Big Change: A Route-Map for Corporate Transformation
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Every year corporations spend billions in pursuit of change. Some are successful. Many are not. In this winner of the prestigious 1999 Management Consultancy Association Prize, Paul Taffinder casts a critical eye over the big change efforts of more than 30 organizations worldwide, and offers conclusions as unsettling as they are insightful and firmly supported by real-world business sense. "Paul Taffinder achieves what in many other books remains an empty promise. Brilliant insight...inspiring...A real eye-opener."--Dr. Siegfried Hoenle, Director, Warburg Dillon Read.Big Change: A Route-Map for Corporate Transformation Review
This book utilizes interesting and detailed stories of well-known businesses, which emphasize the importance of giving a free rein to the creative energy of talented employees. Taffinder's advice is pragmatic and illustrated with interesting analyses and numerous examples. It covers a wide range of concepts and actions that are useful to any type of organization, and his use of "Action Lists" in most of the chapters provides the reader with important summary points. His use of lessons learned, as he describes the successes and failures of different organizations, provides the reader with a richer understanding of the concepts discussed. The author emphasizes the necessity for business leaders to constantly strive for perfection, appreciate the lack of permanence in the ways business is done, and acknowledge the constant vulnerability all companies face. Leaders need to consider what can be expected from the future, and consider competitive strategies; will a business be a "rule maker," a "rule taker," or a "rule breaker?" He discusses some of the personal psychological dimensions of transformational leaders, as well as the important leadership actions that are needed during the period of "big change." He emphasizes choosing the right team, uniting the team members, maintaining communications (which he feels is the essence of change), and keeping and supporting your change agents. They are the facilitators of behavioral change, and need continual support from their leaders, especially when the pace of the change process slows down.His description of the organization of the future emphasizes networking, with a leader who provides purpose, focuses on essentials, and is the agent of cultural values. The successful business environment is characterized by rapid feedback, constant communication, and workers who are creative, think strategically, and exhibit a sincere commitment to the organization. There is still a critical need for relationship-building and trust, as well as risk-taking and opportunism, which are aligned with an openness to new ideas and possibilities.The author stresses that "big change," or transformation, in order to be successful needs to be systematic, and should affect the entire organization at all three levels; the individual, the group and the entire organization. Taffinder highlights five elements of human and organizational effort, which is essential for big change to occur: 1. Awakening, 2. Conceiving the future, 3. Building the change agenda, 4. Delivering big change, and 5. Mastering change. Further, he emphasizes the essential role of a transformational leader in this process, stressing the importance of the leader having a strong conviction; he must adamantly believe in the changes taking place.He discusses how the organizational climate has a significant bearing on organizational improvement. Innovation is impacted by employees' emotional involvement in goals and operations, the independence people have to share information, the way ideas are treated, and the emotional safety, tolerance of uncertainty, and overall atmosphere of the business itself. The author stresses the importance of good communication, employee understanding of the changes planned, an assessment of their willingness to accept the changes, and modification of the work environment to accommodate the new structure and processes.Some implications of his ideas: Change occurs constantly, but knowing what to change, how to change, and when to institute change is not so easily understood. Changes may be incremental and moderate in some situations, while in other cases, the only way to survive is through a major transformational alteration. An organization needs to take part in critical self-analysis, be willing to challenge existing practices, and focus attention away from "empire building" and toward a winning attitude that is required to compete in a global economy. Leaders of big change must be absolutely clear about what is important to their business, what strategies will be used, where the business is coming from as well as where it is going, and what is expected of all of the employees. They need to be able to answer questions like Why change? Why now?For real change to occur, fundamental changes in behavior are necessary and these changes need to be sustained over time. The use of training programs that concentrate on change management skills, technological skills and basic skills to support new practices, are methods that can maintain the changes being instituted.Emphasis is placed upon building a culture that expects and allows people to accept and cultivate change. Businesses need to allow employees to use their brains, be empowered to make decisions, experiment with innovations (trial and error is encouraged), and build a culture of personal responsibility.Taffinder's book is much like a manual on procedures to follow in order to deal with the change process. The information provided is useful and informative, giving the reader much to think about. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews� Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | PermalinkComment�CommentMost of the consumer Reviews tell that the "Big Change: A Route-Map for Corporate Transformation" are high quality item. 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