The Change Monster: The Human Forces that Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Change
by Jeanie Daniel Duck

Can you remember a time in the workplace when we haven’t been discussing the subject of change and how we must adapt to it if we are to survive? You’d think by now we’d not only accept the fact that change is constant, but we’d be experts in adapting to it. That, however, has yet to happen. So, let’s add another change metaphor to the ever-growing list. We’ve recently been informed that change is cheese, five frogs on a log, and even a rampaging river. This author, a senior vice-president at Boston Consulting Group, once likened managing change to balancing a mobile. In this book, she identifies change as a monster. She uses this term to describe the unpredictable “human issues that swirl around change.”

It is Duck’s contention that corporate transformations fail not because of operational tasks or systems but because of emotional factors and social issues. To understand and control the monster, Duck devised the “change curve” to represent the five phases of change: stagnation, preparation, implementation, determination, and fruition. As she goes in depth about each stage, the author illustrates her explanation with personal examples from her experiences as an organizational consultant. Duck explains that each company’s experience along the curve will vary; the phases, though, will always remain the same. She then uses examples to illustrate successes and difficulties in negotiating the curve.

The Change Monster is a tough-minded but compassionate book about leadership when major changes are demanded: after a merger, when profits are falling, or markets are being lost. It is also about the discipline and kindness it takes to get the people who report to and depend on you to confront their fears and move on to a new agenda, strategy, or company.

Though targeted at the change-management drivers of the business world, The Change Monster is infused with a sense of the effects of change in all areas of life. This book is a reminder, through stories and anecdotes, of the essentials of the heart and mind that provide the basis for leadership. It also offers warnings that probably will be heeded only after they have been ignored.

Duck is very clear about this and the steps it takes to be successful. She pares away the jargon, excuses and finger pointing this subject engenders and leaves us with an understandable and inspiring map of the territory. Refreshing and to the point, Duck offers corporate leaders uncommon business advice in this evolving age of bricks-and-clicks.

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 8.)

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Organizations
by Richard H. Axelrod

For decades, organizations have been preaching the need for change. Fast Company chose this subject as a recent cover story for its rapidly growing readership. Everything in our lives seems to be changing on a regular basis—including the way we manage change. The change management paradigm first appeared 20 years ago and was hailed as revolutionary at that time. Today, the entire field of organizational change is undergoing a massive revolution.

Author Richard Axelrod, a pioneer in the field of change management, points out that leader-driven change may have worked well in times past but obviously falls short in today’s technology-driven workplace. He doesn’t stop at critiquing conventional change management programs. He recommends a four-aspect change model, the Engagement Paradigm, designed to overcome communication stalls and mis-communications.

This new approach provides a basis for change that truly involves the entire organization. Four essential new principles make the difference:

1. Widen the circle of involvement,
2. Connect people to each other and ideas,
3. Create communities for action, and
4. Practice democratic principles.

Axelrod provides excellent examples from such companies as Hewlett-Packard, First Union Bank, Mercy Healthcare, and others. He explains how these four principles enable leaders to create energy and commitment rather than apathy and resistance. Recognizing the potential for misapplication, he also shows how engagement can disengage, and identifies potential pitfalls to avoid.

This practical guide offers innovative, practical guidance for bringing the entire organization to the level of engagement vital to successful change outcomes.

(This book review was originally published in 2001 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 8.)

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.