Managing At the Speed of Change

Rating:
Summary: An excellent and easy read on organizational change.
Review: As a Help Desk manager, I deal with change management on a daily basis. Managing at the Speed of Change put in one book everything I have learned in seminars and hard earned experience and more. The author has an easy writing style, allowing you to focus on what he says rather thatn hammering through loads of technical jargon. I would put this on my must read book for Help Desk managers and IT professionals at all levels.

Rating:
Summary: A "Must Read" Book for IT Pros and Project Managers
Review: As an IT consultant and project manager, dealing with change management occurs on an almost daily basis. Sometimes change management works, and works well, but all too often it fails miserably. Here is an author who understands why this happens and how to remedy the problem.

Author Conner runs one of the foremost consulting firms devoted exclusively to change. He is experienced, and has an easy writing style, allowing you to completely focus on what he says rather than hammering through loads of hype, meaningless acronyms and technical gobbledygook. He explains clearly why change initiatives often don't seem to stay in place after the initial implementation of the change. He then offers sound recommendations on the roles and responsibilities required to execute changes, along with the various pros and cons of different infrastructures for those roles.

Conner illustrates that each of us moves through our lives at our own speed of change, and how we have the ability to enhance our skills by understanding the uniqueness of people who have effectively dealt with change. These people have a vast amount of flexibility, differentiated by being extremely focused, highly resilient, well organized, and very proactive. When people like this work within the configuration of change, leading others through the eight models in the organizational change process, constructive results are bound to happen.

This is definitely a powerful, five-star book, and one that I have no hesitation putting on my personal list of the top "must read" books for IT professionals and project managers at all levels.

Rating:
Summary: Nice combination of some standard and some new concepts
Review: Conner has introduced some interesting concepts in addition to a thorough treatment of how to increase personal and organizational "resilience" to change.

Conner explains why so many change initiatives don't seem to "stick" after the initial roll out of the change. He offers some concrete recommendations on the roles required to execute a change, and the pros and cons of different organizational structures for those roles.

Another interesting concept he introduces is that there is an extra cost associated with being "surprised that we are surprised." During the course of a change, unexpected events occur -- if we are expecting to be surprised, we are better able to absorb the events even if we don't know what they are in advance. This is a strong argument for communicating early and frequently to an organization before and during the change process, rather than holding off until every tiny detail of the change has been worked out.

Rating:
Summary: Nice combination of some standard and some new concepts
Review: Conner has introduced some interesting concepts in addition to a thorough treatment of how to increase personal and organizational "resilience" to change.

Conner explains why so many change initiatives don't seem to "stick" after the initial roll out of the change. He offers some concrete recommendations on the roles required to execute a change, and the pros and cons of different organizational structures for those roles.

Another interesting concept he introduces is that there is an extra cost associated with being "surprised that we are surprised." During the course of a change, unexpected events occur -- if we are expecting to be surprised, we are better able to absorb the events even if we don't know what they are in advance. This is a strong argument for communicating early and frequently to an organization before and during the change process, rather than holding off until every tiny detail of the change has been worked out.

Rating:
Summary: Managing at the Speed of Your Change!
Review: Conner's premise is that all of us move through life at our own speed of change, and that we have the ability to enhance our skills by understanding the characterisitcs of people who have successfully dealt with change. These people have an enormous amount of resilience, characterized by being positive, focused, flexible, organized, and proactive. When these resilient people work within the structure of change, and lead others through the eight patterns in the organizational change process, positive results happen. This book is powerful, and few authors have shared their personal experience with change as openly as Conner, which lends this book a credibility few can match. When read with William Bridges' "Transitions", you have a 1-2 punch in making change your ally.

Rating:
Summary: What the book covers
Review: I found this book useful in how it identified the various elements to be considered in a change project. The comments about how resistance to positive change can still occur and the pattern of reactions to such positive change enlightening. However, pages 253 to 257 should be read first as they explain how the various elements to be considered in a change situation are related; something which I feel should have been done at the beginning of the book.

Rating:
Summary: This book is wonderfully vivid in its description of change
Review: The countless interviews which Mr. Conner performed will certainly pay off for the thousands of executives, leaders, and managers of the planet. This book contains a plethora of information and is the beginning of a real foundation for organizational change and how to deal with it.

David J. Sell, Captain, USAF Managed Care Officer, 95th Medical Group

Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary book
Review: This was one of the best management books that I have ever read. A fantastic link between the philosophy and the actionable tasks of change management.