Front and Backstage Processes of an Organizational Restructuring Effort

Change processes in organizations involve the formal expectations of change agents and administrators, but social processes taking place in the organization also may generate different, sometimes conflicting, outcomes. This study examines a planned restructuring effort that attempted to get people in an organization to work more closely together. The authors hypothesize that individuals seek influence in the organization by acting as brokers between others who are not connected to each other. These brokers gain influence by connecting the otherwise disconnected and have no incentive to connect others to each other. The contradictory forces pushing for connection and the exploiting of disconnections between actors are examined in a school undergoing a change effort during the course of a year.