IMPLEMENTING INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: FLEXIBLE WORK AND TEAM PROCESSES IN A WHITE COLLAR ORGANIZATION

Purpose The purpose of this chapter was to examine the implementation of a flexible work initiative that attempted to challenge two institutionalized precepts of contemporary white-collar workplaces: the gendered ideal worker norm, with its expectation of the primacy of paid work over family and personal life, and the assumption of managerial control over employees’ schedules and work location. Methodology/approach Using ethnographic and interview data, how the Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) was experienced by employees in four different teams within the Best Buy, Co., Inc. corporate headquarters was explored. Findings Comparing more and less successful implementation across teams, results suggested that collective institutional work is required for the emergence of new norms, expectations, and legitimated practices. Findings indicated that managers’ task-specific knowledge their deep experience with the tasks that the team is charged with completing is a structural condition that facilitates managers’ trust in employees and encourages team experimentation with new practices. Research limitations Data for this study was limited to one organization and four teams. Future research should include similar organizational change efforts in other organizations and in larger teams. Practical/social implications These findings may promote a better understanding, among researchers and practitioners, of the importance of manager knowledge and background and how this appears to be key to achieving institutional change. Originality/value This research is an example of an innovative approach to workplace flexibility and applies an institutional theory lens to investigate variation in the implementation of organizational change.