Systemic inquiry – exploring organisations

Purpose – Change management approaches and attempts of organisational development often fail. In search of business excellence, best practice managers and consultants overestimate the value of conceptual work and forget about the actual organisation and the virtues of the people who have to carry the burden of Change.Design/methodology/approach – The theory of Applied Narratives from which the systemic inquiry (SI) methodology is derived relates to Heinz von Foerster's impact on the practice of organisational development, change management and systemic intervention. Understanding an organisation being an observer of itself gives way to benefit from constructivism and systems theory and puts the people and their contribution back into the centre of interest.Findings – Applied Narratives and SI give a good insight into the importance of the mechanics of organisational identity for change management and organisational development. SI facilitates genuine change and real improvements. It works with the opportu...