Resistance to Change as a Business Concept

Oskar Svärd ()
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Oskar Svärd: University of Gothenburg, School of Public Administration

Chapter Chapter 11 in Understanding Speed in Organizational Change, 2026, pp 173-191 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter challenges the dominant assumption that organizational survival depends primarily on continuous adaptation to environmental change. Through a historical case study of the Swedish House of Nobility, a nearly 400-year-old organization, the chapter examines how longevity can instead be achieved through stability, tradition, and cautious change. Drawing on theories of organizational adaptation and selection, the analysis highlights six core features underpinning the House’s endurance: a survival-oriented mission, a strong identity, limited membership, controlled decision-making, gradual change, and conservative financial management. The findings suggest that resistance to change can, under certain conditions, enhance long-term viability. The chapter concludes that equating change with survival is an oversimplification and that organizational longevity depends on contextual and structural factors rather than adaptability alone.

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-11031-2_11

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-11031-2_11

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