Abstract

Despite the plethora of research on organisational change (OC) and the popularity of applying contingency-based or structural measures for its successful implementation, we do not know how a people process-based model can more effectively and comprehensively deal with the threat that such an implementation poses for SMEs. Although contingency theory and its implicit structural approach to organisational change offer hope for SMEs to resolve their structure-outcome alignment difficulties, amongst others, we do not know whether their application in organisational failure-type situations (such as merger-acquisitions and post-mergers) has facilitated the survival of specific SMEs in such contexts. To address this theoretical gap, I use empirical data from a survey of 85 participants, including managers and employees from four SMEs covering two geographic regions of the UK to develop a missing ‘dynamic process model’ for organisational change scholarship. I contribute by extending the contingency planning literature’s focus on a reactive, planned set of structurally based procedures by developing a model that highlights the dynamic, people-related factors that were previously missing from the contingency model in four specific change situations. I also identify what needs to be done practically by developing four people-procedural areas (PP1, 2, 3 & 4) that will help SMEs overcome their challenges in a more dynamic way at the individual, collective and organisational levels. The results’ implications, the study’s limitations and new directions for organisational change studies are highlighted.