Harvard Business Review on Culture and Change (Harvard Business Review Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Harvard Business Press (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2002

This unique collection looks at the often messy and difficult process of changing workplace culture. The articles examine why there is resistance to change on the corporate and individual level and explains the effect of passive aversion to cultural problems on company performance.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since 1984, Harvard Business School Press has been dedicated to publishing the most contemporary management thinking, written by authors and practitioners who are leading the way. Whether readers are seeking big-picture strategic thinking or tactical problem solving, advice in managing global corporations or for developing personal careers, HBS Press helps fuel the fire of innovative thought. HBS Press has earned a reputation as the springboard of thought for both established and emerging business leaders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Business Press; 1 edition (May 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578518369
• ISBN-13: 978-1578518364
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #785,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rigorous, Practical, and Eloquent, August 28, 2006

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harvard Business Review on Culture and Change (Harvard Business Review Paperbacks) (Paperback)

In this volume, one of a series of anthologies of articles previously published in the Harvard Business Review, the reader is provided with eight brilliant analyses of how to establish and then nourish innovative thinking enterprise-wide. No brief commentary such as this can do full justice to the rigor and substance of these articles. It remains for each reader to examine the list to identify those subjects which are of greatest interest to her or him. My own opinion is that all of the articles are first-rate. One of this volume's greatest benefits is derived from sharing a variety of perspectives provided by a number of different authorities on the same general subject. In this instance, "culture and change."

Readers will especially appreciate the provision of an executive summary which precedes each article. They facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of key points which - presumably - careful readers either underline or highlight. Also of interest is the "About the Contributors" section which includes suggestions of other sources to consult. All but one of the4 eight articles appeared in HBR in 2001. Here are questions which suggest key issues to which their autghors respond:

When and why do good teams go wrong? (Paul F. Levy)
How to change a "culture of face time"? (Bill Munck)
What is the "radical reason" people won't change? (Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey)
How can radical change be achieved "the quiet way"? (Debra E. Meyerson)
Why do good companies go bad? (Donald L. Sull, 1999)
How to transform a conservative company "one laugh at a time"? (Katherine M. Hudson,)
When does a culture need a makeover? (Carol Lavin Bernick)
How to conquer a culture of indecision? (Ram Charan)

I was especially interested in reading Charan's article, written prior to his co-authorship with Larry Bossidy of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (2002) And Profitable Growth Is Everyone's Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning (2004). In this article and in his later work, Charan asserts that the single greatest cause of organizational underperformance is the failure to execute. Of course, reasons for that failure vary from one organization to another. However, Charan's rigorous research (especially his rigorous examination of GE's culture under Jack Welch's leadership) revealed which specific actions which leaders can take to conquer a culture off indecision. To those with a special interest in this common problem, I highly recommend two books by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton: The Knowing-Doing: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action (2000) and Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths And Total Nonsense: Profiting From Evidence-Based Management (2006).

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out other "Harvard Business Review on..." volumes such as those on Change, Effective Communication, Innovation, Knowledge Management, and Organizational Learning. Also Robert Kaplan and David Norton's The Strategy-Focused Organization and James O'Toole's Leading Change as well as The New American Workplace which O'Toole co-authored with Edward E. Lawler III, David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Dick Grote's Forced Ranking, Brian Becker, Mark Huselid, and David Ulrich's The HR Scorecard, and The Work Force Scorecard which Becker and Huselid co-authored with Richard Beatty.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As usual: Theory and Practice well combined, February 19, 2011

By 

Frank Roettgers "Author of Going Green Together" (Frankfurt, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harvard Business Review on Culture and Change (Harvard Business Review Paperbacks) (Paperback)

With this paper Harvard Business Press again published a number of helpful advices in the tried and tested way. This time, Harvard Business Review published their combined knowledge on culture and change. As with most other HBR publications, this one is a must read for everyone working within this area.

With the help of numerous well-known authors this paper provides insights into change management and organizational restructuring. Considering factors such as leadership style, communication methods, and organizational learning curves the paper provides a comprehensive starting guide to cultural change. Moreover, this paper, unlike many books in this area, provides practical advices based on extensive research. When I read a book nowadays I often miss the theoretical foundation which creates credibility in the outlined results and suggestions. Reading this paper and reading the earlier works of the authors of this article you know that their conclusions are based not only on their personal experience, but also on decades of scientific research and findings. For a critical thinker like me, this is an attribute which I would not want to miss.

- Frank Roettgers, author of Going Green Together - How to Align Employees with Green Strategies

5 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Supplement!, May 13, 2003

By 

Michael A. Beitler (Greensboro, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harvard Business Review on Culture and Change (Harvard Business Review Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I recommend this book in addition to my own, "Strategic Organizational Change." The combination of the two books works well for my students (and clients).