Customer Reviews

Change Management Excellence: Putting NLP to Work in the 21st Century

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For the busy people in managemnt, with no training in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), this is an excellent introduction. The author with his wide background and experience has digested the unique contributions of NLP and made useful modifications and applications. Instead of jumping to the Well-formed Outcome, he devotes much space to the Well-formed Problem". He also covers Rapport, Language, Designing for Excellence and Solution, Resolving Conflict and Aligning Attitudes and Beliefs, and Use of Time-line... His short final chapter reviewing packaged solutions: Total Quality Management (TQM),Re-engineering, the impact of IT, Knowledge Management (KM), gives a useful perspective for appreciating the positive aspects and innoculates people against failure in Change Management projects. P.S. There are a few mistakes in the information listed on the Net. Martin Roberts, Ph.D. is the only author. (In 1992 he formed, with his wife Glenys, the Anglo-American Book Company.) The book has 280 pages and was published in 1999, not Feb. 2001!

When it comes to books like this it's often hard to know what you're really getting. I mean, has the author really 'walked the walk'? or is s/he just spinning a good tale?
In the case of Martin Roberts I can, with confidence, assure you that you're getting the gen-u-wine article. And I know that because one of my own business colleagues - whose opinions I value and trust - worked with Martin for a number of years, and assures me that he really has done what he claims to have done in terms of introducing NLP techniques into high-powered, high profile change programmes.

Having said that, I must admit that I found the book top be something of a 'curate's egg'.

With NLP being something like 25 years old, it's getting increasingly difficult for authors to find just the right balance when writing about NLP. Especially when they're writing about NLP and some other major topic.
Do you try and give 'equal time' to both subjects? Do you assume that your readers will already have a basic grounding in NLP so that you don't need to go over the basics yet again? Or do you assume nothing and try to work in a succinct overview of NLP for the benefit of those readers who are coming to it for the first time?

I'm not going to say that Martin has cracked the problem in this book. But I've seen a LOT worse.

So, what we get is essentially a book in three parts.
Part 1 - the first five chapters - is both an introction to change management *and* a fairly basic overview of some relevant NLP techniques.
Part 2 - chapters 6 - 8 inclusive signals a distinct change of gear as the author launches into an excellently written description of the change management process which clearly demonstrates the author's enthusiasm for the subject, even though he has now moved on to be a very successful publisher.
In Part 3 - the rest of the book - Martin undertakes the tricky job of weaving these two strands together. And with considerable success, I'd say.

So, whilst I'm happy to recommend the book with some enthusiasm, I think it has to be with the qualification that readers will probably get the greatest benefit from the book if they already know the basics of NLP. On this score I'd recommend "Develop Your NLP Skills" (see... for a short and comprehensive overview, or "Managing with the Power of NLP" for a rather longer introduction.

With that prior knowledge already on hand, you may find that you can pretty much skim the first five chapters.
So have you wasted your money? No way! The material in the rest of the book is still more than worth the cover price [even without a discount 8¬) ]

As a Systems Engineer tasked with bringing about a shift from personality-driven programs to process-driven programs, I was looking for a practical guide to help with this cultural change. This book was it. It clearly describes why many Change Management programs fail and provides practical concepts and applications for success. I recommend it for anyone chartered with installing any type of corporate change, and particullarly those consultants engaged in applications of Change Management. Excellent insights from the field of Organizational Psychology, and using Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) for corporate business change.