Changing the Way We Manage Change

Researchers and practitioners in various business related fields offer different perspectives on managing change and organizational development. Among the questions they address are what kind of change agents or change management programs are needed to increase successful organization change, the most effective approaches to change for today's new organizational context, and how an organization can create an environment in which every employee is a change agent. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

To cope with the chaotic new business environment, organizations must find ways to manage the problems of change--but also the process of change itself. Yesterday's solutions are obsolete. Innovative solutions are rare, yet even the best require not only the efforts of individuals but other "agents" as well. Sims sees change agents throughout any organization and at all levels--line and staff people, human resource specialists, and those who have hitherto had little reason to tackle such tasks and have not been accountable for their outcomes.