Managing and Leading People Through Organizational Change: The theory and practice of sustaining change through people

by Dr Julie Hodges

Tremendous forces for change are radically reshaping the world of work. Disruptive innovations, radical thinking, new business models and resource scarcity are impacting every sector. Although the scale of expected change is not unprecedented, what is unique is the pervasive nature of the change and its accelerating pace which people in organizations have to cope with.

Structures, systems, processes and strategies are relatively simple to understand and even fix. People, however, are more complex. Change can have a different impact on each of them, all of which can cause different attitudes and reactions. Managing and Leading People Through Organizational Chang e is written for leaders with the key responsibility of managing people through transitions.

Managing and Leading People through Organizational Change provides a critical analysis of change and transformation in organizations from a theoretical and practical perspective. It addresses the individual, team and organizational issues of leading and managing people before, during and after change, using case studies and interviews with people from organizations in different sectors across the globe.

This book demonstrates how theory can be applied in practice through practical examples and recommendations, focusing on the importance of understanding the impact of the nature of change on individuals and engaging them collaboratively throughout the transformation journey.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business, Leadership

376 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2016

Reviews

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Change is inevitable and major changes are taking place within the workplace, some as part of a controlled, necessary process and others can come as a surprise, yet it is essential that a company seeks to manage and accommodate change whilst looking after its critical assets, its employees.

This book takes a deep look at some of the latest thinking in this subject, mixed up with practical real-world experience to provide an engaging, critical view through the area of organisational change and transformation. It can be a bit of a tough read due to the complex nature of the subject, yet nonetheless an essential look at something that should not be ignored. The author has managed to finally balance the needs of an academic reader who might be looking more at the theory with that of a company executive who has to do this sort of stuff for a living.

Many companies have lost their leading position within a market because they failed to lead, manage and sustain change. They were not sufficiently agile, focussed or ready. In some cases they assumed (wrongly) that they were invincible. People play a key role in determining the potential for change to succeed, notes the author, yet they also represent the greatest challenge to change as change success is more person-centric than techno-centric. Change also fails because senior management fail to understand how individuals perceive change and they fail to communicate and manage this through the enterprise and beyond.

The author believes that they can offer hope for those who need it, providing a mass of knowledge and actionable frameworks, approaches and recommendations to help companies manage their changes in the future. It certainly has potential. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but it is better to be forewarned and forearmed and ready to move forward with change as change will come regardless.

An interesting, focussed read that can be a great source of knowledge, inspiration and help to those who wield the levers of power. The only problem might be getting them to understand they need to read something like this and be prepared…

[Scott Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leading people through change remains a huge leadership issue in today's quickly evolving world. Gaining soft skills to manage change also remains an essential leadership skill. Most books topping the bestseller lists inspire readers to help their organizations adapt better. This book is not one of those inspirational pieces. Rather, Julie Hodges guides readers through the entire field to see the diverse approaches required to help their people adapt. Instead of just triggering those with big titles to dominate, this text cultivates leaders to build an organization's practices and people to enact lasting change.

Unlike many books on change management, this book is a textbook. Its contents derive primarily from academic theories of change management, but it's clearly informed by the everyday practice of leading groups through change. Honestly, I'm not - and never will be - steeped in the academic literature of management to appraise whether it meets the theoretical standards well. I do appreciate the value of academic theories, and this book uses theory to teach different ways of approaching common problems.

For instance, it discusses varying approaches to implementing change from a people-centered direction. Instead of mandating a change via a top-down edict, leaders can follow the several factors Hodges suggests to persuade people to jump on board. The care in the text made it obvious that Hodges spent time building a critical mass of support for various initiatives. Though she doesn't share stories like many popular books, the explained theory aligns with her background of people-centered practice.

If you're interested in change management, you'll find a lot of books with practical stories to inspire you along the authors' already trodden path. Reading those accounts does have value. In contrast, this book will teach you comprehensive theories to help readers adapt their leadership style to the people they lead. If you're interested in sharpening your change management skills beyond mere inspiration into the nitty-gritty of people, this book might just be for you.

[Kathy Cowie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will be reviewed in the September-October issue of GBOE.