Implementation of Strategic Organizational Change: The Case of King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this research is to examine the role of leadership, culture and learning in the implementation of strategic organizational change in the public sector of Saudi Arabia. In order to address this aim, a case study was conducted in King Abdul Aziz University (KAU). The case study methodology involved interviews with senior employees of the organization. The findings reveal that Arab culture was found to influence the change process as the drivers of the strategic change attempted to turn the university into a modern institution with some values drawn from western culture; learning and training featured prominently in the findings as staff and students were required to learn various skills in order to adopt new systems of education and management; and leadership was found to be crucial as it emerged that the strategic change at KAU was linked to broader aspects of strategic change pioneered by the Ministry of Higher Education. The study also identified various barriers to effective implementation of strategic change such as adherence to the status quo by some groups within Saudi society, the antagonism of some actors towards standard human resource processes, and signs of the inflexibility of management and leadership. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.