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Cited by 2,183Management and Organizational StudiesOrganizational Change and LeadershipOrganizational Management and Change

REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE THEORIES: A MULTILEVEL EXPLORATION OF THE PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM PARADIGM

Gersick, Connie J. G.·1991·The Academy of Management Review
DOI 10.5465/amr.1991.4278988
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Abstract

Research on how organizational systems develop and change is shaped, at every level of analysis, by traditional assumptions about how change works. New theories in several fields are challenging some of the most pervasive of these assumptions, by conceptualizing change as a punctuated equilibrium: an alternation between long periods when stable infrastructures permit only incremental adaptations, and brief periods of revolutionary upheaval. This article compares models from six domains—adult, group, and organizational development, history of science, biological evolution, and physical science—to explicate the punctuated equilibrium paradigm and show its broad applicability for organizational studies. Models are juxtaposed to generate new research questions about revolutionary change in organizational settings: how it is triggered, how systems function during such periods, and how it concludes. The article closes with implications for research and theory.

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Crossref · 10.2307/258605

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  • Understanding how change can occur within organizational routines enables shedding new light on the debate about whether organizational change is episodic or continuous.

    “Understanding how change can occur within organizational routines enables us to shed new light on the debate about whether organizational change is episodic or continuous (Tushman and Romanelli, 1985; Gersick, 1991; Weick and Quinn, 1999).”

    From Reconceptualizing Organizational Routines as a Source of Flexibility and Change (2003) · cites this paper as Gersick, 1991

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Authors
Gersick, C. J. G.
Affiliations
University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Corresponding author
Gersick, Connie J. G.
Venue
The Academy of Management Review
Publisher
Academy of Management
Published
1991-01
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
10
ISSN
0363-7425 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.5465/amr.1991.4278988
OpenAlex
W1970551484
Cited by
2,183
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 46 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 65 · 2023: 52 · 2022: 78 · 2021: 77 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 72 · 2018: 64 · 2017: 116 · 2016: 88 · 2015: 94 · 2014: 74 · 2013: 86 · 2012: 91
FWCI
36.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Academy of Management Review (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Organizational Change and Leadership
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Organizational Management and Change
Keywords
punctuated equilibrium, revolutionary change, organizational change, organizational development, adult development, group development, history of science, evolution, physical sciences, theory of change, incremental adaptation, change triggers

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