Book Description
From the most trusted voice on transition, a revised edition of the classic practical guide to dealing with the human side of organizational change.
The business world is a place of constant change, with stories of corporate mergers, layoffs, bankruptcy, and restructuring hitting the news every day. Yet as veteran consultant William Bridges maintains, the situational changes are not as difficult for companies to make as the psychological transitions. In the best-selling Managing Transitions, Bridges provides a clear understanding of what change does to employees and what employees in transition can do to an organization.
Directed at managers and employees in today's corporations, Bridges shows how to minimize the distress and disruptions caused by change. Managing Transitions addresses the fact that it is people who have to carry out the change. When the book was originally published a decade ago, Bridges was the first to provide any real sense of the emotional impact of change and what can be done to keep it from disrupting the entire organization. With new information and commentary on layoffs, corporate suspicion, and the increasing tumult in the business world, Managing Transitions remains the definitive guide to dealing with change.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......2007-10-17
Change and transition are an important issue in our professional lives, going trough the book allowed me to realize the diferent stages and process involved and there for be in a better position the next challenge.
the use of examples en refrences is very well managed, language is easy
High rating for a textbook, but it deserves it........2007-08-11
I have had several textbooks in Management between an Undergraduate, Graduate and Business itself. This was no different in that I expected the same old stuff, but was very pleasantly surprised at the authors candor about our perceptions of business practices. It didn't mince words on several tactics used by management and explained why so much doesn't work. It got my attention and I continued my reading with far more interest. There really isn't anything more complimentary I can say than I intend to sell all other books to new students, excect this one which I will hang on to and reference.
great results from this book.......2007-07-06
This is a wonderful book. If you deal with people who need to change how they do their work you must read this book.
great, short, valuable.......2007-07-04
This is a great book for all people who deal with people that are dealing with change. I have found this book useful when being a change agent for a company, or just for management in my own company. Part of the value of this book is it describes the emotional aspect of change. People are not always (usually) logical. Emotions play a large part. Knowing how to deal with the emotional aspect of change is essential. This book gives you great insights in this area.
Managing Transitions by William Bridges.......2007-05-13
This book is great! I was/am dealing with some pretty significant transitions -- the sudden death of my 21 year-old daughter, and a major division re-org at an S&P 500 company. Several months earlier, my VP had mentioned the book and suggested that all of his direct reports to read it. I did and it really hit home.
The author does an excellent job of describing the emotional and organizational impact of change and the mechanics of the process we use to get through it. We use the same basic process to deal with all change -- personal and professional -- and it has been very helpful to understand how it works. There is also a section in the book about the life cycle of an organization and that was illuminating. The book provided some tools to help me make critical decisions.
I bought six copies of the book and have given them out to friends and co-workers.
Amazon.com
"Change is good" is the new mantra of organizational culture--but that doesn't mean that change is easy to take, especially if it's your responsibility to initiate and manage it. This snappy 72-page guide to weathering the winds of workplace change equips you with a quick-and-dirty plan for finessing change in three crucial phases: planning change (deciding what to change and what not to change, involving others, making an action plan, anticipating its effects and resistance to it, and testing and checking your plans), implementing change (communicating it, assigning responsibility, developing commitment to it, and limiting resistance), and consolidating change (monitoring progress, maintaining momentum, and building on it for future growth). On every page of this hard-working little handbook, boxed tips, mini case studies, handy to-do checklists, and easy-to-follow and adaptable flow charts demystify the process, and bring it to life. Granted, if you're looking for very specific or in-depth guidance, you might find this book too cursory and general in its approach. But, if you're looking for a thumbnail guide to the basics, it'll do just fine.
It's worth mentioning that the book is part of the "Essential Managers" series by reference publisher Dorling-Kindersley--a series comprising 20 itty-bitty books on business and career topics that range from communication, leadership, and decision-making to the management of time, budgets, change, meetings, people, projects, and teams. Combining the talent of the "For Dummies" book series for breaking down a lot of information into bite-sized bits and sidebars with Dorling-Kindersley's signature design style of crisp, classy graphics on a gleaming white backdrop, the books don't represent the cutting edge of business thinking or reflect necessarily any unique individual perspective. Instead, it's as if someone had collated the best general thinking on these 20 topics, and rolled them out into 72 brightly designed and easy-to-read pages--studded along the way with boxed tips, color shots of a multiracial cast of "coworkers" animatedly hashing through the workplace issues of the day, and, on the last few pages of each volume, a self-test of one's skills in the topic at hand. Again, they're not for anyone who's looking for more in-depth or focused help on any of the covered subjects, but they're perfect as a quick general-interest reference; and, let's face it, they're so damn cute, and look so smart in a neat little stack or row, that probably you'll want to buy a whole bunch to give as gifts to your entire staff or department. --Timothy Murphy
Book Description
Ability to change is crucial in today's business environment -- this book shows managers how to implement successful new ideas.
