Despite the value of incremental frontline change ideas for organizational performance, punctuated equilibrium theories of organizational change tend to concentrate on top managers’ origination and implementation of de-novo radical changes during punctuations. Little theoretical or empirical work has examined frontline-driven, incremental change efforts during these periods of disrupted stasis. We develop a process model to explain how and when those on an organization’s frontlines can leverage a punctuation to opportunistically implement long-desired change ideas in ways that promote their retention. We conducted a two-year qualitative field study examining the trajectories of 33 change ideas generated by frontline staff at a hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. By comparing ideas that persisted to become part of normal operations to those that failed to be selected or retained, we identified practices and conditions that promoted the selection and retention of frontline change ideas. Our study suggests that frontline change advocates can seed the long-term retention of sufficiently “shovel-ready” change ideas—as opposed to de-novo ideas—by rapidly and opportunistically deploying a novel set of practices before closure of the brief window of opportunity created by lessened constraints and increased managerial receptivity. Prior theories of change largely assume frontline-driven change to be slow and continuous, proceeding in a one-off fashion over years; we explain how and when frontline change can instead occur in rapid, opportunistic bursts during punctuations. We make multiple contributions to theories of punctuated equilibrium and bottom-up change in organizations by unearthing an alternative way change can be intentionally accomplished in organizations.
