Development of a Participative Approach to Guide Organizational Change: Reviewing the Sawtooth Technique
In a world economy that bears scant resemblance to the one dominated by the United States following World War II, many American companies have found it increasingly difficult to keep pace with their foreign competitors. The public sector, too, has found itself under significant pressure to provide needed services but with significantly reduced resources. In each individual case leaders have been seeking new solutions to both old and new problems, and organizations have been faced with change and its impacts. The purpose of this study was to design a methodology that could be used to structure organizational changes in such a way that negative aspects could be minimized and improvements would begin to show positive results in a relatively short time. Using a change strategy that was designed by the United States Navy to address specific problems in personnel retention, a procedure was developed that could address more general issues, use modern computer technology to speed the process, and more fully involve the people of an organization undergoing change. Once constructed, the methodology was tested with two private sector organizations in order to gain initial insights as to strengths and weaknesses. The final results of the practical tests showed a methodology of considerable promise as a consultant strategy. The importance of leadership to the change process was evident as was the need to fully involve the people of an organization in order to maximize change effectiveness and minimize resistance to change.
Leadership studies, organizational change, participative management, Sawtooth Technique, United States Navy
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