Who Killed Change?: Solving the Mystery of Leading People Through Change

by Kenneth H. Blanchard

By the bestselling author of The One Minute Manager, a business parable that teaches organizations to cope successfully with change. Every day organizations around the world launch change initiatives – often big, expensive ones - designed to improve the status quo. Yet 50 to 70 percent of these change efforts fail. A few perish suddenly, but many die painful, protracted deaths that drain the organization's resources, energy and morale. So, Who or what is killing change? That's what you'll find out in this delightful whodunit. The story features a Columbo-style detective named Agent who's investigating the murder of yet another Change. One by one, Agent interviews thirteen prime suspects, including a myopic leader named Vision; a chronically tardy manager named Urgency; an executive named Communication whose laryngitis makes communication all but impossible; and several other dubious characters. The suspects are sure to sound familiar, and you're bound to relate them to your own workplace. In the end, Agent solves the case in a way that will inspire you to become an effective Change Agent in your own organization.

Genres: Business, Leadership, Management, Nonfiction, Self Help, Buisness

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2009

About the author

Ken Blanchard, one of the most influential leadership experts in the world, is the coauthor of the iconic bestseller, The One Minute Manager, and 60 other books whose combined sales total more than 21 million copies. His groundbreaking works have been translated into more than 27 languages and in 2005 he was inducted into Amazon’s Hall of Fame as one of the top 25 bestselling authors of all time.

Ken is also the cofounder and chief spiritual officer of The Ken Blanchard Companies®, an international management training and consulting firm that he and his wife, Margie Blanchard, began in 1979 in San Diego, California.

When he’s not writing or speaking, Ken also spends time teaching students in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership Program at the University of San Diego. Ken can be found at www.kenblanchard.com.

Reviews

[Łukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Co to była za książka! Jestem naprawdę w szoku — nie spodziewałem się takiego zakończenia ani tego, w jaki sposób agent McKinley rozwiązał sprawę.
Chapeau bas. Lektura nie tylko trzyma w napięciu, ale też skłania do refleksji — nad sobą, swoim podejściem do innych i tym, kim naprawdę jesteśmy.
Fenomenalny utwór, który zostaje w głowie na długo po przeczytaniu.

[Alexa]

wowwww wspaniałeeeee xdddd
cieszę się, że skończyłam to czytać xd

[Vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A corazón ñoño/informático le encantó. Una forma de aprender diferente y entretenida 😊

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is told in a mystery story format; which one of many organizational characters killed the Change initiative? It was too juvenile for my taste. The only redeeming part, for me, was the last chapter - Helping Change Thrive in Your Organization, where he provides best practices and questions to ask to help develop an action plan for change that stands a chance of succeeding.

[Oyindamola Sosanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really easy to read introduction to managing and leading organisational change by tge author of The One minute manager Ken Blanchard
The story is written in the form of a murder mystery with a detective investigating the murder of a character called Change in a fictional company called ACME industries.
The murder mystery unfolds with the detective assigned to the case Agent McNally interviewing all of the prime suspects in the murder of Change (which might not be surprising to anyone who has ever led a change effort😉)

The suspects were called (which I thought were hilarious but also really cheesy)

🔸 Spence Sponsorship
🔸Carolina Culture
🔸Bailey Budget
🔸Ernest Urgency
🔸Victoria Vision
🔸Change Leadership Team(also fondly called Pecs due to his upper to lower body strength ratio😁)
🔸Aidan Accountability( who had Delegation,Follow up and Consequences on his team)
🔸Peter Performance management
🔸Perry Plan
🔸Incentive (she didn’t get a first name)
🔸 Chase Commitment
🔸Clair Communication
🔸Terry Trainer
🔸Stakeholders(Employees)

The interrogations and autopsy then go on to give very telling clues as to who and what murdered Change which is revealed in a somewhat anti climatic Columbo/ Murder she wrote like ending.

The last chapter of the book contains some helpful bullet points and questions on how to align and effectively use all of the characters above to initiate, implement and sustain change.

If you liked Our Iceberg is melting by John Kotter or Who moved my cheese by Spencer Johnson you would probably also like this. It was written in a fun and engaging way even though I found parts of it quite cliche( Detective Mcnally was a bit extra) I would give it a 3.5/5 rating.

