Critique a Journal Article1

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Critique a Journal Article

Roberts, J., & Armitage, J. (2006), From organization to hypermodern organization On the

accelerated appearance and disappearance of Enron,Journal of Organizational Change

Management, Vol 19 No. 5, pp 558-577.

Organization is a unit of society and change is essential inside an organization, as our society is

changeable in the pace of time. Previously, researchers and scholars classified organizations as

premodern, modern and post modern organizations as per their production process and

technology they adopt. Thereafter, question is raised if these categories can fully incorporate all

the characteristics, activities and nature of current type organizations. The main issue raised in

the paper is that the categorization of organization in the given three types is inadequate and

there is an omission in the extent debates surrounding the management of organizational

change.

The issues raised by authors in the concept paper about the new form of organization i.e.

hypermodern organization is important for the literature of organizational change management

because it will recognize new set of characteristics of organization in the current developed,

speedy changing societies. Moreover it will contribute to the contemporary understandings of

organizations and organizational change management.

The main argument in the concept paper is that the current consumer societies of the leading

nations are characterized by hypermodernity. It further states that one of the results of

hypermodernity of society is the emergence of hypermodern organizations. However they

argue that organizational change management had so far failed to recognize such organizationsin its literature. Although the academic literature in organizational change management had

identified the three types of organizational forms, as premodern, modern and post modern

organizations, they were inadequate to understand the hypermodern form of organizations,

which are emerging in recent societies.

The authors highlight various facts and opinions to differentiate the characteristics of

hypermodern organizations with other forms of organization. The first one is that hypermodern

organizations are hyperflexible i.e. size of such organizations can change rapidly to match

market opportunities. Moreover such organizations operate with series of innovations in

operation and productions. They can exploit the opportunities from the change in environment

like social, legal, political, technical environment etc for fresh business openings. Although they

get benefit from the innovations, such advantages are often short-lived as they can be easily

copied by competitors. Similarly, employees are connected with such organizations at all times

through information communication technologies so that they can make the optimum

mobilization of their resources. Unlike to the other forms of organizations, the key assets of


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hypermodern organization are reputation, brand name and business models. With such

opinions, the authors strengthen their arguments of hypermodern organization which almost

wholly determined by its relationship to excessive speed at which it operates in relation to its

environment. The case study of Enron form establishment, accelerated development to

dramatic disappearance, explored in the paper, also play an important role to enhance thearguments.

So, these facts the authors presented and opinion they expressed are important to support

their issues and arguments. They provide enough distinct characteristics of hypermodern

organization then that of other forms of organizations which were previously identified by the

theory of organizational change management.

To address the questions and issues raised in the paper, authors first review the three forms of

organizations as per organizational change management literature. The paper clearly states

each form of organizations with characteristics and present the time period of change from oneform to other. Then the paper introduces new form of organization as hypermodern

organization and elaborated the distinct characteristics. To show the importance of

hypermodern organizations in the field of organization change management theory,

accelerated appearance of Enron and its disappearance in the speed of light is analyzed as an

example to prove the nature of hypermodern organizations. The circumstances of the

establishment of Enron, how its management and employees were prepared to cope with the

change in external environment, the speed of change inside Enron with respect to the change

in external environment is merely focused in the paper to justify the hypermodernity of

organization. So, the distinct characters of hypermodern organizations and the consequences ofEnron presented as case study, addressed the issued raised in the paper effectively. Moreover,

by focusing on the significance characteristics of accelerated hypermodern organization, the

authors have addressed an important omission in the debates surrounding the management of

organizational change.

The authors in the paper introduced a new form of organization as hypermodern organization

which makes a contribution to add a dimension in the literature of organizational change

management. The paper introduces a new conception of organization and organizational

change. Different characteristics for the hypermodern organization have been explored and it is

suggested that one of the result of hypermodern organization is the accelerated appearance

and disappearance of business organizations. So, this concept paper will also be important for

managers who are practically involving in managing the organization. They can judge

themselves whether the change they are implementing inside their organizations tend toward

hypermodernity. The paper will equip manager with the knowledge which provides them

capacity to recognize accelerated organizational change. Hence managers would have an


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opportunity to consider the future sustainability of their organization and strategies for its

survival before collapse becomes an inevitable outcome.

However the concept paper is silent to which extent the accelerated change inside an

organization is beneficial and it does not suggest the turning point in the speedy change

management so that organizations could be saved from the dramatic disappearance like Enron.

The conclusion drawn by authors in the paper is that contemporary environment is stimulating

the development of hypermodern organizations. Even though there are real short term benefits

from the acceleration of organizations performance, permanent acceleration is not

sustainable. So, the authors suggest that the organization to diversify organizations activities

between modern, postmodern and hypermodern forms. Moreover, management could also

organize temporary hypermodern projects rather than taking the whole organization to

hypermodern characteristics. These conclusions drawn in the paper has made change in the

concept of disregarding the significance and impact of hypermodern organization in the existingapproaches to organization and organizational change management literature. Similarly, the

conclusion also states that the disappearance of Enron in 2001 was in part an inevitable

outcome of its hypermodern characteristics. Moreover the suggestions provided in the paper

are important for managers of organizations to get benefit from the hypermodern

characteristics and to save the organization form dramatic disappearance.

The paper introduces a new conception of organization and organizational change. It also

explored the accelerated appearance and disappearance of Enron and tries to justify the

concept. However other researches also point various reasons behind the dramatic end of

Enron. Now almost one decade has been passed after Enron and we face severe financial crisis

in 2008 and 2009. During the period, we saw the elimination of large business tycoons like

Lehman Brothers from the scenario. More than that, in our region also, rapidly growing large

institution, Syatam Computers had been bailed out in India. Similarly, in Nepal, the

characteristics of Unity Life Assurance can also be studied as one of the hypermodern

organizations. So, there is urgency for the further conceptual and empirical research to

elaborate the concept of hypermodern organizations.

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Critique a Journal Article1