Learn all you need to know about adapting to change, from initiating modifications to responding positively to them. Managing Change enables you to understand and plan for change to achieve the best results, plus it provides practical techniques for you to try in different settings. Power tips help you handle real-life situations and develop the first-class management skills that are the key to a productive and informed workplace. The Essential Manager have sold more than 1.9 million copies worldwide! Experienced and novice managers alike can benefit from these compact guides that slip easily into a briefcase or a portfolio. The topics are relevant to every work environment, from large corporations to small businesses. Concise treatments of dozens of business techniques, skills, methods, and problems are presented with hundreds of photos, charts, and diagrams. It is the most exciting and accessible approach to business and self-improvement available.
Customer Reviews:
Overview only.......2007-09-04
Nice book, but you must read other books about decision making to understand what this book is all about.
What you need to know about managing change.......2005-09-22
Managing Change is a small book packed with information and ideas about managing change. It is direct and to-the-point. It is about 70 pages long and can fit in a jacket pocket which means that if you are busy implementing change, you can quickly read it (for example while in the metro going to and from work). This is also ideal if you need to implement change management soon or you are already implementing it and you need quick guidance on the way forward. If you are a facilitator or consultant and you need to present a crash course on managing change, you will find this little book very handy.
The book is divided into four sections namely:
* Understanding Change
* Planning Change
* Implementing Change
* Consolidating Change
These areas pretty covers all the main areas one would require when involved in a change process. The book is cheap and I would buy it for everyone involved in the change process, from the top of the organisation hierarchy to the front-line staff.
The book's main advantage of its compactness is also its main limitation. Not all the information required to become an effective change agent can be accommodated in a 70 or so page book. The book is excellent for a person looking for an entry-level book on the topic of managing change. This book will give you a good base structure from which to work. However, a more advanced student of change management would need to seek other books on the subject. I would recommend this book as a quick read while travelling.
Practical Techniques.......2005-09-15
All with practical techniques, Essential Managers series has 'Managing Change' that shows you how to initiate, anticipate and respond positively to change with the change! You can be an efficient and flexible manager to prove your worth with great accessible charts and flow diagrams and gear up for action and provide useful examples. Change is the single most important element of business management today says Rober Heller, the author of this series. With the rising economy level and competitions in the aggressive market, organizations and particularly individuals, have to adopt a positive attitude to bring about a 'Change'. To remain ahead of rivals, set trends and lead change in order to survive. Technical advice is given in this book on how to achieve the best from the staff by using their strengths and involving them at all stages. It has 101 concise tips with vital information and as usually found common in all Essential managers series - a self assessment exercise allows you to evaluate and improve your 'Change Management Skills'.
The contents are:
1.Understanding Change
a)Why Change? b)Understanding the causes of change c)Recognizing Sources of change d)Categorizing types of change
2.Planning Change
a)Focusing on goals b)Identifying the demand for change c)selecting essential changes d)evaluating complexity d)planning ways to involve people e)choosing a timescale f)making an action plan g)anticipating effects h)anticipating resistance to change i) testing and checking plans
3.Implementing Change
a)Communicating Change b)Assigning Responsibility c)Developing Commitment d)Changing culture e) Limiting Resistance
4. Consolidating Change
a) Monitoring progress b)Reviewing Assumptions c)Maintaining Momentum d)Building on Change e)Assessing your Change Management Skills.
The leaders do need to Change with the Change but now even an individual need to brush up his skills and minimize negatives. All change require changes in behavior which in turn flow from and create changes in attitude. Attitudes effect from job experiences, personnel changes, successes and setbacks and I feel, involvement thoroughly to be realistic and avoid complacency as success carries a hidden risk too. It's the need of the hour to be alert and aware. This book is a gem for any Corporate Office or Managers' office bookshelf. Even individuals who dream big to be leaders should possess and gift their bosses. Great Pick.
-ilaxi
Useful Reference Guide for various aspects of change.......1999-08-30
This little booklet is full of small "sound bites" on the various aspects of change management and an ideal primer for people who want answers/ solutions "now." Has managed to capture major concepts and, through diagrams, pictures and charts, delivered them in an easy to understand and apply manner.
Book Description
Managing for the Future is an innovative approach to teaching organizational behavior based on the course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The text first presents the new organization, examining it through strategic, political, and cultural lenses. Then the role and impact of teams and central issues facing the organization itself are explored. The last section of the text focuses on skills--the goal being not only to present the new organization but also illustrate how students can become better actors within it. Each of the 14 modules provides many instructional options through cases, readings, exercises and projects. Managing for the Future's modular format allows for even greater flexibility, allowing instructors to select only the topics they need to suit their course needs. Managing for the Future's flexible design and its' experiential-based approach make the text and appealing choice for experienced learners.
