Change Mangement

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Journal of Change Management

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Linking Change Drivers and the

Organizational Change Process: A

Review and Synthesis

Karen S. Whelan-Berry a & Karen A. Somerville b

a School of Business, Providence College, Providence, Rhode

Island, USA

b School of Business, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

Available online: 08 Jun 2010

To cite this article: Karen S. Whelan-Berry & Karen A. Somerville (2010): Linking Change Drivers

and the Organizational Change Process: A Review and Synthesis, Journal of Change Management,

10:2, 175-193

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14697011003795651

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Linking Change Drivers and the

Organizational Change Process: A

Review and Synthesis

KAREN S. WHELAN-BERRY∗ & KAREN A. SOMERVILLE∗∗

∗School of Business, Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, ∗∗School of Business, Hamline

University, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA

ABSTRACT This theory-building article advances prior research related to change drivers and the

organizational change process. First, we identify the most frequently identified steps in the

organizational change process. Second, we summarize the literature related to change drivers,

clarifying each driver, and we link each change driver to the most frequently identified steps in the

organizational change process. This allows exploration of the relationship between change drivers

and the steps in the change process, as well as discussion of how change drivers vary in terms of

their effect. Our contribution to organizational change theory include reviewing and clarifying

change drivers in prior research, and linking the drivers to specific steps in the organizational

change process.

KEY WORDS: Organizational change, change drivers, change process

Introduction

As scholars and practitioners we work with organizations and change leaders. In

a recent conversation with an experienced change leader in a large organization,

it became clear that while the change leader had a motivating, clear vision, he or

she had not thought about whether the organization was ready for change, what

resources would be necessary to successfully implement change, and how the

organization would monitor its implementation, completion and success. This is

all too common a story.

Journal of Change Management

Vol. 10, No. 2, 175-193, June 2010

Correspondence Address: Karen S. Whelan-Berry, School of Business, Providence College, 549 River Street,

Providence, Rhode Island 02918, USA. Tel.: + 1 401 865 2943; Email: kwhelanb@providence.edu

1469-7017 Print/1479-1811 Online/10/020175-19 # 2010 Taylor & Francis

DOI: 10.1080/14697011003795651

Downloaded by [INASP - Pakistan (PERI)] at 03:29 09 March 2012

Scholars and practitioners agree that change processes remains complex and

challenging for organizations engaged in such initiatives. The pace of change is

greater than ever before (By, 2005). Yet, there is limited knowledge about how

to plan and implement organizational change (Burke, 2008). Research suggests

that failed organizational change initiatives range from one-third to as high as

80% of attempted change efforts (Fisher, 1994; Beer and Nohria, 2000; Higgs

and Rowland, 2000; Hirschhorn, 2002; Knodel, 2004; Sirkin et al., 2005;