About the Book
Why do as many as 75% of change initiatives fail? We live in an era where constant change is the norm rather than the exception. Given globalization, increased competition, and constant technological turnover, no organization can run in place: change is not optional. However, the sad fact is that the vast majority of change efforts fail. As authors Gregory P. Shea and Cassie A. Solomon argue, they do not fail for a lack of trying or leadership. Chances are you have led or been part of a failed change. But why did it fail and how can the next change be successfully implemented? In this essential guide, authors Gregory P. Shea and Cassie A. Solomon deal with the real reasons change efforts fail--and how that failure can be avoided. They argue that change--real change--means changes in behavior and that the work environment itself is the greatest obstacle to making behavioral change stick. They reveal a tested method for leading successful change, which they have developed over a combined 50 years of helping organizations do just that.
In Leading Successful Change, they share the 2 tenets for making successful change; how to create a scene that will provide a vision of the future; the 8 Levers of Change, a tried-and-true method for designing the work environment to support the changes; and how winning companies--from IKEA to a hospital near you--are successfully implementing change. Change is not optional and it is difficult--but it is also not impossible. Shea and Solomon present a thorough, well-researched explanation of how to make change work.
About the Author :
Gregory P. Shea, PhD, is president of Shea and Associates, Inc. He is also adjunct professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, active in its Aresty Institute of Executive Education and a faculty associate of the Wharton School's Center for Leadership and Change; adjunct senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at Wharton; senior consultant at CFAR; and a principal in the Coxe Group. Shea is coauthor of Your Job Survival Guide: A Manual for Thriving in Change. Cassie A. Solomon is the president and founder of The New Group Consulting, Inc. Prior to starting her own company, she spent sixteen years with CFAR. While there, she codirected the Hospitals and Health Care Systems practice. She is a principal in the Coxe Group and an affiliate of Schaffer Consulting. She has taught health care executives at Wharton's Leonard Davis Institute and teaches change management to executives at Wharton's Aresty Institute.
Review :
"More than a must-read for leaders today--it is a must-use guide for anyone who is faced with leading others to a future that is better than today. ...The book to read if you are a leader who genuinely cares about people and your organization's success." --Annie McKee, PhD, author of Management: A Focus on Leaders and coauthor of Primal Leadership and Resonant Leadership "Greg Shea and Cassie Solomon have written a novel and valuable resource for leaders of change." --Michael Useem, Professor of Management, Wharton School, and author of The Leader's Checklist "At this time, there is much more urgency to get the necessary changes right the first time, as the pace and complexity of change will not abide anything but near perfect execution. In Leading Successful Change, Greg Shea and Cassie Solomon have produced a wonderfully concise outline which will enable leaders to meaningfully engage in the visioning and execution of such changes within an organization. While the hard work of articulating the vision and implementation remain, the reader will have a strong leg up in the journey utilizing the tools provided. My thanks to them for publishing this book." --Richard J. Green, Vice Chairman and CEO, Firstrust Bank "A vital resource for anyone who leads organizational change. Gregory Shea and Cassie Solomon articulate a model for envisioning and implementing change that every leader can use before and throughout any change initiative. I highly recommend Leading Successful Change." --Steven M. Altschuler, MD and CEO, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia "An important read for anyone who recognizes that dealing with change is critical to success." --Hugh Hochberg, President, The Coxe Group Inc. "A must read! What organization doesn't struggle with change? Greg Shea and Cassie Solomon take this daunting challenge from concept to tangible and practical strategies. Their 8 levers of change help us all focus our efforts to create meaningful change in organizations." --Thomas J. Saporito, Chairman & CEO, RHR International LLP "This book should be considered essential reading for anyone who is trying to plan and/or implement change in his or her organization. It provides a very clear, succinct, and usable model for sorting through what change you are trying to accomplish and what concrete steps you intend to take to get there. ...Once you read it, you're guaranteed to be more thoughtful about the change process and that should certainly translate into being more successful as well." --Fritz Steele, author of Consulting for Organizational Change and coauthor of Workplace by Design "Leading Successful Change should be in the briefcase of every manager and not on their bookshelf...Captivating for its frankness in demonstrating successes and failures in change efforts and proving that there is no small change effort. And most importantly, that it is the people who count." --Robert M. Weinstein, PhD, President, Robertet, Inc. and Chief Operating Officer, Robertet USA "A compact book full of high-impact ideas. These ideas, grounded in sound management science, are practical in application and profound in effect...Read it!" --Robert J. Laskowski, MD, MBA , President and CEO Christiana Care Health System "Shea and Solomon powerfully explore two critical aspects of successful change. They focus on a vivid scene of the desired future as the place to start and then offer 8 compelling levers, which in various combinations can make it real. Pragmatic tools, cases, and focused questions help a reader navigate the turbulence of our current environment." --Thomas Gilmore, author of Making A Leadership Change and Lynn Oppenheim, President, CFAR "Shea and Solomon's book, Leading Successful Change, cogently presents the other piece of the change puzzle, namely on how to design systems of work to drive behavioral change. Their approach is not just fresh, it is concrete and practical. Leaders should buy this book, share it, and discuss it. Most of all, they should use what's in it again and again." --Paul M. Connolly, Ph.D., President, Performance Programs, Inc. "I've seen firsthand how effective this approach can be in complex organizations; simply put, it works! Anyone involved in either significant or incremental change processes needs to read this book." --Patrick T. Harker, President, University of Delaware "Leading Successful Change is a blockbuster resource that provides transformational, yet practical approaches to implementing and sustaining change--taking out the chaos that typically accompanies most organizational change initiatives." --Judy L. Schueler, Vice President, Organization Development & Human Resources, University of Pennsylvania Health System "This book should be in the toolbox of CEOs and top executives who have to deal with this difficult mission every day: Lead your business in continuous and successful mutation. It is in mine." --Jean-Christophe Sibileau, President & CEO, Alouette Cheese USA "In a clear and compelling style, Shea and Solomon cut through the noise and assumptions around change efforts to provide a behavior-based and highly practical approach to getting real change to occur and to stick in organizations of all kinds. I've been deeply involved in change efforts in multiple organizations and I can vouch for just the kind of approach recommended in Leading Successful Change." --Evan Wittenberg, Chief People Officer, Box, Inc.
