Self-Design for High Involvement: A Large-Scale Organizational Change

Abstract

We present a case study of a 5-year action research project in a 12-plant division of a multi-billion dollar firm. The division is attempting to design new plants and re-design all established plants as high involvement, high performance work systems (Lawler, 1986). The design process is based on a self-design learning model (Mohrman & Cummings, 1989). The history of the change process and data about its effects are reported. We review in detail how the self-design learning system is shaped by the nature of change in a large, multi-level, multi-site organization. We also consider the unusual role of the action researcher in large-scale change.