Dissertation: Many Organisational Problems Due to False Ideas about Change Management 

In his doctoral dissertation, M.Sc. Jouni Suominen argues that poor employee commitment to organisational goals, burnout, stress and dissatisfaction at work can be viewed as a management problem: clearly unsuccessful leadership of change and learning.

 

Jouni Suominen's dissertation sets out from his observation that various learning processes are a natural way of describing and structuring changes within an organisation. However, the change process often fails to proceed as expected. Instead, personnel working in an organisation perceive changes as somewhat chaotic, even detrimental to their job motivation.

 

Research by John P. Kotter of Harvard University reveals that the implementation of holistic changes requires a specific leadership philosophy which is fundamentally different from traditional leadership styles. Suominen's study sought to discover how leadership can affect the realisation of various learning processes within an organisation and how learning should be managed to ensure that an entrepreneurial, learning-intensive atmosphere can be achieved.

 

Within the field of education, an organisational culture of this kind, which forms the ideal learning organisation, has been termed a growth-oriented atmosphere. From the leadership perspective, the experience of empowerment has often been treated as a goal. Empowerment refers to enabling the natural growth potential of each individual, combined with psychological commitment to the organisation's aims and operating culture.

 

Suominen's key finding is that learning theories in the field of education and theories on empowerment provide a natural explanation for Kotter's ideal model for change management. The dissertation reveals an interdependence between learning and leadership. A leader's leadership cognition – his or her understanding of the world and people – affects the organisation's learning ability and the choice of leadership method used in ensuring the success of the change process.

 

Jouni Suominen defended his doctoral dissertation in Entrepreneurship titled Kohti oppivaa organisaatiota – konstruktion muodostaminen johtamisen ja oppimisen välisistä riippuvuussuhteista (Toward learning organization – philosophical evaluation and emphasis to build up a theoretical construction of the critical relationship between learning and leadership) on 5th December 2011.

Opponent: Professor Matti Koiranen (Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics)
Custos: Professor Antti Paasio

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