Yannick Fronda, Jean-Luc Moriceau. I am not your hero : change management and culture shocks in a public sector corporation. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2008, 21 (5), pp.589 – 609. ⟨10.1108/09534810810903234⟩.

Purpose – A description of the managerial impact on change processes during a takeover with middle management in the telecom industry.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to use storytelling as a form of analysis of different positions within an organization, as described in a case study.Findings – By not including the voice of the middle managers, higher management runs into problems in the implementation of change processes.Research limitations/implications – By using narratives as a source for analysis, the paper does not try to gain objective insights into change processes.Practical implications – Resistance to change can prove a safeguard against too optimistic change.Originality/value – The paper shows that several layers of change that interact with one another as proof of the confrontation between grand narratives and ante‐narratives.