A "Theory of action" perspective on effective organizational change

Effective organizational change is crucial to the implementation of popular management approaches such as Quality Management, Six-Sigma, and Business Excellence. However, managers often find that creating change is extremely difficult and, as a result, many times organizational improvement initiatives fail to fulfill their promise. A '' Theory of Action '' perspective, developed by Chris Argyris and Donald Schon, assumes that managers craft their actions to achieve intended results. However, they are often unaware of the unintended consequences of these results. This paper describes common dynamics that occur during change initiatives and how managers may reduce unintended consequences using '' Model II '' behavior.