Abstract:
A growing literature has emerged which calls for organisations to become more adaptive in
the face of complex and uncertain operating environments. This thesis reviews literature
dealing with organisational learning and argues that individual attributes are undervalued.
There . has been an emphasis on the mechanistic features of the individual within the
organisation to the detriment of other attributes such as personal skills and knowledge. A case
is made for a more human-centred approach to managing change which focuses upon the
exploitation of these particular human factors as one of the central sources of adaptive
potential. While some of these factors are formally recognised in the workplace it is argued
that many others are acquired outside and therefore do not always appear to have immediate
relevance or value. Evidence for this is drawn from a case study in the Commission for Local
Administration. This employed a multi-method investigative approach to identify the variety
of individual attributes and results are presented in the form of personal process maps which
represent individual perceptions of the process of change. These support a broad classification
of individual variety to be described. Findings are exploited to both identify the role of
individual attributes in managing change and to construct a typology of individual attributes
as a basis for adaptive capability. A number of concluding inferences are made regarding
implications for management and future work.
