3.3.1. The type of change in the Commission

As to the type of change, it is often transformational change which leads to an adaptation of the overall structure of the European Commission and its services rather than incremental change.

Because of the specificities of the European Commission and its normative environment, legal aspects play an overriding role. There is a strong formal administrative culture which provides limited possibilities how the Commission as a system can react to constant change. The Commission - as it is currently organised - does not operate as an open learning structure which could integrate change in a constant evolutive manner without the necessity of transformational change. This being said, some flexibility is provided by the parallel informal structure of the Commission and by the use of Taskforces, working groups, and networks which cut across the formal structures.

One can argue that change management in the Commission takes the form of reorganisations where the overall structure is adapted. In between reorganisations, the situation remains “frozen” or is dealt with informally.