A Survival Guide to the Stress of Organizational Change

Rating:
Summary: Pragmatic Reality
Review: I am an employee who appreciates reality. This book espouses the importance of personal accountability...for how we work, how we live, how we feel.

The challenge is in doing something right that does not come naturally; proactive rather than reactive. This book made me feel good about how much control I actually do have.

Following the axioms presented will help you step over some tripwires in the minefield of a work-a-day world in the throes of change.

Rating:
Summary: Concise
Review: I've been on both sides of reorganizations, and this book does HELP. It was especially very good advice when I was younger and just beginning to experience the change that all organizations must go through. I held on to my copy and still look at it now and then to remind myself that I shouldn't fight change, but take it as it comes and make the most of it.

Rating:
Summary: Senior managers will love it, but employees will hate it
Review: The tone and messages of the book are such that they will serve to demotivate, rather than inspire, employees. For example:

Message #1: You (the reader) are not senior management. Throughout the book, senior management is described as "the people at the top" and "they." The book immediately sets up a distinction between these two groups - top management, which is moving the company along in response to outside changes, and employees, who are resisting change at every turn.

Message #2: Change is scary, unrelenting, and you (the average person) are naturally not going to like it. And if you weren't scared about change going into the book, you will be after you read it. One of the opening paragraphs reads: "And if today's stress and tension aren't enough to create problems, all a person has to do is consider what the future holds. One close look at what's in store should be enough to worry anyone."

Message #3: You (the reader) are an idiot, and you will persistently resist change unless you wise up to the tips in this book. The book outlines 15 mistakes people usually make in dealing with change. It doesn't offer 15 good ideas for preventing stress due to change, but instead focuses on 15 things you'll probably do wrong unless, of course, you read this book.

On the whole, this book is too simplistic and supplies only minimal rationale for why an employee should change. If you want to get employees to be more open to change, to put their heart into their job, to be more supportive of the company's overall direction, then give them a book that will inspire them. Give them tips for how to be a happier person, both on the job and at home. Talk to them in a positive tone and not a negative one, as this book does. There are many books out there that can accomplish these goals, just not this one.