INTRA-DYNAMICS AND ARCHETYPE TRANSITION: A CASE STUDY OF LARGE SCALE ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE Using a qualitative case analysis of an organizational change

Organizational change has been explained according to a variety of perspectives. One approach, the holistic view of organizational development, suggests organizations gravitate towards coherent configurations or “archetypes”. While archetype theory provides a conceptually astute frame in which to examine revolutionary change, it is criticized for emphasizing deterministic, or institutional as opposed to voluntaristic, or agency forces of change. However, recent work has begun to address this issue. For example, Amis, Slack and Hinings (2002) note that archetypical change depends upon the degree to which the values held by individuals within the organization coincide with the external values being imposed. Kirkpatrick and Ackroyd (2003) criticize archetype theory for assuming an over-functional approach that neglects the role of human agency.