Book Description
Managing Change and Transition
Managing through change and crisis is difficult in any business environment, let alone one as turbulent as managers face today. This timely guide offers authoritative advice on how to recognize the need for organizational change, communicate the vision, prepare for structural change such as M&A, and address emotional responses to downsizing. With tools for managing stress levels and advice on gathering and sharing information during transition, this book is an indispensable guide for managers at any level of the organization.
Customer Reviews:
Managing Change and Transition.......2007-01-03
Best text on managing change I have encountered. A great addition to my management and leadership collection! Rita Shaw Rone, Ph.D.
Invaluable "Essentials".......2003-09-25
This is one of several paperbacks in the "Essentials" series, each of which offers "cutting edge" thinking on a major business subject. Mike Beer served as the adviser to Richard Luecke while he wrote this volume. Brief information about both is provided. There are seven chapters following an Introduction in which Luecke observes that "Accepting the necessity and inevitability of change enables [all companies and their decision-makers] to see times of transition not as threats but as opportunities -- opportunities for reinventing the company and its culture." Indicators include a merger, acquisition, or divestiture; the launch of a new product or service; a new leader; or a new technology. "In this book you will learn how to manage change constructively, and how to help your company, division, and people deal with the upheavals of change. You'll also learn practical things you can do to make change initiatives more successful and less painful for the people you manage."
Each of the seven chapters (which are arranged in a logical sequence) focuses on a separate but related component of effective management of change and transition. For example, in Chapter 2, Luecke explains why leaders must be respected and effective for change to happen, the role of motivation in change-readiness, the importance of a nonhierarchical culture in implementing change, and then offers several "tips" on how to become "change ready." To me, one of the most valuable chapters is the sixth (in which Luecke examines the four stages of reaction to change (i.e. shock, defensive retreat, acknowledgment, and acceptance and adaptation), how individuals can help themselves navigate change, how managers can help employees cope with change, and alternative ways for managers to think about change registers.
At the conclusion of each of the seven chapters, Luecke offers an especially useful "Summing Up" section which facilitates a periodic review of key points. I also appreciate the provision of Appendix A ("Useful Implementation Tools") and Appendix B ("How to Choose and Work with Consultants"), both of which provide basic but sound information to supplement material covered in the previous chapters.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Jim O'Toole's Leading Change, William Bridges' Transitions and Managing Transitions and Jon Katzenbach's Real Change Leaders, all of which are available in paperback editions.
Book Description
Creativity, new ideas, innovation -- in any age they are keys to success, but in today's whirlwind economy they are essential for survival itself. Yet, as Robert Sutton explains, the standard rules of business behavior and management are precisely the opposite of what it takes to build an innovative company. We are told to hire people who will fit in; to train them extensively; and to work to instill a corporate culture in every employee. In fact, in order to foster creativity, we should hire misfits, goad them to fight, and pay them to defy convention and undermine the prevailing culture. Weird Ideas That Work codifies these and other proven counterintuitive ideas to help you turn your workplace from staid and safe to wild and woolly -- and creative.
Stanford professor Robert Sutton is an authority on innovation and a popular speaker. In Weird Ideas That Work he draws on extensive research in behavioral psychology to explain how innovation can be fostered in hiring, managing, and motivating people; building teams; making decisions; and interacting with outsiders. Business practices like "hire people who make you uncomfortable," "reward success and failure, but punish inaction," and "decide to do something that will probably fail, and then convince yourself and everyone else that success is certain" strike many managers as strange or even downright wrong. Yet Weird Ideas That Work shows how some of the best teams and companies use these and other counterintuitive practices to crank out new ideas, and it demonstrates that every company can reap sales and profits from such creativity.
Weird Ideas That Work is filled with examples of each of Sutton's 11 1/2 practices, drawn from hi- and low-tech industries, manufacturing and services, information and products. More than just a set of bizarre suggestions, it represents a breakthrough in management thinking: Sutton shows that the practices we need to sustain performance are in constant tension with those that foster new ideas. The trick is to choose the right balance between conventional and "weird" -- and now, thanks to Robert Sutton's work, we have the tools we need to do so.
Download Description
Creativity, new ideas, innovation -- in any age they are keys to success, but in today's whirlwind economy they are essential for survival itself. Yet, as Robert Sutton explains, the standard rules of business behavior and management are precisely the opposite of what it takes to build an innovative company. We are told to hire people who will fit in; to train them extensively; and to work to instill a corporate culture in every employee. In fact, in order to foster creativity, we should hire misfits, goad them to fight, and pay them to defy convention and undermine the prevailing culture. Weird Ideas That Work codifies these and other proven counterintuitive ideas to help you turn your workplace from staid and safe to wild and woolly -- and creative. Stanford professor Robert Sutton is an authority on innovation and a popular speaker. In Weird Ideas That Work he draws on extensive research in behavioral psychology to explain how innovation can be fostered in hiring, managing, and motivating people; building teams; making decisions; and interacting with outsiders. Business practices like "hire people who make you uncomfortable," "reward success and failure, but punish inaction," and "decide to do something that will probably fail, and then convince yourself and everyone else that success is certain" strike many managers as strange or even downright wrong. Yet Weird Ideas That Work shows how some of the best teams and companies use these and other counterintuitive practices to crank out new ideas, and it demonstrates that every company can reap sales and profits from such creativity. Weird Ideas That Work is filled with examples of each of Sutton's 11 1/2 practices, drawn from hi- and low-tech industries, manufacturing and services, information and products.