That said I think the story and book make for very good introduction to change management and would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick,light yet practical read on leading an organisation through change.

[Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

„I pani Kultura. Pojawia się pani i znika jak duch, i oczekuje pani, że ludzie będą panią szanować. Proszę przestać się oszukiwać” (s. 93).

Burzową nocą pod drzwiami pewnej organizacji staje agent McNally. Zaciąga się cygarem, otrzepuje popiół z płaszcza i tym samym daje do zrozumienia, że oto nadchodzi ostateczne starcie z zabójcą Zmiany. Rozgląda się tu i ówdzie i – jak przystało na detektywa z prawdziwego zdarzenia – raz dwa ma gotową listę podejrzanych. Wiecznie spóźniona Paulina Pilność, Paweł Plan bujający w obłokach czy przygłucha Klara Komunikacja to tylko kilka śliskich typków, których McNally przesłuchuje z mistrzowską precyzją, bezwzględnie nadeptując na ich czułe punkty. Nikomu nie daje się wodzić za nos, dzięki czemu doprowadza do finału, którego nie powstydziłaby się i Agatha Christie.

Prawdziwa jazda bez trzymanki, ale przynajmniej w wiadomym kierunku – zaliczenie zarządzania zmianami. Uff, warto było.

[Beth Peninger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah change. Us humans hate it. We kick against it, we fight it, we whine about it. It unsettles us, makes us uncomfortable, and we squirm when it's presented. In this parable Change has died and the suspect list is long. Through a two day interview session with all the suspects the Agent discovers why Change passed away. It turns out it wasn't just one person/responsibility to be blamed for the demise of Change but it was the culmination of many neglects, refusals, lack of teamwork, and laziness. Not only did I glean some good points in regards to times when Change is introduced but I gleaned some good points for why a current workplace might be experiencing low morale, productivity, etc already. A major character in the problem of workplace morale, productivity, change is Convertible. Convertible is the one who always drives everything from the top down. This leadership style has proven to be the biggest inhibitor to needed change in an organization. It neglects the employees in the organization that the Change will actually impact. It takes an entire team of people - with different jobs, positions, salary levels, and strengths - to ensure a healthy and productive workplace.

[Gian Baltazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple book, focused on stakeholders of an organization. As the title suggest, it is about change, on the pure sense.
I liked the metaphor from some characters, like pecs, budget, accountability and his team, and vision, while others are simply ... plain.
Plot:
The book focused on McNally, an experienced detective about murder change’s cases on organizations. This one is particular, because it is the worst one which suffer the most common symptoms that kill change, so they interrogate the staff which names are common keyword that in some sort of way affect change, like culture, commitment, sponsorship, etc. (there are 13 to be interrogated in total)
From that plot, you noticed the obvious problem that there are a lot of characters (13 + mcnally, wait, do anna exist?), and no one will be fully developed so they all lack a background and the author use them as tools to explain the moral and support mcnally personality (that is the only who is developed in this story). Then the only way you can understand this book is to be part of an organization, be a student of human resources or management practices. So i recommend this to anyone who wants a good metaphor about change on an organization, other than that, i recommend ‘who moved my cheese’ or other book that give a more trascendental and powerful message in the similar amount of words.
5/10

[Glenn Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Succinct and thought-provoking overview of the necessary elements of effective organizational change. Framed within the "fictional" story of "Who Killed Change?," the book provides a clear illustration of the role of crucial considerations in the overall change management process. Keep in mind, that this is both very brief and very high-level. That is to say, it is more of a quick, pertinent review for those already well-versed in organizational change. The story does not provide in-depth exploration of the various topics but speaks in an "easy to understand" language that will quickly resonate with the reader, especially those who have experienced frustration in the area of change management. Lots of application both on a personal as well as a broader organizational level. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in realizing effective change within their organization!!!

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a short title by the leadership guru Ken Blanchard. In it, he fictionalizes Change as a character in a murder mystery. Change has been murdered and a classic, stereotyped detective is dispatched to discover "whodunnit." Along the way the detective interviews such "employees" as Motivation, Culture, and Budget to determine who the killer was.

