Title: Organisational change: communicating to Schein's operator, engineer and executive occupational subcultures

Authors: Geoffrey R. Chapman; Kathryn J. Hayes; Terry Sloan; Janna Anneke Fitzgerald

Addresses: School of Management, College of Business and Law, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. ' School of Management, College of Business and Law, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. ' School of Management, College of Business and Law, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia. ' School of Management, College of Business and Law, University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751, Australia

Abstract: There has been substantial academic interest surrounding innovation, change management and the individual attributes that permit and promote learning, organisational change and innovative behaviour. This research uses a psychometric tool known as the Instinctive Drives System® to measure preferred working styles in 3943 employees from a range of international companies. These employees were then classified into three groups (engineers, operators and executives) following Schein's classification of occupational subcultures. This study reveals significant differences between the occupational subcultures, suggesting that executives are more inclined towards variety, flexibility and change rather than routine and structure. In contrast, operators and engineers demonstrated preferences for logic and certainty. These results have a range of implications, for researchers and practitioners. Researchers can extend the results of this study, and further explore the differences found between executives and managers from different subcultures. Practitioners may use the results to initiate change to integrate preferred working styles.

Keywords: change management; occupational cultures; working styles; innovation; Edgar Schein; classification schemes; occupational subcultures; engineers; operators; executives; individual attributes; innovative behaviour; psychometric tools; Instinctive Drives System; international companies; variety; flexibility; routine; structure; logic; certainty; managers; learning behaviour; change contexts.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLC.2011.045071

International Journal of Learning and Change, 2011 Vol.5 No.3/4, pp.242 - 256

Published online: 24 Jan 2012 *

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