Consequences of Radical Change in Governance: A Grounded Theory Approach

Recently, policymakers have called for total restructuring and redesign of campus governance, claiming governance processes are incapable of making strategic decisions. The purpose of this study and article is to provide evidence about the consequences of engaging in radical alteration of an institution's governance system. Because no earlier studies of radical change within a governance system have been conducted, a grounded theory approach to analysis and data collection was adopted. Four frameworks related to radical change are used: business process reengineering, political, cultural, and institutional theories. The scant literature on proposed outcomes of radical change is reviewed. Two theoretical propositions about the consequences of radical change are described, identifying negative outcomes often not reviewed in the literature.