Abstract of "Organization Change: Theory and Practice" by W. Warner Burke

Organizations change internally at a much slower pace than the external environments in which they function and must continually evolve to keep pace. Further, these environments are in constant flux and challenge the assumption of continuity on which organizations are created and developed. Now more than ever there is a clear need for a greater understanding of how to understand, lead, manage, and change organizations.

Organization Change: Theory and Practice provides an overview of the theoretical and research foundation for our current understanding of organization change, including the nature and types of change organizations experience. The author reviews various models. Including a new model developed by Burke-Litwin, and uses cases to demonstrate how these models can be used to diagnose change issues in organizations. Emphasizing planned, revolutionary change over the gradual, evolutionary change organizations typically experience, Burke combines and integrated theory and research with application for insight into all aspects of organization change.

This book will prove invaluable to students and professors of MBA-level courses in organization change, organization psychology, industrial psychology, and organizational behavior. It will also benefit professionals and consultants in need of a reference for analyzing organizations.