Environmental disturbances, organizational transitions and transformations: A view from the dark side

Published over two decades ago, “Environmental Disturbances and Organizational Transitions and Transformations: Some Alternative Models” ( Laughlin, 1991), presents a comprehensive view of what choices may be available to organizations in navigating the change process. Laughlin's discussion also provides some rationale for why organizations may pursue particular pathways in response to environmental disturbances. Responding to his call to future researchers, the current paper builds upon Laughlin's work by drawing on Social Network Theory (SNT) as offering an explanation about how the dynamic processes implicit in his framework may operate in effecting change within organizations and as a consequence, why particular pathways may be adopted. While Laughlin's initial premise and consequent contentions are grounded largely in critical theory, in augmenting his framework with insights derived from SNT, this paper contends that the dynamic processes invoked in response to environmental disturbances are capable of being operationalized, generalized and tested. Laughlin's framework therefore offers a foundation for a positivist frame of reference, pointing to the amenability of the framework to further investigation from researchers from a diverse range of research traditions.

► This paper responds to Laughlin's (1991) “Environmental Disturbances…” paper.
► It draws on Social Network Theory (SNT) to explain how dynamic processes may operate and why particular pathways may be adopted.
► SNT provides a means by which environmental disturbances can be operationalized, generalized and tested.
► Laughlin's framework thus offers a foundation for further investigation for researchers from a diverse range of research traditions.