Customer Reviews:
Weird and Wonderful.......2007-07-20
"Weird Ideas That Work" works! This is one of the most compelling books I've read in a long time. Sutton manages not only to come up with ideas that seem weird at first glance, but to actually prove them useful and logical at the same time.
The author instructs readers on how to build a creative company by using his 11½ weird ideas, which range from hiring people who make you uncomfortable to deciding to do something that will probably fail. The list looks hilarious until you read the sense that he makes. Of course, Sutton points out that there are different kinds of companies - some aim for innovation and some for efficiency. (He makes it clear that the weird ideas are not for those who require precision -- like airline pilots, for example!)
This book explains how to shatter old habits by giving advice on enhancing variation, seeing old things in new ways ("vu-ja-de"), and breaking away from stifling routines. Sutton also points out that one should not go hog wild - there is a balance between productivity and creativity which everyone must find for themselves.
"Weird Ideas" offers great wisdom mixed with humor and pure entertainment. If you're a rebel, a brat, or just plain anyone who wants to try completely new management techniques, then you'll love this book. So whip the tablecloth right out from under that crippled, jaded system you've got going and try at least a few of these wild weird ideas.
Agitate, Isolate & Be Ridiculous... Oh, and AGITATE.......2006-12-01
I was a big fan of Sutton's Knowing-Doing gap that offered a real solution to a real problem. This book had an unreal feel to it for me though.
He offers 12 practices for fostering innovation. The first four of these have to do with Human Resources. Hire slow learners. Hire people that make you feel uncomfortable. Hire people you probably don't need. Now forgive me if I am wrong, but as imperfect as Human Resources is anyway, don't we already do some of that? Also recommended is to interview job applicants to get new ideas. What about the people?
The next two have to do with office manners. Encourage people to ignore and defy superiors. Isn't ignore a little strong? Find some happy people and get them to fight. No comment.
The next is to reward success and failure, but punish inaction. OK, we already fire non-producers, but is it really so that success and failure deserve the same billing?
The next two are on the edge of silliness. Decide to do something that will probably fail and be 100% certain of its success. Think of some ridiculous or impractical things to do.
The next is avoid, distract and bore customers and critics.
Then, don't try to learn anything from people who say they have solved the problems you face.
Finally, forget the past success of the company.
This book says some pretty wild things that will get you thinking. Although these counterintuitive ideas are offered as 'proven', you won't find the proof in this book. By the normal lottery of hiring, you will certainly get a mix of the above. There are many better books on the philosophy and practical application of innovation available.
Sorry to disappoint some with this review, but don't let this stop you from reading Sutton's Knowing-Doing Gap which I found excellent and have also reviewed it here on Amazon.
3 Stars
Routine right and wrong.......2006-10-24
All activities need both effective routine and regular innovation. Consider the difference. There are times when it makes sense to do the same thing right, over and over again, without slipping. But there are also times, and types of activities, where doing something in a very new and different way is essential. The real-life examples in this book support these 11½ methods for finding new ways of doing things, and producing new kinds of products and services. Worthwhile reading for anyone who wants to inject a little spice into the routine of software development and delivery.
Productive New Concepts.......2005-11-23
This is a wonderful but dangerous book. The 11 and 1/2 weird ideas it contains are terrific, exciting and slippery. Use them right and you could transform your company into a hotbed of innovation. Use them wrong and you could also transform your company into a disorganized mess. Author Robert I. Sutton clearly explains that some situations do not require innovation - that they are, in fact, terrible settings for new things. Companies focus on the routine for an extremely logical reason: it makes money now. Identifying situations that can make money with routine work versus circumstances that require change is a tough distinction, particularly since innovation requires many failures, disrupts your culture and forces you to take a rough look into the future. We thus recommend this book to a select group: those who know their fields and organizations extremely well. If you can see clearly through both the current jargon that promotes innovation and your organization's often unspoken prejudices, you will find this book exciting and extremely productive.
Not so weird ideas for innovation labeled weirdly.......2005-11-16
This book is a useful and fun read. It offers some solid ideas for innovation but the ideas are labeled in order to draw attention. For instance, the first idea is, "Hire "slow learners"", however the intention behind this is just hire stubborn people who are unaffected by others opinions and norms. These people will go against the standards and breed creativity. Another idea is "Find some happy people and make them fight" with the basic idea behind this technique being get optimistic people, who are naturally more creative. Put them in a room together and let them bounce ideas together until a new and improved idea is created.
