Planned and emergent change in small firms; a cross-sectional study : Presented at the 26TH RENT conference, Lyon, November, 2012

This study investigates the employment of four change strategies within SMEs (empirical-rational, normative re-educative, power-coercive, and emergent change strategy) and in what way this is determined by the impact of the change project and the firm’s orientation. In two waves, through a multi-step sampling approach we created a sample of 210 change agents linked to as many change projects and conducted a survey. We found that the emergent change strategy is strategy least used. Furthermore, we found three groups of change agents adopting a certain combination of the four strategies: the cautious, the pro-active and the directive change agents. These groups differ in the extent that the change strategies are used and the role of power in the process. The largest cluster consists of firms with cautious change agents; together with the firms with the pro-active change agents these firms are most satisfied with the process and outcome of the change.