The Heart of Change
Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
For individuals in every walk of life and in every stage of change, this compact, no-nonsense book captures both the heart--and the "how"--of successful change. Organizations are forced to change faster and more radically than ever. How are companies faring in meeting these challenges--and what can we learn from their experiences? In this powerful follow-up book--organized around Leading Change's revolutionary eight-step change process--Kotter and co-author Dan Cohen reveal the results of their research in over 100 organizations in the midst of large-scale change. What they found may surprise you. Although most organizations believe change happens by making people think differently--Kotter and Cohen say the key lies more in making them feel differently. They introduce a new dynamic--"see-feel-change"--that sparks and fuels action by showing people potent reasons for change that charge their emotions. Through true stories from real people, the authors present a play-by-play of challenges encountered, mistakes made, and lessons learned through each of the eight steps of change--and offer tips and tools readers can apply within their own organizations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Never underestimate the power of a good story," Kotter and Cohen testify in this highly readable sequel to Kotter's groundbreaking Leading Change. Practicing what they preach, they have culled, from hundreds of interviews conducted by Deloitte Consulting, the 34 most instructive and vivid accounts of companies undergoing large-scale change. With chapters organized by each of the eight stages of change Kotter identified in his 1996 bestseller, the authors deftly contrast success stories with fumbles, then utilize the compare-and-contrast format for lively "how-to/how-not-to" discussion. Throughout, they pepper their discussion with arresting (and quotable) aphorisms, such as "Dying will not help" and "Honesty always trumps propaganda," to ensure that readers remain on task, engaged and awake. Viewed in stages with concrete examples and convenient end-of-chapter summaries, the challenges and opportunities of the change process emerge in sharp relief. Kotter and Cohen demonstrate the critical difference that focus, faith, leadership, commitment and creativity make in winning employees' hearts, offering good stories that truly apply to each topic. "The single biggest challenge in the process is changing people's behavior," they insist, while providing convincing evidence (as well as examples of the effectiveness of videos and creative visual displays) that their method of "see-feel-change" will enable a company to overcome resistance lurking in its midst.
