Change and the impact on role - a role analysis of three senior executives of a major public sector organisation

The aim of this paper is to provide readers with a "snapshot" view of the internal model of role of senior manager as change agent. Three members of the Senior Executive Service of a major Australian public sector organisation participated in the three month qualitative study which used an Organisational Role Analysis framework to elicit the individuals' perceptual models of the organisation and their own behaviour in the context of major structural and cultural change. The question to be addressed was "How do senior managers handle their primary and change agent roles in the turbulent 1990s"? The answer in a nutshell is - with considerable difficulty. The implications for private and public sector organisations are worthy of consideration.