Change Research: The Search for a Theoretical Construct.

The article informs that organizational change is ubiquitous and continuous process. It permeates organizational processes and life. Many organizations invest significant sums of resources into external consulting. Some organizations even embrace change and attempt to integrate it into their strategic planning. In the MIS academic arena, the most prevalent research topic associated with change over the past decade has focused on a change methodology, namely, business process reengineering (BPR). In the management academic arena, the focus has been on change management as a research construct. MIS research on change tends to be oriented toward applied research, while management research tends to be oriented more toward conceptual research. Quality research, regardless of orientation, must adhere to rigorous academic standards, while being grounded in business practice. Beginning around 1990, BPR came onto the business scene as the savior of under performing organizations. Early advocates of BPR touted it as the next revolution in obtaining breakthrough performance via process improvement and process change.