Implementing NAGPRA: the effective management of legislated change in museums

A survey of 19 museums across the USA sought to identify the change processes associated with the effective management of a specific case of legislated change imposed by The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 1990 (NAGPRA). Interviews were also conducted with a sample of these museums to understand further the change process adopted. It was hypothesised that those organisations which were perceived by respondents to have achieved successful change outcomes, would have managed the change transition in accordance with generic change principles in the change literature, regardless of the legislated nature of the change. The findings provided strong support for these general principles of effective change management in situations where the organisation has little choice about the change initiative. However the legislated nature of the change and the initial lack of understanding of its scope and implications produced some deviations from these general principles, particularly with respect to the dimensions of visioning, participation and allocation of resources to the change program.