Another thing to be prepared for with this book is that the ideas all go against commonly accepted business practices. That is because the ideas are admittedly not for present success but calculated and proven risks for future innovation. So anyone interested in changing their business and preparing to get an edge on competitors in the future will benefit from this book.
Book Description
The successful implementation of health information systems in complex health care organizations ultimately hinges upon the receptivity and preparedness of the user. Although the Information Age is well underway, user resistance to information systems is still a valid concern facing the informatics community. This book provides effective management strategies to health care administrators, for the productive integration and maintainance of such information systems. The Second Edition covers three main areas: technical skills, project management skills, and organizational and people skills, including the practical implementation strategies necessary to make the system an operational success. The text will be complemented by 40 illustrations and 20 tables, as well as providing more guides and "how to" information, which are of great use to the reader. Key topics include: setting the stage; strategic vision, direction, and project planning; critical issues in project planning and management; critical design issues; the implementation process; negotiating political minefields; the critical role of leaders and leadership; dealing with end stage people issues; evaluating project success; managing the altered organization; and organizational and personal preparation for the future. The audience for this book consists of those who require sophisticated health information systems, namely health care administrators, CEOs, clinicians, IT developers, librarians, and professors.
Book Description
Organization Development and Transformation is a paperback collection of 46 readings that focuses on how people function with and within organizations, and how to make the working relationship function best. This edition includes coverage of classic OD articles, coverage of topics such as self-directed teams, centers of excellence, and learning organizations
Customer Reviews:
Excellent & expedient service.......2006-07-13
The textbook was brand new and was wrapped in cellophane. Class began the following week, and the book arrived that week-end which gave me enough time to complete assignments in a timely fashion.
Great Resource.......2005-10-10
I used this book in my MBA program. This is a very good resource. It is researched based with many articles that are relatively short and to the point.
A excellent collection of the classic readings........2000-12-24
The editors of the book have included in a single volume the classics. The articles include those authored by Kurt Lewin, Chris Argyris, Edgar Schein, Gareth Jones, C.K. Prahalad & Jeffrey Pfeffer besides many others. The latest edition published in 2000 include 16 new readings. Useful resource material for students of organisational behaviour and organisational change. The strategies described in some of the readings could be usefully applied in a variety of work settings. HR practioners and those in human resources development will find some of the articles valuable in crafting policies and renewal of training strategies. To sum it, in the words of the editors, "The field of organisation development is fun and exciting. We hope this anthology will convey some of that sense of excitement." I have discovered that sense of excitement when I read the articles in the book. I will continue to refer to them from time to time.
Book Description
Large Group Interventions are methods used to gather a whole system together to discuss and take action on the target agenda. That agenda varies from future plans, products, and services, to redesigning work, to discussion of troubling issues and problems. The Handbook of Large Group Methods takes the next step in demonstrating through a series of cases how Large Group Methods are currently being used to address twenty-first-century challenges in organizations and communities today, including:
- Working with widely dispersed organizations, and the problem of involvement and participation
- Working with organizations facing a serious business crisis
- Working with organizations in polarized and politicized environments
- Working in community settings with diverse interest groups
- Working at the global level and adapting these methods for cross-cultural use
- Embedding and sustaining new patterns of working together in organizations and communities
Customer Reviews:
The Handbook of Large Group Methods.......2007-09-12
Trust Alban and Bunker to use their social science prowess and rich professional experiences to create an eminently pragmatic handbook for leaders of systems change. To their credit, the entire construction of the book also employs the very principles espoused by the contributors: inclusion of stakeholders, engagement of multiple perspectives, search for common ground, transparency, and appreciation for diversity. After soliciting cases from around the world, the authors organized them into helpful categories of interventions around "six challenges for the 21st century" and added their views on the issues created by those challenges. These chapter inputs are perfect executive summaries for clients who are mired in these dilemmas daily and are looking for solutions and they will help introduce the large group engagement methods the consultant is offering. Also invaluable is the authors' matrix of each case that delineates the organizational sector, the situation addressed, and the methods used--truly makes the text handy.
Although the book stands on its own merits for the sophisticated organization consultant, reading their previous Large Group Interventions (Jossey Bass, 1997) would give the appropriate context for the creative adaptations of the original methods that their latest book so well describes. The Handbook has not only added new methods (Appreciative Inquiry Summit, World Café and AmericaSpeaks) but, more importantly, it describes combinations of traditional methods along with new twists which are thoroughly described. Appropriately, there is a greater reliance on engagement principles for a change process instead of previously prescribed recipes for events in their prior book.
The consultant contributors have been generous with details, for the most part, so that seasoned organization development consultants will feel comfortable employing these tested methods of engagement. On the other hand, there also could also be a warning sticker that reads: "Don't Try This Alone in your Ballroom!" because much of the success comes with years of experience working with diverse groups and learning what doesn't work. Partnering with such experts is the wisest way to dive into whole system change.
