Abstract
M.Com. (Business Management)
The study was conducted with the purpose of finding a thorough understanding of the
importance of the implementation of change within the context of the existing organizational
culture.
The culture of an organization can lead to a strategic myopia where leaders underestimate the
changes in the external environment due to strongly held common beliefs. The paradox of planned organizational change is that the need for change develops at all levels in the
organization, but the responsibility for implementing change rests with management who in themselves resists change and acts as guardians at the existing organizational culture. Managers
must realize that the existing culture and the competitive needs of the organization may be in
conflict, as a result of changes in the environment.
Faced with pressures for change, managers will be likely to deal with the situation in ways
which protect the culture from challenge. This raises difficulty when managing strategic change
for it may be that the action required is outside the scope of the culture and members are
required to change core beliefs and values.
The findings of this study confirm the importance of the role of the existing organizational
culture in the implementation of change. The lack of compatibility between the existing culture
and strategic change leads to resistance to change programmes.