Learning From Collaborative Action Research in Three Organizations: How Purpose Activates Change Agency

Abstract

Based on a 2-year collaborative study, this paper explores purpose as an enabler for change agency during the integration of new organizational concepts. We followed three organizations that attempted to actively use purpose to motivate and negotiate innovation-based change initiatives in their respective organizations. Data were gathered through a set of interviews and collaborative inquiry workshops, conducted individually with each organization and collectively with all three. Based on the data, the paper systematically analyzes five ways of how purpose may activate change agency. Moreover, the paper suggests that activation of distributed change agency can support the management of contextual ambidexterity. This study also points toward how other organizations can use the acquired knowledge, both from the study and the collaborative inquiry process.