I am not your hero: change management and culture shocks in a public sector corporation

Abstract

Purpose

A description of the managerial impact on change processes during a takeover with middle management in the telecom industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is to use storytelling as a form of analysis of different positions within an organization, as described in a case study.

Findings

By not including the voice of the middle managers, higher management runs into problems in the implementation of change processes.

Research limitations/implications

By using narratives as a source for analysis, the paper does not try to gain objective insights into change processes.

Practical implications

Resistance to change can prove a safeguard against too optimistic change.

Originality/value

The paper shows that several layers of change that interact with one another as proof of the confrontation between grand narratives and ante‐narratives.

Citation

Fronda, Y. and Moriceau, J. (2008), "I am not your hero: change management and culture shocks in a public sector corporation", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 21 No. 5, pp. 589-609. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534810810903234