Change or Die : How to Transform Your Organization from the Inside Out

by Dealy, M. David

• ISBN13: 9780275984052
• ISBN10: 0275984052
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-30
• Publisher: Greenwood Pub Group

Summary

For every business, the choice is stark: "Change--or die." At any moment, fully two-thirds of America's companies claim to be in the midst of some type of organizational revamping. We don't need research from the Harvard Business School (even though it has been conducted) to tell us that most of these initiatives will fail. The business landscape is littered with the carcasses of giants who were unable to adapt to change--Digital, Prime, Wang, and Polaroid, to name a few. What many companies fail to recognize is that organizational change needs to come from within, no matter how profound the external forces. Positive change requires "change agents" throughout the organization--those individuals who can translate the strategic vision of leaders into pragmatic behavior. They will be the early adopters of the new values, actions, and skills required by the company. This book identifies the qualities of great change agents and how these skills can be mastered to serve as a catalyst for change throughout the organization. Illustrating these principles through examples from world-class organizations, Dealy and Thomas demonstrate the techniques for acquiring and executing those skills-and how corporate leaders can encourage and reward this behavior, creating a culture of risk-taking, innovation, and a focus on the future. From seasoned executives to entry-level employees, readers will learn that great change agents: * challenge the status " * stoke the fire of creativity; * embrace the necessity of conflict; * manage risk rather than avoid it; and * develop new change agents. Bringing the process of change out of the realm of the analysts and consultants and to the front lines, the authors show you how to thrive in a world that demands nothing less than continuous change.

Author Biography

Andrew R. Thomas is a professor of international business at the University of Akron. M. David Dealy is Senior Vice President of Transportation for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad.

Table of Contents

1 The Inevitability of Change	1	(12)
2 The Great Change Mistakes	13	(14)
3 The Change Agent Solution	27	(14)
4 Great Change Agents Challenge the Status Quo	41	(10)
5 Great Change Agents Embrace the Necessity of Conflict	51	(8)
6 Great Change Agents Manage Risk, Not Avoid It	59	(14)
7 Great Change Agents Stoke the Fire of Creativity	73	(8)
8 Great Change Agents Develop New Ones	81	(6)
9 Change Expectations and the New MBA	87	(8)
Notes	95	(4)
Bibliography	99