Leading social change in organizations is a difficult and politically dangerous balancing act. These risks increase if the social change in question directly challenges accepted societal and organizational norms. This article examines the racial integration of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team as an example of a successful social change that challenged organizational and societal norms. The seven-step method used by Dodgers general manager, Branch Rickey, was guided by an understanding of the social implications of integration. Rickey's method also relied on an awareness of the differing perspectives of important stakeholders. This article pays particular attention to the linking and sequencing of action learning strategies used during the change.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Argyris, C.
, Putnam, R., & Smith, D. M. (1985). Action science. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2.
Argyris, C.
, & Schön, D. A. (1978). Organizational learning: A theory in action perspective. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
3.
Barber, R.
, & Creamer, R. (1968). Rhubarb in the catbird seat. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
4.
Barrett, F. J.
, Thomas, G. F., & Hovecar, S. P. (1995). The central role of discourse in large-scale change: A social construction perspective. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 31, 352-372.
5.
Brooklyn's Rickey announces launch of U.S. Negro league
. (1945, May 8). The Pittsburgh Courier, p. 10.
6.
Durocher, L. E.
, & Linn, E. I. (1975). Nice guys finish last. New York: Simon & Schuster.
7.
Eisenhardt, K. M.
, & Schoonhoven, C. B. (1990). Organizational growth: Linking founding team, strategy, and growth among semiconductor ventures, 1978-1988. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35, 504-529.
8.
Fischhoff, B.
, & Beyth, R. (1975). I knew it would happen: Remembered probabilities of once future things. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 13, 1-16.
9.
Ford, J. D.
, & Ford, L. W. (1995). The role of conversations in producing intentional change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 20, 541-570.
10.
Golden, B. R.
(1992). The past is the past—or is it? The use of retrospective accounts as indicators of past strategy. Academy of Management Journal, 35, 848-860.
11.
Huber, G. P.
, & Power, D. J. (1985). Retrospective reports of strategic level managers: Guidelines for increasing their accuracy. Strategic Management Journal, 6, 171-180.
12.
Kanter, R. M.
(1983). The change masters: Innovation & entrepreneurship in the American corporation. New York: Simon & Schuster.
13.
Leymann, H.
(1989). Towards a new paradigm of learning in organizations. In H. Leymann & H. Kornbluh (Eds.), Socialization and learning at work (pp. 281-299). Aldershot, UK: Avebury.
14.
Mann, A.
(1951). The Jackie Robinson story. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
15.
Mann, A.
(1957). Branch Rickey: American in action. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
16.
Martin, J.
(1992). Cultures in organizations: Three perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press.
17.
Nielsen, R. P.
(1993). Woolman's "I am we" triple-loop action-learning: Origin and application in organization ethics. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 29, 117-138.
18.
Nisbett, R.
, & Wilson, T. D. (1977). Telling more than we know: Verbal reports on mental processes. Psychological Review, 84, 231-259.
19.
Quinn, J. B.
(1982). Strategies for change: Logical incrementalism. Homewood, IL: Irwin.
20.
Rowan, C. T.
(1960). Wait till next year: The life story of Jackie Robinson. New York: Random House.
21.
Runyan, W. M.
(1982). Life histories and psychobiography: Explorations in theory and method. New York: Oxford University Press.
22.
Ryan, L. V.
, & Scott, W. G. (1995). Ethics and organizational reflection: The Rockefeller Foundation and postwar "moral deficits," 1942-1954. Academy of Management Review, 20, 438-461.
23.
Sackmann, S.
(1992). Cultures and subcultures: An analysis of organizational knowledge. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37, 140-161.
24.
Schein, E. H.
(1985). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
25.
Schwenk, C.
(1985). The use of participant recollection in modeling of organizational decision processes. Academy of Management Review, 10, 496-503.
26.
Smircich, L.
(1983). Concepts of culture and organizational analysis. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28, 339-358.
27.
Smith, K. G.
, & Grimm, C. M. (1987). Environmental variation, strategic change and firm performance: A study of railroad deregulation. Strategic Management Journal, 8, 363-376.
28.
Tichy, N.
(1983). Managing strategic change: Technical, political, and cultural dynamics. New York: Doubleday.
29.
Torbert, W. R.
(1991). The power of balance: Transforming self, society, and scientific inquiry (pp. 51-72). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
30.
Trice, H. M.
, & Beyer, J. M. (1993). The cultures of organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
31.
Tygiel, J.
(1983). Baseball's great experiment. New York: Oxford University Press.
