The influence of individual readiness to change on the rise of blackberry LTD

Authors

  • Ben Felix Portman College
  • Darren Lee Portman College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55942/pssj.v5i9.686

Keywords:

blackberry, John Chen, cybersecurity, software

Abstract

This article extensively explores BlackBerry Ltd. ’s fall and rise, charting its path from a dominant hardware production company in the mobile phone devices industry to its current focus on the software and cybersecurity industry. It delves deeply into the strategy of individual readiness to change undertaken by John Chen, the new CEO, to navigate the swiftly changing market and technological landscapes. Under the leadership of CEO John Chen, who took the helm in 2013, BlackBerry pivoted successfully toward enterprise software, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity, automotive systems, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. Moreover, it assesses the implications of the transformations for BlackBerry Ltd. ’s positioning in its newfound operational domains, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the company within the cybersecurity and software services sectors. This is an in-depth exploration of BlackBerry Ltd. ’s strategic evolution and John Chen's quest to transform the company's future. This analysis demonstrates BlackBerry Ltd. ’s ongoing commitment to motivating its readiness to change and embrace new opportunities in an ever-changing market.

Author Biographies

Ben Felix, Portman College

Ben Felix is affiliated with Portman College

Darren Lee, Portman College

Darren Lee is affiliated with Portman College

References

Armenakis, A. A., Harris, S. G., & Mossholder, K. W. (1993). Creating readiness for organizational change. Human Relations, 46(7), 681–703. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872679304600601

Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.

Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410617095

BlackBerry. (2015, July 22). BlackBerry to acquire AtHoc to expand its reach into new verticals. BlackBerry Limited. https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/company/newsroom/press-releases/2015/blackberry-to-acquire-athoc

BlackBerry. (2019, February 21). BlackBerry completes acquisition of Cylance. BlackBerry Limited. https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/company/newsroom/press-releases/2019/blackberry-completes-acquisition-of-cylance

Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Cheng, R. (2013, September 27). BlackBerry's 5 fall-from-grace moments. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/blackberrys-5-fall-from-grace-moments/

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2017). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Geertz, C. (1973). The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays. Basic Books. https://hci.stanford.edu/courses/cs376/private/readings/geertz_thick_description.pdf

Gold, M. (2010, May 13). SAP to buy Sybase in $5.8B deal. Network World. https://www.networkworld.com/article/2230230/sap-to-buy-sybase-in--5-8b-deal.html

The Guardian. (2013, September 20). BlackBerry to cut 4,500 jobs as it reports $1bn loss. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/20/blackberry-cuts-jobs-reports-loss

Gu, J. (2016, December 15). BlackBerry to outsource phone manufacturing to China's TCL. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-tcl-idUSKBN1441R8

Himsel, D. (2020). The rise and fall of Blackberry. Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://keep.lib.asu.edu/items/160824

Holt, D. T., Armenakis, A. A., Feild, H. S., & Harris, S. G. (2007). Readiness for organizational change: The systematic development of a scale. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 43(2), 232–255. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886306297892

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business School Press.

Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change (Anniversary ed.). Harvard Business Review Press. https://www.kazmaier-translations.com/human-resource-management/leadership-and-leading-change/

Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics: Concept, method and reality in social science; social equilibria and social change. Human Relations, 1(1), 5–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872674700100103

Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.

McCracken, H. (2012, April 20). BlackBerry Co-CEO: The iPhone is no threat. Time. https://techland.time.com/2012/04/20/blackberry-co-ceo-the-iphone-is-no-threat/

Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1983). Stages and processes of self-change of smoking: Toward an integrative model of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51(3), 390–395. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006x.51.3.390

Schein, E. H. (1996). Kurt Lewin's change theory in the field and in the classroom: Notes toward a model of managed learning. Systems Practice, 9(1), 27–47. https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02169177

Schumpeter, J. A. (1942). Capitalism, socialism and democracy. Harper & Brothers.

Siegler, M. G. (2009, January 22). Confirmed: Obama gets to keep his BlackBerry. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2009/01/22/confirmed-obama-gets-to-keep-his-blackberry/

Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage.

Triggs, R. (2021, August 28). What is a "CrackBerry" and why was it so popular? Android Authority. https://www.androidauthority.com/what-is-a-crackberry-3011384/

Vogelstein, F. (2013). Dogfight: How Apple and Google went to war and started a revolution. Sarah Crichton Books.

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Downloads

Published

2025-09-26

How to Cite

Felix, B., & Lee, D. (2025). The influence of individual readiness to change on the rise of blackberry LTD. Priviet Social Sciences Journal, 5(9), 319–329. https://doi.org/10.55942/pssj.v5i9.686
Abstract Views: 65 | File Views: 36