Overcoming cultural barriers to change

This article is a case study which focuses on organisational and cultural change associated with the incorporation of a college which provided pre- and post-registration nursing and midwifery education into a much larger institution within the university sector. Among the issues addressed is whether transformational change, such as that represented by incorporation or merger, can be used by managers to successfully refashion the culture of the organisation, making more effective than traditional or discipline-based management structures. It examines the barriers to change and the various considerations that arose in determining the fit of managerial styles and assesses the outcomes of the process of change.