Handbook

Contemporary organisations function in complex and turbulent environments. The demands of these environments necessitate change, both episodic and continual. Systems for Change analyses change within organisations using a systems perspective. It views the organisation as a system comprising interdependent units, processes, procedures, rules and events, which can be leveraged to enable successful change. Further, the organisation is an open system, positioned in and influenced by its external environment. The course highlights the uncertain and paradoxical nature of change and stresses the need for those involved in initiating and sustaining change to embrace complexity, and adopt an open-systems perspective in their work. The course also affirms the need for those involved in change management to continually assess their personal effectiveness and pursue improvement plans.

Three central themes are evident throughout Systems for Change. Firstly, we recognise that organisations are complex and that they are positioned in complex, turbulent environments. Secondly, we propose that sustaining change in this context is critical. Thirdly, we argue that a systems thinking? perspective is essential for change agents. We offer a variety of approaches to sustain continuous change in this complex milieu, including individual perspectives (e.g. paradoxical thinking), structural perspectives (e.g. ambidexterity), cultural perspectives (e.g. broad-based diversity) and leveraging established organisational sub-systems (e.g. the employment relations sub-system).