The Change Monster: The Human Forces that Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Change

by Jeanie Daniel Duck

Fear, curiosity, exhaustion, loyalty, paranoia, optimism, rage, and revelation--not quite the kind of emotions that are anticipated or discussed when leaders embark on organizational change, but exactly the kind to expect, says Jeanie Daniel Duck in her treatise on the human element of growth. The Change Monster examines how to effectively plan for, address, and manage the least predictable and perhaps the most important aspect of a successful transformation.

Duck's experience with change has been widespread and varied. During an early career running her own consulting practice and more recent years spent as a senior vice president with the prestigious Boston Consulting Group (BCG), she has guided companies all over the world through the mountains and minefields of mergers, reengineering ventures, and strategic transformation projects. In the process, she has developed and refined her understanding of the five phases of the Change Curve, her own map of the territory of change. The monster in hibernation is the first of those phases, Stagnation, and it's awoken by forceful impetus from on high, through either internally or externally initiated change. Duck discusses both the signs of stagnation and various methods for recognizing the problem--the questions that need to be asked, the analyses that need to be conducted, and the appetite for change that needs to be generated. During the Preparation stage, there are essential tasks for the leaders (achieving alignment and commitment on vision, strategy, and values) that will provoke behavioral-change requirements of all members of the organization, and Duck introduces a BCG tool used to help assess the change bias of any organization. For the Implementation and Determination stages, Duck shares tips on walking the talk, being on the alert for human dynamics that threaten to derail the initiative, and communicating effectively, and offers advice on testing one's assumptions as a leader and staying involved with the process of change at all levels--strategies designed to lead the organization through to the final stage of Fruition. Throughout, Duck refers to the largely positive change experience of a real company, Honeywell Micro Switch, and the less-effective actions of a fictional merger between two pharmaceutical firms.

Duck has also spent time as an artist and teacher, occupations reflected in her understanding of how people cope with both the reality of change and the manner in which it's brought about. Though targeted at the change-management drivers of the business world, The Change Monster is infused with a sense of the effects of change in all areas of life. A sensitive exploration of an often-difficult process. --S. Ketchum

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Management, Leadership

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2001

Reviews

[Arsen Lazursky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good ideas here. Understand why its a bestseller, but not necessarily an eye opener)))

[Kostiantyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good ideas?
Yes, there are quite a few.
Real cases without fiction?
Almost there.
A proven theory of change management?
Well... I would call it a set of hypotheses supported by 1-2 examples each. So, any counter-example would prove it wrong.
And this is one of the two problems I see with this book: raw ideas are presented as a solid theory, examples are presented as evidence, etc… The other one is that the author talks about herself as another person. “I”, “my” and “me” are changed to “she” and “her”. What a strange way to write your own book.

[Fatemah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, but i wished it was more easy to read, it took me very long time to finish it as it was boring.

[Robert Bogue]

Change is often seen as a monster. It’s seen as something that is there to attack the status quo and disrupt everyone’s life. Jeanie Daniel Duck explains how this monster can be tamed in The Change Monster: The Human Forces That Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Change. The change monster, she explains, follows a predictable path called the change curve, and by mastering the change curve, you can tame the monster.

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[Dana Ashfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the course of my career, I've learned that "change management" is both highly critical to creating positive and sustainable change while at the same time, seems to be one of the most ambiguous and widely misunderstood concepts in business. Why? Because change, at its core, requires people to do something different and there's no "formula" for changing human beings. This books brings this dilemma into sharp focus and provides lots of thought-provoking and practical insights.

[Micaela Illy]

Consigliato da Diego Medicina (BCG)

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Companies constantly start change initiatives and frequently results never match-up with their objectives. Why? Well people are involved and Jeanie Duck has managed to communicate this with the reader. If you are about to initiate a reorganization and desire to have your intended results achieved, you are advised to give this a read.

[Sara O’Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction to change management for those new to the topic or just starting to delve into it. Easy to read but informative, and good to keep in the back of your mind when embarking on projects involving change management

[Megomars · Rating 3 out of 5]

the 5 stages in the change curve are: 1) stagnation, 2) preparation, 3) implementation, 4) determination, 5) fruition

[Mark Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me a while to move through this one. Describes a change model and emphasizes communication and building engagement. It was OK, but not really groundbreaking.

[Joy Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read on a little-talked about part of major, organizational-wide change: the emotional affects. Well worth reading if your organization is stagnating and an overhaul is on the horizon.