Changing the Way We Change

Change is always a difficult and expensive proposition for any organization, and yet the ability to change - to adapt to rapidly shifting demands and developing technologies - is an essential ingredient for success in today's fast-paced business environment.Change is so important and so risky that it cannot be left to chance. This book offers a systematic plan of action for initiating, implementing, and dealing with change. Using a case study of a manufacturing organization's challenge to change its engineering processes, it gives you the practical knowledge and skills you need to implement change successfully for significant improvements in efficiency and quality.You will gain an in-depth understanding of all the critical change factors, including the process of change and its impact on people within an organization. You will learn how to cope with the "delta," the chaotic transitional stage between the status quo and the future, and will come to understand the role of change sponsors, agents, and targets. Numerous tools that facilitate change are discussed in detail, and a comprehensive example demonstrates how all of these factors come into play.Most important, you will develop a new perspective on change - not as a one-time phenomenon, but as a continual process of adaptation that can become an integral part of the way your organization operates.