Content area
Full Text
With the change in specification due to take effect from September many teachers are busy preparing. This article looks to the new AQA specification as an example and looks to explain this new topic and hopefully will provide helpful ideas on how to deliver it to your students.
In 1972 Larry Greiner published an article in the Harvard Business Review (Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow) that summarised his theory.
The Theory
Greiner reviewed previous research into organisational change and proposed that organisations spend too long and too much money analysing the external environment and should consider moving the emphasis back to looking at their organisations and processes - their history, where they are now and what their objectives are - in order to for them to manage change more effectively.
He professed that organisations should consider five dimensions as part of this process:
* Age;
* Size;
* Stages of evolution;
* Stages of revolution; and
* The growth rate of its industry.
The chart (top right) illustrates the five phases that Greiner theorised organisations tend to go through in the pursuit of growth. At the start of each phase the organisation goes through a period of evolution with employees enjoying the new environment and this being demonstrated with steady growth. However, at the end of each phase there is a "revolutionary period of substantial organizational turmoil and change" and it is the management of this period that is critical to an organisations continued growth.
A great strength of business studies is being able to use real life examples such as Tesco to help students understand theories. Tesco is a great current example of the...