Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 1 of 1
-
ItemChange: stop it if you can: organisational defence mechanisms and change resistance in a primary school setting( 1999)The study investigates change resistance in a Victorian primary school. Interviews were conducted with teachers at various levels in the organisation and with the administrator, the principal. The purpose of the study is to seek improved understanding of change resistance by examining and mapping each individual's perspective. Argyris's writings are referred to extensively throughout the study because he has defined the essence of the challenge which confronts organisations faced with change. He notes that organisations can appear successful and profitable yet hide the true malaise underneath. He refers to this as the puzzle where: The puzzle means that buried deep in organisations is the capacity to be over protective and anti learning and to be unaware that this is the case and to do all this precisely when organisations need the opposite capacity. That is problems are tough and are also embarrassing or threatening. (Argyris, 1990, p.2) There is strong evidence from the study to support the hypothesis that people in organisations obtain a strong sense of security and surety from the culture of the organisation. In the face of threat their response is to create a culture of resistance to protect themselves from change. The study finds, that long term, meaningful change occurs when the organisation becomes a learning organisation. The learning referred to here must be of the quality which involves a change in the culture of the organisation. Argyris and Schon refer to this type of learning as deutero learning. This form of learning has the capacity to reculture the organisation toward a progressive learning organisation.