Terms of Engagement

by Axelrod, Richard H.

• ISBN13: 9781576750841
• ISBN10: 1576750841
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-01-12
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

Terms of Engagement is the first book to challenge the Change Management Paradigm with a powerful alternative-the Engagement Paradigm, a practical, principle-based strategy for creating successful change outcomes. Organisational change pioneer Richard Axelrod explains why the old mechanistic approaches to change no longer work and offers four essential new principles that lead to an engaged organisation: I. Widen the circle of involvement, II. Connect people to each other and ideas, III. Create communities for action, and IV. Practice democratic principles. Drawing on examples from such companies as Hewlett-Packard, British Airways and others, Axelrod explains how these four principles enable leaders to create energy and commitment instead of apathy and resistance. He then reveals how this system-wide commitment in turn fosters the energetic, flexible, responsive organisations necessary to thrive in the 21st century.

Table of Contents

Foreword: The Means of Engagement	vii
Peter Block
Preface	xiii
Introduction: You Can't Get There Alone	1	(8)
PART 1 The Problem and the Solution
Why Change Management Needs Changing	9	(20)
The Engagement Paradigm	29	(20)
PART 2 Producing the Engaged Organization
Widening the Circle of Involvement: People and Ideas	49	(26)
Connecting People to Each Other	75	(30)
Creating Communities for Action	105	(30)
Embracing Democratic Principles	135	(30)
PART 3 Getting Started
When Engagement Disengages: Some Words of Caution Before You Begin	165	(32)
The Power of Engagement	197	(16)
Bibliography	213	(2)
Index	215	(4)
About the Author	219	(2)
About the Axelrod Group	221