Organizational change capability: a systematic review and future research directions

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to systematically review existing research on organizational change capabilities (OCC), which remains fragmented. This study aims to fill gaps in the literature by scientifically discussing contributions and highlighting the main issues with previous research findings regarding the dimensions that comprise them, as well as the antecedents and consequences of OCC. Design/methodology/approach This paper searched all research that studied OCC and published from 2005 to 2020. In total, 48 studies out of 249, found on Scopus and EBSCO-host, were included in the review. Findings This research found that OCC is a complex concept and that it has many definitions and dimensions. The findings also suggest that existing research has found that a number of organizational and individual factors are antecedents of OCC and have consequences for organizational outcomes. Research limitations/implications This review was only conducted on scientific publications from two article databases. Future research should search other databases on OCC as the broad concept may provide additional insights. Originality/value Literature on OCC is limited, and there is still no generally accepted definition of OCC, the different perspectives and measurement dimensions. On the other hand, for academics and practitioners, this study provides a comprehensive, critical systematization of the limited OCC academic literature. This study also offers opportunities for further research to address the limitations of empirical testing of OCC constructs, antecedents and consequences of the various theories and methodologies.