The management of change in four manufacturing organizations / Malcolm L. MacIntosh.

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the process of change and adaptation in four Australian manufacturing companies in the period 1989 to 1996. The thesis seeks to explain the reaction of these companies to the pressures for change, and particularly for the adoption of 'best practice' management prescriptions in the organization of work and human resource management. The operating hypothesis adopted is that the pattern of changes undertaken by manufacturing organizations are shaped by a variety of factors both external to and within the company, but that management beliefs and orientations are a key element in understanding the pace and extent of change. The research is pursued through detailed case studies designed to explore at length pressures for change and continuity in corporate decision-making.