Exploring the Strategies for Managing Organizational Change in Public Sector Organizations
Keywords:
Organizational change, public sector, change management strategies, qualitative research, leadership, employee empowerment, Iran, NVivo analysisAbstract
This study aims to explore and identify the key strategies employed to manage organizational change in public sector organizations, focusing on the contextual practices within Iranian governmental institutions. This qualitative research utilized semi-structured interviews with 18 participants from various public sector organizations in Tehran, selected through purposive sampling. The participants included senior managers, mid-level administrators, and organizational development officers who had direct involvement in change management initiatives. Data were collected until theoretical saturation was achieved and analyzed using thematic analysis facilitated by NVivo software. Themes and subthemes were generated through iterative coding, comparison, and interpretation to capture the strategies, challenges, and mechanisms used in managing change processes. The analysis revealed three major themes: (1) Strategic Planning and Leadership, including vision alignment, leadership communication, resource allocation, and policy integration; (2) Human Resource and Cultural Readiness, encompassing employee empowerment, training, motivation, trust, and resistance management; and (3) Operational and Systemic Alignment, involving process reengineering, performance monitoring, technology integration, and stakeholder engagement. Participants emphasized the importance of clear communication, cross-functional coordination, and cultivating internal change champions. Cultural inertia, bureaucratic rigidity, and limited resources were cited as key obstacles. Strategies that integrated leadership support with employee involvement and systemic adjustments were viewed as most effective. Managing change in public sector organizations requires a multidimensional approach that combines strategic leadership, human-centered practices, and systemic coordination. Empowering employees, aligning vision with action, and embedding feedback mechanisms are essential for sustaining organizational transformation. These findings provide actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to implement effective change strategies in complex governmental settings.
Downloads
References
Armenakis, A. A., & Harris, S. G. (2009). Reflections: Our journey in organizational change research and practice. Journal of Change Management, 9(2), 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697010902879079
Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2019). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change (5th ed.). Kogan Page.
Fernandez, S., & Pitts, D. W. (2007). Under what conditions do public managers favor and pursue organizational change? The American Review of Public Administration, 37(3), 324–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074006293467
Fernandez, S., & Rainey, H. G. (2006). Managing successful organizational change in the public sector. Public Administration Review, 66(2), 168–176. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00570.x
Heeks, R., & Bailur, S. (2007). Analyzing e-government research: Perspectives, philosophies, theories, methods, and practice. Government Information Quarterly, 24(2), 243–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2006.06.005
Hiatt, J. (2006). ADKAR: A model for change in business, government and our community. Prosci Research.
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business School Press.
Kuipers, B. S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J., & Van der Voet, J. (2014). Managing change in public organizations: A review of the literature between 2000 and 2010. Public Administration, 92(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12040
Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics. Human Relations, 1(1), 5–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872674700100103
OECD. (2020). The public sector’s role in supporting digital innovation for COVID-19 recovery. OECD Policy Brief. https://www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/
Oreg, S., & Berson, Y. (2011). Leadership and employees’ reactions to change: The role of leaders’ personal attributes and transformational leadership style. Personnel Psychology, 64(3), 627–659. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2011.01221.x
Osborne, S. P. (2006). The new public governance? Public Management Review, 8(3), 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719030600853022
Pollitt, C., & Bouckaert, G. (2017). Public management reform: A comparative analysis—Into the age of austerity (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Van der Voet, J. (2014). Leading change in public organizations: A study about the role of leadership in the change process in a public sector context. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 27(2), 123–135. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-11-2012-0149
Van der Voet, J. (2016). Change leadership and public sector organizational change: Examining the interactions of transformational leadership style and red tape. The American Review of Public Administration, 46(6), 660–682. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074015582000
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
