This considers the role that personal and group reflection in implementing organisational change

What is it about?

This article identified the role that structured personal reflection plays in enabling and supporting planned organizational change, thereby enhancing change outcomes in a sector facing substantial change in the face of economic threats and challenges. Reflection, in a myriad of formats, supports the management of positive change outcomes by focusing simultaneously at the organization-wide and personal levels. A longitudinal single case study in a nonprofit hospital implementing an electronic patient management system was the research site. Methodologically, data from fifty-six semi-structured interviews involving clinical, administrative, and managerial staff, as well as those tasked with designing and implementing the system, was analysed based on the theoretical sampling strategy of grounded theory. This wide source of interviews ensured that data was obtained from an array of those who were impacted by the changes, directly and indirectly. One of the key findings of the study was the positive role that reflection played in a nonprofit organization, as a direct result of management prescribing formal time-availability for reflection, for both the internal change agent, as well as the change recipients. In this manner, the study identified an integrated reflection framework that may aid organizational and individual attributes in the support for change. Other findings from related research identified a range of characteristics that require a more substantial focus in planned change models when applied to nonprofits. These involved issues of trust and confidence in the organization, change actor experiences, and change activity sequencing.

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Why is it important?

The article provides an Integrated Reflection Framework that can be developed to support organisational change and consider the mechanisms of reflection, the sources of reflection and the organisational and individual attributes that stem from reflection to support change. This Framework has been developed from longitudinal qualitative research within the Australian nonprofit sector.

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