Working with Toshiba, Lewin and Dewey: a journey into the heart of change

Many have suggested that over the last twenty five years or so the debate over organisational change has been dominated by the issue of power and politics in the form of the Emergent approach consistent with a free-market spirit. However, our work with Toshiba has led us to conclude that the principles of social responsibility and ethical change as championed by Kurt Lewin and John Dewey are emerging as a more amenable and desirable approach to change and appear to be embraced by many in the workforce. Many US observers have argued that such events as the bankruptcy of Enron and the indictment of senior executives from this company and others as well as the recent events in the UK concerning a perceived lack of financial probity in the banking and political milieus have shown that a disregard for ethics in decision making can have deleterious consequences for business and society. We intend to present a case study using Diploma students on a Toshibatec UK sponsored course to illustrate this emerging sensitivity to issues of social responsibility, ethical behaviour and democratic ideas and ideals. We will contend that Lewin’s and Dewey’s beliefs are indeed still alive and relevant and that these students are embracing such ideas in their push for organisational change at Toshiba.