Firm and Internal Actor Impact During the Implementation of an Organisational Change Paradigm (Founded on Digital Transformation, Lean Principles, and Sustainable HRM)

Thums, Jamie (2024) Firm and Internal Actor Impact During the Implementation of an Organisational Change Paradigm (Founded on Digital Transformation, Lean Principles, and Sustainable HRM). Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

This Thesis examines the interplay and tensions between Digital Transformation, Lean Principles, and Sustainable Human Resources Management [“SuHRM”]. The sum of the three philosophies comprised an organisational Change Paradigm, which was subsequently applied to a UK manufacturing firm.

Action Research provided the vehicle to implement change over a 12-month period whilst collecting empirical data. Action Research enabled the change at the firm level to be analysed, with sense making via Abductive Reasoning. Impacts at an actor level were collected via 60 individual semi-structured interviews and two semi-structured group-based interviews. These took place at intervals and were analysed using Thematic Analysis. Abductive Reasoning was further applied to make sense of all findings.

The Change Paradigm can help to alleviate the negative impacts imposed by the incumbent VUCA environment, aid trading sustainability, and as a construct, enable improvement to be enacted. Findings concur that organisational change is associated with many paradoxes, such as balancing change with the present, which can add intricacies to the organisational change process.

Building on the Socio-Technical Systems perspective of Joint Optimisation and the paradoxes inherent in Joint Optimisation, an intermediate theory is proposed of how SuHRM is the ‘bridge’ for sustainable organisational change through Digital Transformation and Lean Principles. In terms of limitations, the empirical insights from this study were limited to the context of just one firm. However, the data can inform other organisations when contemplating similar changes based on the underpinning rationale. Furthermore, outcomes from this study give rise to fresh research possibilities and questions that can subsequently inform future research.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Norwich Business School
Depositing User:	Kitty Laine
Date Deposited:	30 May 2025 14:30
Last Modified:	30 May 2025 14:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99354
DOI:

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