The book probably has value as a tool in a group setting for discussion. On it's own I wasn't impressed. The characters are overly stereotyped; mockeries of themselves. It really is a short read, though, so it wouldn't use up too much of your time to try it.

[Paul Baker]

2025-08-21

Review 2025.07.018

Reviewers Note: It is the middle of 2025 and I am not doing a good job of keeping up with this desired goal of mine to write book reviews. I do not want to lower my expectations but I am going to so that I can catch up. This will mean short reviews on the books I read.

Who Killed Change? by Kenneth Blanchard
143 Pages

I have read a few books by Kenneth Blanchard. I bought it because I liked his other books but I was honestly not a fan of this one. It was not the content but the delivery of the content. The detective investigating the death of “Change” was just not in me.

I’m sure this book can be recommended but I’ll just leave it there.

[Churchill Osimbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ken Blanchards book definitely has vision. Sadly, said vision was poorly executed. What intrigued me was how the book was told as with detective mystery tropes. This concept however, got tired real quick. Half-way through the book you start wishing he had opted for a more preachy format - which the last chapter is all about. It's predictable in its chosen genre, which almost turns into a borderline fantasy. It's rote yet still captivating at times. It's short too, so what the heck, give it a try if you want.

[Martín Mengarelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflexión sobre cambios

La historia descrita en el relato de Blanchard es una reflexión sobre el cambio en las organizaciones y sus principales problemas y formas de implementarlos.
Incluye sobre el final una serie de preguntas cuyo propósito es ayudar a llevar adelante los cambios en nuestras propias organizaciones.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you've already read Kotter's books and/or My Iceberg is Melting, you can just read the last 10 or so pages of this one. Good, if a little hokey, intro to change if you have read those and taken a grad class on the topic. A reminder is always good thing for people in teh trenches, rocking the boat, and moving the cheese.

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author uses murder-mystery genre to explain the epitome of difficulty to change which comes with first suspect- culture. The culture of micromanagement and the compass of belief with the how things happens in the previous time.

The changes is a hard thing to be managed and this way of delivery is kind of interesting from the Blanchard.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for a leadership class at work. It was better than I was expecting for a required book. It tells the story of a person named Change and who killed them. There are suspects in the company all part of a company also written as a person.

[Marce_af · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó :)
Una manera curiosa e interesante para aprender sobre los cambios en las organizaciones, los diferentes aspectos que están involucrados y el cómo hasta las mejores propuestas pueden morir.

Si aprendí bastante :)

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful short read covering the basics of change management

[Nahed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple basic book 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Walace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por meio de uma breve história, o autor aborda o "assassinato" da mudança dentro de uma organização. Livro excelente, não posso postar muitos detalhes para não retirar o suspense. Recomendo a todos

[Lowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the metaphor used to depict how the various "characters" in an organisation could kill "Change"

[Miri Deahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book walking through concepts needed for an effective change!

[Chris Knezevich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy read. A wealth of info on incorporating change.

[Aditya Anand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tackles the most important aspects of how to best introduce change in any organization & succeed. Concise yet very easy to understand!

[Rita Neves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falar sobre um tema tão interessante desta forma cativante não é fácil, este livro vai dar muito jeito para o trabalho de Mestrado que vou apresentar na segunda feira 📚

[Rishikesh Kulkarni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful short read that’s applicable for all types of changes in organizations. Truly evergreen concepts here.

[Tracey Langenbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, easy read. Good coverage of the basic concepts of change management.

[Małgorzata Rucinska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect story about change!

[Windy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The company I use to work for would give out books to be read before the next annual review. At the time the company had just been through a big merger. They assisgned this book, and I really liked the lightness of it. It wasn't really like reading a "self-help" book. But it was very relavent to me at the time. I read the book on my plane ride while traveling. I think I might read it again. I'll let you know

[David Fhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is simple, yet wonderful book that describe the standard corporate world. Everyone wanted something to change, but not to their discomfort. Going through some investigation, everyone are guilty in some way that killed Changes.

It reminded all of us that changes is needed, and discomfort is necessary in order to lead a better situation.