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Covert Processes at Work: Managing the Five Hidden Dimensions of Organizational Change
The first and only guide to diagnosing and dealing with the hidden or covert factors that can ruin even the most meticulously planned change processes.
Organizational change initiatives often fail because they focus exclusively on the rational, overt aspects of change, overlooking the powerful role played by concealed or irrational factors. It’s well known that these covert processes—such as hidden agendas, blind spots, office politics, tacit assumptions, secret hopes, wishes and fears—frequently sabotage change efforts, but up until now nobody has offered a rigorous, consistent way of identifying and dealing with them. Drawing on over thirty years of experience as an organizational change consultant to global corporations and government agencies, Robert J. Marshak shows precisely how to bring these hidden processes to light and deal with their negative impact. Marshak identifies five different dimensions of covert processes, presents an integrated model to explain the ultimate source of all of them, and shows how to diagnose whether any covert processes might be at work in your organization. He then offers specific tools and techniques for engaging and managing these “under-the-table” processes and for creating the kind of organizational environment in which such hidden dynamics are unable to flourish. Covert Processes at Work is a comprehensive and practical guide that managers, leaders, and consultants can use to deal with the hidden dynamics that are often at the root of many organizational problems.
“Adding these tools…will take both your practice and your clients to a whole new level of capability and impact.” —Karen Boylston, PhD, Managing Director, Duke Corporate Education
Organizational change initiatives often fail because they focus exclusively on the rational, overt aspects of change, overlooking the powerful role played by concealed or irrational factors. It’s well known that these covert processes—such as hidden agendas, blind spots, office politics, tacit assumptions, secret hopes, wishes and fears—frequently sabotage change efforts, but up until now nobody has offered a rigorous, consistent way of identifying and dealing with them. Drawing on over thirty years of experience as an organizational change consultant to global corporations and government agencies, Robert J. Marshak shows precisely how to bring these hidden processes to light and deal with their negative impact. Marshak identifies five different dimensions of covert processes, presents an integrated model to explain the ultimate source of all of them, and shows how to diagnose whether any covert processes might be at work in your organization. He then offers specific tools and techniques for engaging and managing these “under-the-table” processes and for creating the kind of organizational environment in which such hidden dynamics are unable to flourish. Covert Processes at Work is a comprehensive and practical guide that managers, leaders, and consultants can use to deal with the hidden dynamics that are often at the root of many organizational problems.
“Adding these tools…will take both your practice and your clients to a whole new level of capability and impact.” —Karen Boylston, PhD, Managing Director, Duke Corporate Education
- GenresBusinessLeadership
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
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67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 28, 2021
This book was recommended to me because of some ongoing difficult situations at work. There are basically two main themes:
1. Using "detective" skills to figure out when covert processes are happening that are affecting change/decisions/etc (including "looking in the mirror" to find when they are affecting my own decisions and communication patterns)
2. Skills for working with/around those covert processes to get things done in socially acceptable ways.
It's that second part that was hard for me to read.
I often recognize when these covert processes are happening and getting in the way (although I'll admit to not always recognizing them in myself, but (I think) I am generally receptive when people point it out to me in non-accusatory ways). And I already do it using most of the "detective" skills that the author points out in the book. Go me!
But the problem is that I find these covert processes to be frustrating and stupid and against rationality and the goals of getting sh*t done. And so, I point them out to people. And I try to get people to tell *each other* things instead of telling me "in confidence" (read: behind the other person's back). I attempt to do so gently and like a grown up at first, but yeah, when things don't move, I escalate. Because. I. Want. To. Get. Shit. Done. Why do other people not want this?
Key 2: Seek Movement not Exposure
Anyway, this book says that is a bad idea. It ruins the "safe space" mentality and causes people to not want to tell me things or involve me in discussions. And gives some ideas for how to get the movement without "exposing" the cognitive dissonance, broken assumptions, and/or communication problems. I guess this is ok, but to me it's weird because it doesn't get at the root of the problem. If we don't change the underlying incongruity, won't the problem keep happening? But I guess their point is, if you have these tools for making progress anyway, who cares* if it keeps happening? Because now you know how to move forward despite that and in a way that gets other people to not hate you and leave you out of discussions.
Blah.
*[Note: I care, because this way is far less efficient, in theory. Except I suppose in practice it isn't, because my way causes them to not change AND to hate me. *sigh*]
1. Using "detective" skills to figure out when covert processes are happening that are affecting change/decisions/etc (including "looking in the mirror" to find when they are affecting my own decisions and communication patterns)
2. Skills for working with/around those covert processes to get things done in socially acceptable ways.
It's that second part that was hard for me to read.
I often recognize when these covert processes are happening and getting in the way (although I'll admit to not always recognizing them in myself, but (I think) I am generally receptive when people point it out to me in non-accusatory ways). And I already do it using most of the "detective" skills that the author points out in the book. Go me!
But the problem is that I find these covert processes to be frustrating and stupid and against rationality and the goals of getting sh*t done. And so, I point them out to people. And I try to get people to tell *each other* things instead of telling me "in confidence" (read: behind the other person's back). I attempt to do so gently and like a grown up at first, but yeah, when things don't move, I escalate. Because. I. Want. To. Get. Shit. Done. Why do other people not want this?
Key 2: Seek Movement not Exposure
Anyway, this book says that is a bad idea. It ruins the "safe space" mentality and causes people to not want to tell me things or involve me in discussions. And gives some ideas for how to get the movement without "exposing" the cognitive dissonance, broken assumptions, and/or communication problems. I guess this is ok, but to me it's weird because it doesn't get at the root of the problem. If we don't change the underlying incongruity, won't the problem keep happening? But I guess their point is, if you have these tools for making progress anyway, who cares* if it keeps happening? Because now you know how to move forward despite that and in a way that gets other people to not hate you and leave you out of discussions.
Blah.
*[Note: I care, because this way is far less efficient, in theory. Except I suppose in practice it isn't, because my way causes them to not change AND to hate me. *sigh*]
June 2, 2025
This is one of my absolute favourite books, it brought me alternative perspectives on Organisation Development theory, a gateway into Dialogic OD. It is the sort of book you'll want to reread over and over through time. It is timeless.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews