TY - JOUR
T1 - Participative change toward digitalized, customer-oriented continuous improvements within a municipality
AU - Gravesteijn, Marianne
AU - Wilderom, Celeste P.M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a newly constructed organization behavioral lens for participative action research (PAR) may aid a public-sector organization in successfully digitalizing its internal shared services. In addition, the intervention is aimed at fostering a continuously improving type of learning culture on the workfloor of a new service unit. Design/methodology/approach: In a large Dutch municipality, the installation of a new digitalized process of offering internal services was studied. A PAR method, the so-called Fourth Generation Evaluation, was used on seven internal actor groups. This method enables various intra-organizational actors to reflect collectively on the ongoing change progress. Their explicit views on the change were communicated to all actors and the change agents. Findings: The study describes the attempt of establishing a continuously improving learning culture during an internal digitalization process: substantial participation of the non-managerial employees was enabled. The paper highlights the practical value of the internal digitalization approach used, and concludes with four change process lessons learnt for those wanting to initiate a continuously improving culture on the workfloor. Research limitations/implications: Even though the findings are based on one case, they may be of interest to other public/private organizations aiming to establish a continuously improving culture within workfloor units that interact, on a daily basis, with (internal) customers. Originality/value: The paper offers a theoretical framework and a matching practical approach to the process of creating an internal shared service unit that aims to evolve further into a customer-oriented, continuously improving culture.
AB - Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a newly constructed organization behavioral lens for participative action research (PAR) may aid a public-sector organization in successfully digitalizing its internal shared services. In addition, the intervention is aimed at fostering a continuously improving type of learning culture on the workfloor of a new service unit. Design/methodology/approach: In a large Dutch municipality, the installation of a new digitalized process of offering internal services was studied. A PAR method, the so-called Fourth Generation Evaluation, was used on seven internal actor groups. This method enables various intra-organizational actors to reflect collectively on the ongoing change progress. Their explicit views on the change were communicated to all actors and the change agents. Findings: The study describes the attempt of establishing a continuously improving learning culture during an internal digitalization process: substantial participation of the non-managerial employees was enabled. The paper highlights the practical value of the internal digitalization approach used, and concludes with four change process lessons learnt for those wanting to initiate a continuously improving culture on the workfloor. Research limitations/implications: Even though the findings are based on one case, they may be of interest to other public/private organizations aiming to establish a continuously improving culture within workfloor units that interact, on a daily basis, with (internal) customers. Originality/value: The paper offers a theoretical framework and a matching practical approach to the process of creating an internal shared service unit that aims to evolve further into a customer-oriented, continuously improving culture.
KW - Digitalization
KW - e-Government
KW - Internal shared service centre
KW - Municipality
KW - Participative action research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046710472&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/JOCM-05-2016-0100
DO - 10.1108/JOCM-05-2016-0100
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85046710472
VL - 31
SP - 728
EP - 748
JO - Journal of organizational change management
JF - Journal of organizational change management
SN - 0953-4814
IS - 3
ER -