IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/h/pal/palchp/978-0-230-10617-8_5.html
   My bibliography  Save this book chapter

Obstacles to Cultural Transformation

In: Transforming Culture

Author

Listed:
  • Elizabeth K. Briody

    (Michigan State University, Northern Arizona University, Wayne State University)

  • Robert T. Trotter

    (Northern Arizona University)

  • Tracy L. Meerwarth

    (Consolidated Bearings Co.)

Abstract

Our research group used the classic and current “cultural change” or cultural transformation literature as a starting point to create a framework for understanding the obstacles that GM would encounter in the process of moving from the “old way” to a more ideal plant culture model.1 Any form of cultural change, from sweeping cultural revolutions to small changes in material culture, always meets some level of resistance. In general, people automatically resist change and favor continuity even when the new way may be more beneficial to them. The resistance can be mild and can be overcome by simply learning about the new way, or it can be vehement and virtually unchangeable, requiring the strongest tools of cultural change to encourage the adoption of the new way.2 Mild forms of cultural change are often called “evolutionary change” because they follow a step-by-step (i.e., small or incremental) progression from the old to the new. More sweeping and abrupt forms of cultural change are sometimes labeled “revolutionary change.” Those changes usually signal a significant break between the old and the new, especially in terms of the ideology or philosophy that is guiding the new way of doing things.3

Suggested Citation

  • Elizabeth K. Briody & Robert T. Trotter & Tracy L. Meerwarth, 2010. "Obstacles to Cultural Transformation," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Transforming Culture, chapter 0, pages 93-113, Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-10617-8_5
    DOI: 10.1057/9780230106178_5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    To our knowledge, this item is not available for download. To find whether it is available, there are three options:
    1. Check below whether another version of this item is available online.
    2. Check on the provider's web page whether it is in fact available.
    3. Perform a search for a similarly titled item that would be available.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-10617-8_5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.