As a trainer of large group principles, I particularly appreciated the enhancement tools this handbook describes--Polarity Mapping (B. Johnson), Gestalt therapy, coaching theory, using professional actors for storytelling, graphic facilitation and more. I look forward to the 2017 iteration Bunker and Alban offer to keep us on our toes!
Elizabeth K. Olson
Preferred Futures, Inc.
Carlotta Tyler, OD Consultant and Executive Coach.......2007-03-18
This Handbook is a valuable, broad scope look at public and private sector systems currently engaged in change iniatitives around the world. Relatively free of jargon and untried theories, these field-tested case studies will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers from organization leaders and HR professionals to business school students. I came away with some important new ideas for my work and avoided a few pitfalls after reading the book.
An excellent combination of practice, theory and new ideas.......2007-02-03
Through the many cases presented, Barbara and Billie were able to present to the reader how the different Large Group Methods actually can be applied, and, specially, how they form part of a larger roadmap for systemic change. Interesting also how all cases have a reflections session, which is very usefull in giving actual or to-be practitioners concrete tips for implementation.
The combination of cases with theory about the methods and innovative ideas (for example, on the use of Technologies and Graphic facilitation)resulted in a superior learning experience and complements very well their first book ("Large Group Interventions: Engaging the Whole System for Rapid Change").
Last but not least, I was happy to note how there was a shift in attention from method to challenges that organizations or communities are facing - so a focus on impact and change. A book worth reading for those that are facing or will face large scale changes.
Substantive and Provocative.......2007-01-16
In the complex, interconnected, global environment that most organizations work in daily, it is no longer possible for a few people "at the top" of the organization to have all the knowledge, expertise, and perspective needed for its success. At NovaLearning, we have used large group methods with colleges and universities for about fifteen years. I have constantly seen how institutions become better -- more focused, more strategic, but also more humane -- as they incorporate ideas and insight from across the system into their operation. When Bunker and Alban's earlier book was published, I was delighted because it captured well the range of large group approaches that had developed by 1996. This new handbook goes much further.
These are substantive case studies exceptionally well framed by Bunker and Alban's insight and experience. The diverse case study authors are generous in sharing at a level of specificity that makes real learning from their experiences possible. Each chapter is organized around the presenting challenge, the context and methodology (and why chosen), a detailed description of what actually happened, and perhaps most importantly, a set of reflections and insights that give the reader the chance to share in the authors' learning. I also found valuable the examples of how the innovative use of communication technologies can provide new opportunities as well as sometimes create unexpected limitations. I strongly recommend The Handbook of Large Group Methods to consultants who use or want to use large group methods. Individual chapters will also be important and provocative for corporate, academic, social, and political leaders and change agents.
How These Methods Actually Work In Practice.......2007-01-08
The strength of this book lies in the fact that it not only provides methodologies and resources for creating change in organizations in the 21st century; but also identifies how these methodologies actually work in practice.
A series of case studies ranges from addressing business issues at American Airlines and the BBC to managing change in organizations in Mexico and Indonesia. The reader is taken on a journey by those individuals who were responsible for implementing large group methodologies in their respective organizations.
By reading about these success stories and the methodologies they employ, you will be able to develop a plan for you own organization that will ensure a higher level of success that would otherwise be possible.
Walter Willigan, President, Willigan Consulting LLC
Book Description
This classic, newly updated, is an indispensable source for anyone–from mid-level managers to CEOs–who must execute key business initiatives quickly and effectively. Once groundbreaking and now time-honored, Managing at the Speed of Change has helped countless business leaders learn how to orchestrate transitions vital to their organizations’ success. Rather than focusing on what to change, this book’s aim is far more valuable: It shows readers how to change.
Daryl R. Conner, founder and chairman of the consulting firm Conner Partners, is a leading expert on change management. He has served as “change doctor” for clients that include non-profit enterprises, government agencies and administrations, and Fortune 500 companies in an array of industries such as Abbott Laboratories, PepsiCo, American Express, Catholic Healthcare West, JPMorgan Chase, and the U.S. Navy.
Based on Conner’s long-term research and his decades of consulting experience, Managing at the Speed of Change uses simple, easy-to-understand language and elegant visuals to explore the dynamics of change, and in doing so, teaches readers
• why major change is difficult to assimilate
• what distinguishes resilient individuals from those who suffer future shock
• how and why resistance forms
• how people become committed to change
• why organizational culture is so important to the success of change
• the roles most central to change in organizational settings
• why powerful teamwork is at the heart of achieving change objectives, and how to foster it
In this pioneering book, updated for the twenty-first century, Conner demonstrates how both individuals and organizations can develop the capacity not only to endure change but to thrive on it.
Download Description
“Through the author’s creative and strategic use of storytelling, Managing at the Speed of Change paints a compelling picture: The biggest, most expensive thing that can derail success is resistance to change in all its forms, from arrogance and complacency to fear or ignorance. As an authority on change management, Conner writes a wonderful prescription, providing relief not just in the race for business but on a personal level, too.”
