As the definitions indicate, each level of cognitive change represents change as
an occurrence on a broader scope, from individual to organizational. For example, suppose a shipping clerk attends a training program to improve her reading skill. An alpha change can be said to have occurred if at the end of training she perceives that her reading skill has improved. Further, suppose that the shipping manager attempts to improve productivity by reducing the standard for effective order processing time from forty-eight hours to twenty-four hours. A beta change can be said to have occurred if the shipping clerks accept this new standard as legitimate. This is so because the employees now define success as processing an order in less than twenty-four hours, as opposed to less than forty-eight hours.