Warner Burke's Theory of Organizational Change

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Warner Burke's change theory of organizational development (OD) focuses primarily on organizational change for improving the quality of working life in organizations. According to his change theory, change agents should foster career development by helping people to understand what they (a) are good at; (b) want in their work; and (c) desire concerning balance of work and other aspects of life. He suggests that organizational development practitioners should model the way, seeking clarity regarding task expectations and goals/objectives; helping to provide feedback for employees; promoting reward systems based on merit and, perhaps, pay for performance. He argues that issues on which HR are consulted can be translated into organization development initiatives by practical actions. He emphasizes that for every organizational consulting issue, there is an OD practitioner's agenda:
OD practitioner's agenda
? Re-engineering-- Focus on specific change targets that are critical to the success of the re-engineering effort, e.g. roles and responsibilities
? Downsizing-- Confront reasons for decision and push for humane treatment
? Community-- Bring people together; initiate meetings, do not just facilitate them
? Employer-employee social contract-- Seek clarity regarding task expectations and social contract goals/objectives; help provide feedback for employees; promote reward system based on merit
? Employability-- Foster career development by helping people understand (a) what they are good at, (b) their desires concerning work-life balance (c) what they want in their work
? Trust-- Espouse and live the value of openness; provide coaching and feedback for executives on the congruence of their words and actions
According to Burke's change theory, organization leaders play a ...