–Bob Nardelli, chairman, president, and CEO, The Home Depot
“While many of the concepts in this book’s first publication have now become classic, they are every bit as relevant and impactful, especially to an organization for whom change is an imperative.”
–Howard Pien, chairman and CEO, Chiron Corporation
“Managing at the Speed of Change provides essential working knowledge for anyone leading or implementing major change. I have been using this material since it was first published, and it is as valuable today as it was then. Daryl Conner’s insights are timeless and enduring.”
–Valerie Norton, executive director, organizational development, Merck and Company, Inc.
“It is refreshing to finally read a book that contains simple, clear, actionable concepts and ideas that deal with change management and can be used by all levels of management who face today’s staggering business realities. I found Mr. Conner’s book to be educational, thought-provoking, insightful, and stimulating. He recognizes ‘the need for speed.’ ”
–Lloyd H. Dean, president and CEO, Catholic Healthcare West
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
A guide to interpreting managers.......2007-07-30
I found this book helpful in interpreting how the managers where I work speak. The book could have had some more concrete examples in my opinion, but that's just my learning style. It's alwasy interesting to read a book that is categorized as a "blueprint" just to see how far off course you are.
Facing the Beast Called Change - This Book Does That Superbly.......2007-07-13
I have lived through over a decade of watching companies waste millions on failed software implementations, sales initiatives, and -- yes--the much dreaded "Business Process Re-engineering."
After reading Daryl's book three times, I have distilled his 30 years' of wisdom down to some probing questions. I recommend every company undergoing significant change consider these questions as "book discussion guide..."
1. What is the most profound change you face as a leader? Please think through all lenses, including client changes, industry, regulatory, global, demographic, political, environmental, technology, and personal/health/spiritual/relationships.
2. Daryl Conner says "our lives are the most effective and efficient when we are moving at a speed that allows us to appropriately assimilate the changes we face."
What phase of assimilation is your team experiencing now? (Chapter 8)
3. "Future shock" is the point where humans can no longer assimilate change without displaying dysfunctional behavior. Name 3 dysfunctional behaviors that represent future shock in your company.
Now describe how you would help your colleague change those behavior(s). (pages 55-57).
4. Conner describes how "The Beast" loves to take dreams and turn them into nightmares. What is the loudest message The Beast says within your culture?
5. What are the top 3 change initiatives within your organization today?
6. What key values (behaviors, beliefs or assumptions) are essential to supporting these most pressing change initiatives?
7. Name 1 behavior you are willing to change to foster synergy and resilience (Chapters 12-14).
I have used these questions with my clients to help them gain more focus on what's important, eliminate what is not important, and align their teams towards a common goal. I trust you may benefit from them as well.
Thank you, Daryl, for your dedication to helping leaders in highly volatile times.
Lisa Nirell
www.energizegrowth.com
Immediately applicable tools for dealing with change.......2006-07-24
In part because author Daryl R. Conner applies common sense ideas, and in part because his ideas have spread throughout corporate culture, some aspects of this book may seem familiar. Conner would probably count that as a positive development, because one of his core premises is that change is exhausting and, therefore, you should try to make changes as palatable as possible to the people they will affect. Thomas Edison did this by making the first electric lights resemble the already-familiar gas fixtures. But even if you've heard all of this before, don't underestimate the book's usefulness. Conner's theories may not surprise you, but he offers many immediately applicable tools for dealing with change, and he uses clear, expressive language to do so. Because you'll learn several useful tips if you read even a few pages, we recommend this book to anyone guiding any kind of organization - family, nonprofit, business or school - through change.
An excellent book for anyone involved in major change initiatives.......2006-03-10
An excellent job of putting all of the issues, concerns, and challenges regarding change into perspective --- and to provide a model for addressing changes. The approach presented in this book will be very useful to me in my work as a consultant helping corporations through major re-engineering and system upgrade projects. Daryl Conner shows how broadly changes affects people at all levels, and provides a practical model for individuals facing change, that can help them work through it in constructive ways.
A Real Guru Explains the Dynamics of Change.......2006-02-19
Daryl Conner probably knows more about the phenomenon of change in organizations than aybody in the world. This is his first major book on the subject, and it's a good one.
Book Description
Organizational change initiatives often fail because they focus exclusively on the rational, overt aspects of change, overlooking the powerful role played by concealed or irrational factors. It's well known that these covert processes—such as hidden agendas, blind spots, office politics, tacit assumptions, secret hopes, wishes and fears—frequently sabotage change efforts, but up until now nobody has offered a rigorous, consistent way of identifying and dealing with them.
