Essential Managers: Managing Change [Paperback]

Robert Heller (Author), Tim Hindle (Author)

Book Description

Series: DK Essential Managers | Publication Date: April 1, 1999

Ability to change is crucial in today's business environment -- this book shows managers how to implement successful new ideas.

Learn all you need to know about adapting to change, from initiating modifications to responding positively to them. Managing Change enables you to understand and plan for change to achieve the best results, plus it provides practical techniques for you to try in different settings. Power tips help you handle real-life situations and develop the first-class management skills that are the key to a productive and informed workplace. The Essential Manager have sold more than 1.9 million copies worldwide! Experienced and novice managers alike can benefit from these compact guides that slip easily into a briefcase or a portfolio. The topics are relevant to every work environment, from large corporations to small businesses. Concise treatments of dozens of business techniques, skills, methods, and problems are presented with hundreds of photos, charts, and diagrams. It is the most exciting and accessible approach to business and self-improvement available.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Change is good" is the new mantra of organizational culture--but that doesn't mean that change is easy to take, especially if it's your responsibility to initiate and manage it. This snappy 72-page guide to weathering the winds of workplace change equips you with a quick-and-dirty plan for finessing change in three crucial phases: planning change (deciding what to change and what not to change, involving others, making an action plan, anticipating its effects and resistance to it, and testing and checking your plans), implementing change (communicating it, assigning responsibility, developing commitment to it, and limiting resistance), and consolidating change (monitoring progress, maintaining momentum, and building on it for future growth). On every page of this hard-working little handbook, boxed tips, mini case studies, handy to-do checklists, and easy-to-follow and adaptable flow charts demystify the process, and bring it to life. Granted, if you're looking for very specific or in-depth guidance, you might find this book too cursory and general in its approach. But, if you're looking for a thumbnail guide to the basics, it'll do just fine.

It's worth mentioning that the book is part of the "Essential Managers" series by reference publisher Dorling-Kindersley--a series comprising 20 itty-bitty books on business and career topics that range from communication, leadership, and decision-making to the management of time, budgets, change, meetings, people, projects, and teams. Combining the talent of the "For Dummies" book series for breaking down a lot of information into bite-sized bits and sidebars with Dorling-Kindersley's signature design style of crisp, classy graphics on a gleaming white backdrop, the books don't represent the cutting edge of business thinking or reflect necessarily any unique individual perspective. Instead, it's as if someone had collated the best general thinking on these 20 topics, and rolled them out into 72 brightly designed and easy-to-read pages--studded along the way with boxed tips, color shots of a multiracial cast of "coworkers" animatedly hashing through the workplace issues of the day, and, on the last few pages of each volume, a self-test of one's skills in the topic at hand. Again, they're not for anyone who's looking for more in-depth or focused help on any of the covered subjects, but they're perfect as a quick general-interest reference; and, let's face it, they're so damn cute, and look so smart in a neat little stack or row, that probably you'll want to buy a whole bunch to give as gifts to your entire staff or department. --Timothy Murphy

About the Author

Robert Heller is a leading authority on management consulting. He was the founding editor of Management Today, and as editorial director of Haymarket Publishing Group, he supervised the launch of a number of highly successful magazines including Campaign and Computing. He is founder of the Working Words, a consulting firm specializing in business communications. He has been a contributor Experienced and novice managers alike will be Relevant to every work environment, from large corporations to small businesses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789428970
• ISBN-13: 978-0789428974
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #903,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What you need to know about managing change, September 22, 2005

By 

Elijah Chingosho "Dr Elijah Chingosho" (Nairobi, Kenya) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managing Change (Essential Managers) (Paperback)

Managing Change is a small book packed with information and ideas about managing change. It is direct and to-the-point. It is about 70 pages long and can fit in a jacket pocket which means that if you are busy implementing change, you can quickly read it (for example while in the metro going to and from work). This is also ideal if you need to implement change management soon or you are already implementing it and you need quick guidance on the way forward. If you are a facilitator or consultant and you need to present a crash course on managing change, you will find this little book very handy.

The book is divided into four sections namely:

* Understanding Change
* Planning Change
* Implementing Change
* Consolidating Change

These areas pretty covers all the main areas one would require when involved in a change process. The book is cheap and I would buy it for everyone involved in the change process, from the top of the organisation hierarchy to the front-line staff.

The book's main advantage of its compactness is also its main limitation. Not all the information required to become an effective change agent can be accommodated in a 70 or so page book. The book is excellent for a person looking for an entry-level book on the topic of managing change. This book will give you a good base structure from which to work. However, a more advanced student of change management would need to seek other books on the subject. I would recommend this book as a quick read while travelling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical Techniques, September 15, 2005

By 

Ilaxi S. Patel "Editor, kidsfreesouls.com & A... (India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essential Managers: Managing Change (Paperback)

All with practical techniques, Essential Managers series has 'Managing Change' that shows you how to initiate, anticipate and respond positively to change with the change! You can be an efficient and flexible manager to prove your worth with great accessible charts and flow diagrams and gear up for action and provide useful examples. Change is the single most important element of business management today says Rober Heller, the author of this series. With the rising economy level and competitions in the aggressive market, organizations and particularly individuals, have to adopt a positive attitude to bring about a 'Change'. To remain ahead of rivals, set trends and lead change in order to survive. Technical advice is given in this book on how to achieve the best from the staff by using their strengths and involving them at all stages. It has 101 concise tips with vital information and as usually found common in all Essential managers series - a self assessment exercise allows you to evaluate and improve your 'Change Management Skills'.

The contents are:
1.Understanding Change
a)Why Change? b)Understanding the causes of change c)Recognizing Sources of change d)Categorizing types of change

2.Planning Change
a)Focusing on goals b)Identifying the demand for change c)selecting essential changes d)evaluating complexity d)planning ways to involve people e)choosing a timescale f)making an action plan g)anticipating effects h)anticipating resistance to change i) testing and checking plans

3.Implementing Change
a)Communicating Change b)Assigning Responsibility c)Developing Commitment d)Changing culture e) Limiting Resistance

4. Consolidating Change
a) Monitoring progress b)Reviewing Assumptions c)Maintaining Momentum d)Building on Change e)Assessing your Change Management Skills.

The leaders do need to Change with the Change but now even an individual need to brush up his skills and minimize negatives. All change require changes in behavior which in turn flow from and create changes in attitude. Attitudes effect from job experiences, personnel changes, successes and setbacks and I feel, involvement thoroughly to be realistic and avoid complacency as success carries a hidden risk too. It's the need of the hour to be alert and aware. This book is a gem for any Corporate Office or Managers' office bookshelf. Even individuals who dream big to be leaders should possess and gift their bosses. Great Pick.

-ilaxi

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful Reference Guide for various aspects of change, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Essential Managers: Managing Change (Paperback)

This little booklet is full of small "sound bites" on the various aspects of change management and an ideal primer for people who want answers/ solutions "now." Has managed to capture major concepts and, through diagrams, pictures and charts, delivered them in an easy to understand and apply manner.