Radical Change Accidentally: The Emergence and Amplification of Small Change

Authors

Donde Ashmos Plowman, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Lakami T. Baker, Mississippi State University
Tammy E. Beck, University of Houston–Clear LakeFollow
Mukta Kulkarni, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
Stephanie Thomas Solansky, University of Houston–Victoria
Deandra Villarreal Travis, The University of Texas at San Antonio

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2007

Citation

Academy of Management Journal 2007, Vol. 50, No. 3, 515–543.

Comments

Copyright of the Academy of Management, all rights reserved. Used by permission.

Abstract

A decision to offer breakfast to homeless people led to radical change in a church and its environment. Existing theories of change do not fully explain observations from our qualitative study; however, complexity theory constructs suggest how and why such change emerged. We offer four key findings. First, the radical change was unintended, emergent, and slow. Second, destabilizing conditions helped small changes to emerge and become radical. Third, subsequent actions amplified an initial small change and, though not intended to do so, promoted radical change. Finally, the dynamic interaction of amplifying actions, contextual conditions, and small changes led to continuous radical change.