Regulative, Normative, and Cognitive Elements of Organizations: Implications for Managing Change

Drawing support from current and seminal work on institutional theory, this paper explores the role of three elementsinvolved in the management of change - regulative, normative, and cognitive. While organizational changetraditionally deals with challenges associated with changing technologies, structures, and employee abilities,effective change also depends on the values and behavioral reasoning that originate in the institutional context –whether people have to change, ought to change, or want to change. A conceptual model reflecting the interplay ofthese systems on organizational change is presented, and implications for change management research and practiceare extended.