman, Michael L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mississippi State Academy of Management 01-08-1989
• Subjects: Effectiveness; Factors; Leadership; Organizational behavior; Organizational change; Strategic planning
• ISSN: 0896-3789; 2167-2709

A characteristic of US business in the past decade has been the attempts by large organizations to manage large-scale planned change. The most recent generation of changes is somewhat different from previous attempts. These recent changes have been initiated by the leaders of the organizations and are closely linked to strategic business issues. It is a challenge to effectively initiate and implement reorientations, or frame-bending change, in complex organizations. Managing organizational reorientation involves managing the strategies and elements of the organization that will have to be changed to enable the organization effectively to anticipate, respond to, and shape the challenges to come. The identification of the appropriate strategic and organizational changes comes from diagnostic thinking - analyzing the organization in its environment, understanding its strengths and weaknesses, and evaluating the implication of anticipated changes.