Abstract
Change has become a wide-spread and rapid phenomenon in the present organizational context. Managers, therefore, need to
understand the process of change and factors that are associated with its success and failure. Change, whether it is
incremental or transformational, requires an organization to define and clarify strategic direction. Thus, the strategy of an
organization plays the most important role in guiding the process of change. This paper explores the process of change from a
strategic perspective. It integrates the literature on corporate strategy and the entrepreneurial paradigms of public service
management. Burgleman’s (1983) concept of autonomous strategic behaviour is employed to analyse the change process in a
public sector university of Pakistan. The higher education sector in Pakistan went through a significant reform process in the
previous two decades. One of the strategic educational reforms included introduction of compulsory and standardized
admission tests conducted by the National Testing Service. However, universities had the choice to formulate their own
admission policies. This change initiative was met with a considerable opposition and universities were reluctant to adopt the
new system of admissions. This study proposes that success of change initiatives is associated with the Burgleman’s concept
of autonomous strategic behaviour. The three components of Burgleman’s concept are Top Management Support,
Entrepreneurial Organizational Spirit and Project Champion. A qualitative study was conducted to analyse the change
process and confirm the applicability of Burgleman’s concept. Interviews were conducted with key organizational members
related to the process of developing and setting the admissions criteria. Archival data and published documents were also
consulted for in-depth analysis. The study finds significant evidence of the presence of the three components of Burgleman’s
concept and confirms that it is significantly related to successful change initiatives.
Sania Zahra Malik. (2014) Strategic Change and Organizational Reforms: Case of a Pakistani University, Journal of Research and Reflections in Education, Volume 8, Issue 1.
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