Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Evolution and revolution as organizations grow. 1972.

L E Greiner1

  • 1Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.

Harvard Business Review
|April 7, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Organizations evolve through distinct developmental phases, from creativity to collaboration, each ending in a crisis that necessitates new management practices. Understanding this history is key to navigating future growth and avoiding past problems.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The paradox of managing a project-oriented matrix: establishing coherence within chaos.

Sloan management reviewยท1981
See all related articles

Area of Science:

  • Organizational Studies
  • Business Management

Background:

  • Organizations often neglect their historical development when facing challenges, focusing instead on external market factors.
  • Larry Greiner's seminal work identifies five key developmental phases: creativity, direction, delegation, coordination, and collaboration.

Discussion:

  • Each growth phase is characterized by evolution and stability, culminating in a revolution or period of significant organizational change.
  • Management's crucial role during these revolutionary periods is to adopt new practices that support the subsequent evolutionary phase.

Key Insights:

  • Organizational history profoundly influences current and future development, a factor frequently overlooked by management.
  • The five phases of organizational growth are marked by distinct dominant themes and transitions.
  • Solutions that drive growth in one phase can become obstacles in a later phase, highlighting the cyclical nature of organizational development.

Outlook:

  • The cyclical pattern of evolution and revolution in organizational growth remains a relevant framework for contemporary management.
  • Adapting to the inherent "irony" of solutions becoming problems is essential for sustained organizational success.
  • Future research could explore the impact of digital transformation on these traditional growth phases.

Related Experiment Videos