Change Management: The People Side of Change

Jeff and Tim have applied their extensive benchmark studies to a short and easy-to-read primer on change management. I've read all three of their books now (you can read my other Amazon reviews), and I am a believer in PROSCI's work as researchers and educators. The ideas in this book are exceptionally well researched and tested. Over 400 businesses participated in the Best Practices research for this book (over 650 for their latest 2012 benchmarking study). We use the concepts daily on our projects to gain understanding and produce results. How often do we assume that just because we worked through all of the issues and developed a strategy we believe will be successful, that our employees will jump onboard as soon as we tell them change is coming? The leadership team may have worked on the solution for months and mentally they're ready to go, not realizing that everyone else is hearing about it for the first time and have a ton of unanswered questions. How often are we surprised by the resistance, even when we tell them "Relax, we have it all figured out?" If your organization experiences constant change, you would be wise to read what Jeff and Tim have to say about developing a Change Competency throughout your company. Imagine how effective your business would be if you could develop a proactive attitude about change and it was pervasive throughout the organization. Would life be more enjoyable for everyone, including yourself? People could face the constant change demands with a positive attitude. They develop the skills and knowledge to work together through the change in a fundamentally different way. Less combative, less resistant. Less fire-fighting and more problem-solving. A business that has developed a change competency is equipped to take on change daily; it becomes "business as usual" and the "flywheel" picks up speed. The Flywheel is a reference to Jim Collin's Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't research; I think this book aligns well with it, giving you some of the "how". Looking to get your flywheel moving? Read this book. One of the great things about the ADKAR model, as the authors note on page 54, is that you can use the model to determine if people are resisting the design of your solution, or if they are resisting change - a great thing to know when you are battling employee resistance. Now you can focus on getting past the issues and on to the work. This alone could save you months and tens of thousands of dollars in wasted man-hours. And the flywheel gains momentum. Change Management: The People Side of Change is an excellent read for anyone thinking about implementing a change project, software upgrade, Business Process Improvement (BPI), SixSigma program, or re-organization. You will want everyone in the leadership team to read it, including front-line supervisors. Once you achieve leadership alignment, ADKAR: a Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community : How to Implement Successful Change in our Personal Lives and Professional Careers is an excellent follow-up, as well as the Employee's Survival Guide to Change . Change Management also has an extensive Appendix, including ADKAR worksheets and a great list of resources to support you on your project. That alone is worth the price of the book! Next steps would be to visit their website, attend a webinar, and even attend a training course; they're taught all over the world.

I have read several of Jeffrey Hiatt's books on change management and I have come to respect the work he has put in to help develop this field of study. Change Management as a profession is still in the early stages if you compare it to the more evolved area of Project Management. In fact it was a subgroup of the PM practices that is now getting enough momentum to be a standalone area of practice. Going back 20 years ago the term Project Manager was new and in many companies unheard of but all company's realized the pain of operating without a PM.....What to do, what to do... Change Management is in that same point on the development timeline and it is a true profession with standard practices and skills required for success. Hiatt is at the forefront in delivering that message and a set of processes and practices from which you can be successful. I recommend this book to you if you realize the need for adapting to change is important to your career and your success. Remember it is all about the people!

This book is essentially an expanded PowerPoint presentation, and I mean that in the best possible way. It is direct, to-the-point, practically applicable, and based on a solid change model (ADKAR). Note that it is a mere 90 pages or so of text, so it is a quick read. If you are a consultant or looking to apply change management principles tomorrow, this is the perfect book for you. The case studies are, however, laughable. One has to do with someone wanting to repave a parking lot and hasn't gotten the buy-in of all the surrounding business owners -- hardly the strategic change some of us are faced with managing.

Great product Came on time And in tact Seller was very helpful

I had to read this for a "Leading Change in the Workplace" class. I thought it would be an extremely boring book, however I was delightfully surprised as I speed read through the book. The concepts were quite interesting and I wouldn't mind rereading this in my free time. I'd cram this book again if given the opportunity.

This is neither a great nor bad book on the subject of change management. It is written in a succinct way and is therefore a quick read. If you are reading a number of texts on the subject, you won't go wrong adding this one to the list, but make sure you read some others alongside it. It does make a number of good points (particularly about senders and receivers of messages), but the examples aren't as powerful as other texts I have read.

I bought this book based on the subtitle, and it didn't disappoint. Organizational change often targets tools and processes, while neglecting the changes of mind and heart needed for lasting success. I found the Prosci A.D.K.A.R. rubric very helpful for understanding the components of personal change that should be part of any change management strategy. A must-read for managers, executives, and "victims" of organizational change.

I had to read this book for a class, but I actually ended up enjoying it. As others have noted, it's a very quick read. But the pages it has are packed with excellent insights and observations gleaned from a number of studies and surveys. The ADKAR model is solid, and even if not followed to the letter will still give you the basics of what you need to consider when planning for and implementing change in an organization. All the project plans in the world won't lead to a successful change if the people affected are neglected.

Excellent book! Clear and step by step methodology, specially recommended to beginners at the change management competency. I feel much more comfortable to Start a change management process after reading this book.

Just what I was looking for, very interesting book..

Very informative and easy to follow change management framework, which is practical to use in any organization (big or small). Useful read!

This has helped with my understanding of Prosi 3 phase model and ADKAR understanding. Given me a greater understanding of the need to managing resistance and having resistance as an important factor when dealing with changes.

Change management for beginners. Useful for a first introduction and enough to get some idea for further developments of the matter