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The View from the Top: Senior Executives' Perceptions of Changing Management Practices in UK Companies 1
Author(s) -
Ezzamel Mahmoud,
Lilley Simon,
Willmott Hugh
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.407
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1467-8551
pISSN - 1045-3172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8551.1996.tb00111.x
Subject(s) - perception , context (archaeology) , senior management , business , human resource management , public relations , managing change , marketing , organisational change , change management (itsm) , management , political science , psychology , economics , geography , archaeology , neuroscience , lean manufacturing
There is a growing literature which suggests that the 1980s witnessed significant, even unprecedented changes in the management of organizations. This paper contributes to that literature by providing questionnaire and interview‐based evidence of senior managers' perceptions of recent changes in management practice in large and medium‐sized firms in the UK. The findings cover three main areas: the changing context of management practice; change initiatives in the areas of human resource management (HRM) and management levels; and the degree of success in managing change. Our findings suggest that senior managers perceive rapid and continuous change within the UK corporate sector. We conclude by suggesting that the changes reported appear to be of degree rather than a radical break with past management practices and that inconsistent means of facilitating change are seemingly being deployed.