Problems and paradoxes in a model of punctuated organizational change

A simulation model that formalizes the conventional theory of punctuated organizational change highlights a problem: under a wide range of conditions, organizations appear to fail following reorientation. I propose additions to the theory to account for punctuated transformation. The first adds a routine for monitoring organization-environment consistency; the second is a heuristic that suspends change for a trial period following a reorientation. I show the necessity of the trial period in simulations demonstrating that, while external events may set the pace of organizational change in some environments, under turbulent conditions successful change requires internal pacing, which suspends performance evaluation for a period following a reorientation.(.)