Drawing on over thirty years of experience as an organizational change consultant to global corporations and government agencies, Robert J. Marshak shows precisely how to bring these hidden processes to light and deal with their negative impact. Marshak identifies five different dimensions of covert processes, presents an integrated model to explain the ultimate source of all of them, and shows how to diagnose whether any covert processes might be at work in your organization. He then offers specific tools and techniques for engaging and managing these "under-the-table" processes and for creating the kind of organizational environment in which such hidden dynamics are unable to flourish. Covert Processes at Work is a comprehensive and practical guide that managers, leaders, and consultants can use to deal with the hidden dynamics that are often at the root of many organizational problems.
Customer Reviews:
Change Derailed.......2007-08-30
If you've been working with organizational change for decades, as I have, and have been frustrated by trying to convince upper management of the importance of the human factor in change processes, this book goes a long way to relieving that frustration. In fact,I'm planning on stocking up on copies to give as gifts.
Marshak makes it very clear why applying yet another logical argument will not reduce resistance to change. The prism model he and Judy Katz developed makes it easier to identify multiple perspectives and entry points into any change.Clear examples, lists, and processes for understanding and incorporating the human face of change round out this well-written book.
Any business manager needs COVERT PROCESSES AT WORK........2006-12-11
Hidden agendas, office politics and underlying assumptions can all work against attempts to restructure an organization to be more effective, so you need Covert Processes at Work: Managing the Five Hidden Dimensions of Organizational Change to understand these processes. Each chapters offers specific tools addressing specific processes and typical problems, blending case history examples with surveys of covert blocking factors, problems in addressing them, and maintaining focal points of change. Any business manager needs COVERT PROCESSES AT WORK.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
TACKLES THE CHALLENGE OF UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING HIDDEN ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS!.......2006-09-23
Explores the unseen, unspoken and unacknowledged processes and psychodynamics of organization behavior at the individual and group levels, including hidden agendas, blind spots, politics, mindsets, values, and individual reasoning and motivation, both conscious and unconscious, that account for behaviors, particularly regarding organizational change.
Beyond explaining, the author also tackles the challenge of identifying and addressing these hidden processes. Central to the book is an integrated framework or model for identifying overt and covert dimensions of organizational change and behavior and revealing the sources and manifestations of covert processes.
Much emphasis is placed on diagnosis of these covert processes, but over half the book focuses on how to engage, manage and address these hidden dynamics. Additionally, a chapter is devoted to reframing the reader's ideas about organizational politics. All of this rich content provides the 'thinking tools' needed to achieve desired results.
Anyone involved in leadership, or organizational analysis and change--which, as change consultants as well as reviewers, we are--will find this a fascinating, outstanding book that sheds much light upon the dark undercurrents of organizational life.
A stunning book that will transform the field of organizational consulting.......2006-09-20
For the first time, we have a road map to help consultants and managers make discussable anything and everything that has long been considered undiscussable. Move over Chris Argyris. In deceptively simple prose, grounded in the best academic thinking on change management, Marshak presents a brilliant yet amazingly practical model of covert processes at work. No organizational change initiative can afford to ignore the power of unconscious dynamics among executives, managers, and employees. With this book in hand, your chances of success have just shot up a hundred fold.
Dr. Marshak uncovers covert dynamics..........2006-08-26
Ah, if only the global leaders would read Marshak's book, Covert Processes at Work. Anyone who is a change agent, and that includes managers, consultants, community organizers, CEOs, and yes, Prime Ministers/Presidents should read this book. Why? Have you ever lived in an organization where you are being so rational but can't understand why no one is following your suggestions? This book explains how to go about seeing what is not there (under the table). Have you ever thought that the metaphors people use could be a gateway to gaining clarity? Dr. Marshak explains how this can be done. It provides a framework on how to handle politics and much more. In the chaotic and terrifying world we live in, Bob provides a roadmap to help us to become better interveners with an emphasis on ethics and experience. Every chapter has an application on how it is done in the real world. Buy this book now!
Books:
- Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises (Wiley Investment Classics)
- Miracle's Boys
- Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics
- Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor (California Series in Public Anthropology, 4)
- Quicken Willmaker Plus 2007 Edition: Estate Planning Essentials (Book with CD-ROM)
- Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada
- Review Questions and Answers for Veterinary Technicians (3rd Edition, Book & CD-ROM)
- Russian and Soviet Economic Performance and Structure (Addison-Wesley Series in Economics)
- Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945
- Selling China: Foreign Direct Investment During the Reform Era (Cambridge Modern China Series)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Why ERP
- Outdoor Kitchens: Designs for Outdoor Kitchens, Bars, and Dinning Areas
- How To Be A Working Actor: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film, and Television
- Hidden Places of Wales: An Informative Guide to the More Secluded and Less Well-Known Places
- Laws of the Night
- Singled Out: How Singles are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever Afte
- Lobos: Animales Norteamericanos
- ASP.NET Professional Projects
- Computer Accounting With Peachtree: For Microsoft Windows Release 7.0
- Keeping House: A Novel In Recipes
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes
The Way of Transition: Embracing Life's Most Difficult Moments
Leading Change
Managing Change and Transition
The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations
