Customer Reviews

Creating Contagious Commitment: Applying the Tipping Point to Organizational Change

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There are many books on org change theory but very few make understanding and applying the theories simple. Andrea does an exceptional job capturing in plain language this often neglected aspect of business change. Regardless of the change theory embraced, she demonstrates how to get this message to your target audience and build "contagious commitment" for your initiative.

My client read the complimentary copy I gave her over the weekend and came back on Monday with 30 plus post-it page markers throughout!

This book makes the introduction of change management and leadership simple.

I'm surprised at all the 5 star reviews I see for this book (one of the reasons I bought it), but this book is the worst book I've read in the last 3-4 years (so worst out of 30?).

I found the author's writing style to be very painful to read. This is one of those books that would be better as a 20 page reseach paper. I thought the model the author presents is interesting, and I can believe it, but the delivery of the information was just painful. I threw the book away after reading it. It's not a keeper.

The data to back this research is pretty sparse. I would have thought there would be more. The case studies are very small and very watered down.

Dr. Andrea Shapiro is a friend and colleague from the days when we were both employed by Nortel Networks, a telecommunications firm recognized for "delivering communications capabilities that enhance the human experience, securing and protecting the world's most critical information."

As I opened the pages of my newly acquired copy of "Creating Contagious Commitment" I was thrilled to see another friend, Helen Sims, provide testimony for this work.

Andrea Shapiro's book: "Creating Contagious Commitment, Applying the Tipping Point to Organizational Change" provides valuable insight on how organizations can optimize their effectiveness through proved decision making.

Dr. Shapiro provides a unique perspective to organizational change because while working for Nortel Networks we experienced only one constant force... change... Throughout many projects and initiatives, such as our global attempt to fine-tune the Supply Chain Management of Nortel, from Customers to suppliers, we learned first hand how to utilize the Tipping Point computer simulations, developed by Dr. Shapiro.

Today, many of us still approach our jobs by utilizing the tools we developed, the strategies we learned to deal with the dynamics that underpin effective organizational change. Simply... best-in-class!

You could sum all of this book's content in just one page, even one paragraph: Design processes on the basis of usability. Include in process design activities people who will use the process. If you don't convince people about the merits of a new process, they won't use it, worse they will sabotage it. Once the process catches momentum, it will spread quickly.

Now, if you repeat this a thousand times with slightly different sentences, add a thousand "tipping point" phrases, a lot of tables and graphs of questionable use, voila, you have a book.

It is a wonder to me how it got such a high rating.

Creating Contagious Commitment shows us how to apply tipping point theory to organizational change. It is a practical book filled with information that is straightforward, easy to understand and apply. No wasted words, no fluff. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to implement an organizational change and do it right.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone seeking insight into the peculiarities of organizational/workplace change. It has helped me understand why so many workplace "initiatives" seem doomed to failure almost before they have been launched. More important, the author provides concrete examples of remedies to prevent these failures. The author's writing style is clear, jargon-free, and to the point. The examples she uses to illustrate her ideas are clearly stated, and interesting. I read this book after reading the "The Tipping Point" (forgot the author's name, sorry) and found this book to be an excellent companion piece. It beautifully illustrates how tipping point theory is not only relevent but directly applicable to the work place.

The book addresses the issue of how to make change effective from a variety of viewpoints, including "war stories," a model of the different levers available to leaders, and an academic framework. I can also see that a workshop that lets one "twiddle the knobs" in Dr. Shapiro's model would be very helpful in understanding the interactions of the different levers for organizational change.

In less than 200 pages, Dr. Shapiro provides an informative, engaging overview of change management concepts, principles and tactics. The inclusion of brief cases and summary graphics facilitate understanding and memorization of key points. As a management consultant and educator, I look forward to recommending this book to clients and students seeking practical information on making change work.

An easy to understand integrated approach. Shapiro outlines many traditional models of organizational change. She uses the Tipping Point model to integrate them into an innovative model of change that is easy to apply. The theory comes alive with multiple case studies and illustrations. It is an essential book for people who really want to make change happen in their organizations. I've also used her 'Tipping Point workshop' with teams implementing a change, and it really drives home the 'aha's.

This is a 'must read' for anyone working with groups of people of any size in any organization. Great application for business, schools, churches, volunteers, anyone wanting to motivate people with a common goal, purpose, or vision.