How to start a revolution: organizational changes and lean system at FCA Pomigliano plant

PURPOSE OF THE PAPER: The study has two goals: first, we highlight the inadequacy of mainstream change management models to fully explain complex change interventions; secondly, we juxtapose WCM and change management and propose a framework that integrates elements of emergent change models with the so-called planned change models, in the light of evidence collected from a WCM reorganization in the FCA Plant in Pomigliano. METHODOLOGY: We perform an inductive case study of how the Fiat-Chrysler Automotive (FCA) group managed change at its Pomigliano plant from three sources—archived data, direct interviews of FCA managers and employees, and field observations of the production plant RESULTS: The study demonstrates a new model of organizational change characterized by diffuse processes, activated by the hybrid choices between organizational design and emergence. RESEARCH LIMITATION: The analysis is limited to the case in point, even though highly representative in terms of the themes addressed in the paper. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: Two main normative implications emerge from this work: first, seeding methods centered on agents of change represent a viable alternative to traditional triggering methods; and second, the involvement of all personnel is very important in both the design and the implementation of change. ORIGINALITY: Our proposed analytical framework allows for the identification of a hybrid model for conducting organizational change that integrates several of the prevailing existing models.