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Purpose This paper aims to review the discursive formation of organizational change and to consider the possible directions that change management initiatives may take in the future. Design/methodology/approach This closing piece identifies a traditional change discourse and an emerging change discourse. This is achieved through a review of the extant literature and the contributions to the special issue. Findings The paper highlights a shift of emphases in organizational change due to environmental imperatives. In particular, it reveals a move from problem‐centred, discrete interventions to a focus on continuous improvements. It also draws attention to the emerging significance of discourse‐based approaches concerned with image, identity, organizational learning and knowledge management. Originality/value Provides a framework for classifying different forms of organizational change activity and posits directions for future development.
Oswick et al. (Mon,) studied this question.