Rating: 
Summary: Slow death or deep change...the only two choices?
Review: My job as an associate pastor in a large church has me coordinating a number of support groups. These groups include Divorce Recovery, Grief Support for Death of a Loved One, Alcohol and Drug Addictions, Weight Control, and more. I believe this book may hold some of the key to success in helping people move through change.I also believe that Robert Quinn is correct when he maintains that people and organization have but two main choices... 1. Slow death, or 2. Deep change Quinn maintains that today it is impossible to remain the same because everything around us is changing, and therefore we must change. Early in his book, on page 6, he says, "It is now widely recognized that to remain competitive in today's global enviroment organizations must frequently make deep change. What is not so widely recognized is that organizational members must also make deep change." He continues by saying, "...an organic organization is one that is responsive, acts quickly and in coordinated way, and can adjust and learn and grow." "...only organic individuals can create an organic organization."
Rating:
Summary: Change, die or exist
Review: Organizations and people adapt to their environments and change, or they die or they merely exist.(become the walking dead in Quinn's words) However, there are times when something more than evolution is needed and that revolution is called "deep change". Quinn outlines why so many people in so many organizations see the need for change, but the leaders just talk or say, "I told them to change" and the followers wonder why nothing ever happens. Quinn offers explanations for why the change frequently does not take place and then gives examples of how it can and has happened in other places.
He gives us hope that perhaps things can change. In any case he helps us to learn to be the transformational leader, if we look inside and if we are willing to face the pain of change.
Another reviewer pans Quinn for concentrating on the pain of change, but I have seen few people change without pain of some sort motivating them and even fewer organizations. I am a life coach and therapist and helping people change is my business, but there usually is a motivator for the change and with most people and organizations it is pain of some sort.
This book, while not a difficult read causes thought and is therefore a great read. Highly recommended. Thank you Dr. Quinn for being real with us.
Rating:
Summary: Change, die or exist
Review: Organizations and people adapt to their environments and change, or they die or they merely exist.(become the walking dead in Quinn's words) However, there are times when something more than evolution is needed and that revolution is called "deep change". Quinn outlines why so many people in so many organizations see the need for change, but the leaders just talk or say, "I told them to change" and the followers wonder why nothing ever happens. Quinn offers explanations for why the change frequently does not take place and then gives examples of how it can and has happened in other places.
He gives us hope that perhaps things can change. In any case he helps us to learn to be the transformational leader, if we look inside and if we are willing to face the pain of change.
Another reviewer pans Quinn for concentrating on the pain of change, but I have seen few people change without pain of some sort motivating them and even fewer organizations. I am a life coach and therapist and helping people change is my business, but there usually is a motivator for the change and with most people and organizations it is pain of some sort.
This book, while not a difficult read causes thought and is therefore a great read. Highly recommended. Thank you Dr. Quinn for being real with us.
Rating:
Summary: If you are interested in change, you must read this book.
Review: This book offers great insights into change and cognitive mapping, and it offers great teaching stories, for example: "Karl Weick tells a story about a military unit that was operating under difficult circumstances in the Alps during Word War II. The commanding officer had sent a reconnaissance squad to scout out the surrounding area. A day passed, and the squad had not returned. It was feared that it was lost. Three days later, to everyone's relief, the squad returned. It had become lost and very discouraged when one of the men remembered that he had a map in his pack. This discovery brought a surge of hope and renewed energy. The squad leader took the map and led the squad safely back. The story was recounted to the relieved commanding officer, who summoned the squad leader to his tent and commended him for his fine work. It was not until later that the commanding officer noticed the map and realized that it was not a map of the Alps at all but one of the Pyrenees. "Weick points out that a good outcome can result from a flawed map. In this case, the map was a symbol that raised hope and energy. It allowed the squad leader to organize his men and get them to believe in a common strategy of action. The fact that the squad was again moving allowed the men to begin to calculate and think about where they were going. Even though their basic assumptions were wrong, the process of acting and calculating allowed them to learn and resolve their problem. "Deep change works in a similar way. Once we have our sense of direction, we need to get organized, pack our gear, get motivated, and move on out. This process introduces new information and allows us to make choices and progress and grow our way forward. The process also transmits signals to others, and they are attracted by courage and motivation." If you are interested in change, you must read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Treatment of a Valuable Concept
Review: While this book has been around for a while, it is a good treament of a valuable concept. How we interact with our colleagues depends in many respects on how we and they see the world. Deep Change gives a simple, yet effective framework for that understanding and builds from there. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses this book in one of their leadership courses, and I imagine numerous private organizations also use it.
Rating:
Summary: Good Treatment of a Valuable Concept
Review: While this book has been around for a while, it is a good treament of a valuable concept. How we interact with our colleagues depends in many respects on how we and they see the world. Deep Change gives a simple, yet effective framework for that understanding and builds from there. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses this book in one of their leadership courses, and I imagine numerous private organizations also use it.
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