Originally published as On The Horizon Volume 13 Number 1, 2005
ISBN: 1 84544 157 5
Institutional change transcends organizational change to focus on entire classes of organizations serving different societal functions (business, government, education, etc.) and how they are being transformed in response to a rapidly changing world.
Unlike the “management” focus of organizational change – process design, teamwork, leadership, etc. – institutional change focuses on the underlying social rules or norms that define how these societal functions are structured and governed. All contributors help to broaden the understanding of how institutions are changing today.
Contents:
Backing into change
This paper is of value to administrators, policy analysts, researchers in the arena of education, funding agencies, foundations and politicians involved with educational change. It posits that the internet changes the nature of the university as fundamentally as one saw when the Bible was published on the movable type press.
Central features of institutional change
This article concludes that three central features mark the general direction of institutional evolution: “e-organizations” operating in real time, “self-organizing systems” of self-managed teams, and “stakeholder collaboration” to unify diverse interests into a more powerful enterprise.
Institutional change in the corporation: the new social charter
This paper identifies seven “new rules of corporate conduct” which, in total, represent a radical change in the social contract between society and the corporation. It then speculates about future changes in corporate purpose and governance.
Institutional change in government: puzzles and paradoxes
A veteran of government outlines the impact of the information society on the institutional changes taking place in the public sector. Drawing on his extensive experience and the literature, he provides creative insights into the themes of this special issue.
Seven secrets of transformation
In this article, the Director of the Office of Force Transformation draws on his experience in transforming the US military to offer seven guides to institutional change.
Institutional change in health care: opportunities in the coming crisis
This paper aims to review institutional change in health care and to look for opportunities in what the author sees as a coming crisis. He finds forces driving transformation in medicine limited in addressing the crisis of spiraling cost and mediocre, overly complex treatment.
From organizational to institutional change
This article p resents methods and case studies of attempts to engage in institutional change. An international authority on future studies draws on his field to provide a futures-oriented perspective on institutional change. This perspective includes the use of futures tools, strategy, capacity building, the central role of memes, emergence of self-organization, and the underlying role of meaning and symbols. Five case studies are used to illustrate these principles.
Inside institutional change: A case study in transformation
This paper shows how institutional change is often forced on organizations by shifting external forces that render old niches obsolete. It also shows the difficulty in mobilizing to confront the need for serious change, and how leadership transitions are often a central part of the change process.
About On the Horizon
On the Horizon is an international quarterly publication providing analysis and comment on the future of post-secondary education.
On the Horizon provides a 'radar' service to key decision makers concerned with post secondary education in its many and emerging forms, from traditional institutions to corporate universities, from private/for-profits to non-profits around the world. Our mission is to inform educators about the challenges that they will face in a changing world and the steps they can take to meet these challenges. On the Horizon draws on the expertise and insights of contributors from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines – educators, public and industry leaders, scholars and other professionals concerned with the future of education – to provide the broadest and most informed coverage of the critical developments that are reshaping the world in which we live and work.
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