A Powerful Look at Corporate Change and Why Mergers, Reorganizations, and Transformations Succeed or Fail " One of the best business books of 2001 . . . a useful and intelligent tool for coping with the inevitable metamorphoses of business (and life)." - Miami Herald "Provocative imagery . . . useful questions for managers to ask themselves." - Harvard Business Review "The Change Monster not only talks intelligently about the social dynamics and emotions of people in change efforts , it does so with wisdom, insight, and practicality."-Daniel Leemon, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, Charles Schwab Corporation "A practitioner's primer on revitalization that puts you in the shoes of some who have failed and others who have succeeded. In doing so, Jeanie Daniel Duck graphically delivers her main message to management- Learn to master the emotions and obsessions of those who stand in the way of change, including your own, and once you do, you have your hands on a miraculous engine for change." -Michael Useem, professor of management and director of the Center for Leadership and Change at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and author of The Leadership Moment and Leading Up "Duck is an acute and empathetic observer of the changes erupting in the workplace from the convulsive nature of corporate evolution. . . . Jeanie Duck's terrific book is a . . . useful and intelligent tool for coping with the inevitable metamorphoses of business (and life). Sensitive but tough, Duck's compassionate wisdom is street smart without a trace of glibness." - Miami Herald
In emotionally draining management situations, you as a manager, or you as an employee feels totally lost and alone. You think that this dark cloud over your head is so unique that you don't think there is hope. Nobody will understand how this is done. I think the use of this book, akin to personal self-help book, is to tell you you are not alone. This situation you are going through is normal and you are not going out of your mind. Yes, there might not be concrete steps on how to do things, but in dealing with human beings, nothing is set in stone. That's why it's so hard to manage. That's why we have shrinks. There is no formularic way of "fixing the problem". You will just have to learn from experience, and reading about other people's experiences will help you identify potential red flags.That's what's good about this book. It's loaded with Ms. Duck's personal experience working as a Change Management Consultant for BCG. She presents two real cases (one real and the other one an amalgamation of similar companies), tells us what was going through in the heads of management and employees. She painstakingly details the action that was taken and how it affected the company as a whole. It's a very good book to start your way into the realms of change management.
Packed With Knowledge!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Author Jeanie Daniel Duck presents an engaging, personal look at the human emotions, conflicts, fears and anxieties that unite to make change difficult. She describes the five stages of the change process - stagnation, preparation, implementation, determination and, finally, fruition. As she goes in depth about each stage, the author illustrates her explanation with personal examples from her experiences as an organizational consultant. Some of the issues she raises may be familiar to those who have read other books about how to launch change initiatives, but we [...] find that her focus on the human elements of change provides a fresh perspective. The book is directed primarily toward executives, managers or supervisors in charge of leading corporate change, but even if you are already prepared to conquer the change monster, this author's personal touches and stage-by-stage approach will intrigue you.
The Best Book Yet for Anyone Undergoing Change
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
As someone who's helped plan and implement major change initiatives at numerous companies (and numerous corporate cultures) I've had a large stake in searching for and hoping that someday someone would publish a helpful guide focusing on the human aspect of change, the emotional roller coaster ride experienced by the employees undergoing the change--rather than the often dry treatises focusing on structural archetypes or the academically-oriented anthropologist's view of change. Jeanie Duck has done, and done it beautifully. If you are undergoing change at your workplace I can't recommend this book more strongly. I've already given it to several people I've worked with who have come back to tell me how helpful and meaningful they found it.
The Change Monster: The Human Forces....
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
While this book is a "must read" for midlevel managers and up it is a gift to the rest of us. For change touches everyone in the business whether we like it or not. Ms. Duck is very clear about this and the steps it takes to be successful. She pares away the jargon, excuses and finger pointing this subject engenders and leaves us with an understandable and inspiring map of the territory. I don't know about you but I like to know where I am at all times and that includes work. With this map I can gauge what is happening there and know whether to stick with my current job or update my resume. In fact, I'm sending a copy to my CEO!
Perfect Companion to M & A Classic
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Change Monster and Winning at Mergers and Acquisitions both score big time in the areas of change and culture. But the information contained in both of these books creates a synthesis of change management that when blended together provides extraordinary results. Both books provide tools to help drive change and forge buy-in. Change Monster speaks more from a consultant standpoint while Winning at Mergers comes from the voice of corporate management. Winning at points out grave mis-steps in leading change and critical success factors to reverse them. Change Monster fills in some of the more detailed steps. Together these groundbreaking guides are more than enough to help you lead, structure, and support change efforts at any company whether or not they're M & A driven or economically derived and whether you're a consultant or corporate manager.
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