A Yin-Yang Model of Organizational Change: The Case of Chengdu Bus Group

Abstract

The Chinese cultural logics of change offer a rich understanding of organizational change. We address three key aspects of the Chinese yin-yang view of change: context, process, and actions. A case study of Chengdu Bus Group CBG enables us to develop a conceptual model that examines organizational change in a Chinese indigenous context. The model reflects the key functions ofshi(situational momentum, 势), the action strategies ofying-shi(leveraging momentum, 应势)andzao-shi(building momentum, 造势), and the dialectics ofnonaction(无为). Our findings will help researchers and practitioners better understand organizational change from a unique yin-yang perspective, and will also contribute general knowledge to process theories of organizational change.