Customer Reviews

High Velocity Culture Change: A Handbook for Managers

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is perhaps the worst example I have encountered of terrible advice, wrapped in a package of nonsensical and even self-contradictory aphorisms. This is par for this sort of "book" (it's not a book, it's a pamphlet) - what is unusual is how violent the language of the book is... nothing like trodding over and destroying those who don't understand your vision for organization change. The book presents untestable hypotheses, uncited claims, and essentially no tools or mechanisms for actually doing the things they instruct you to do (not that anyone should do anything these authors suggest). If your organization is passing this book around, you should strongly consider whether this is an organization that values rational thought - and thus whether you should work there. Sad that you can't give negative stars - this book will hurt your organization.

If a fourth grader had written at this level I'd send them back to third grade. Follow up the poor writing with an approach which can only be described as derived from brainwashing techniques, and you come up with a book that is more painful to read than undergoing Chinese Water Torture. The writer bombards the reader with poorly worded rephrasings of the same thing, again and again. He throws the rephrasings at the reader multiple times. The author switches his words around and repeats the same premise over and over. Get the idea.

On TOP of this, the premises seem to go along the lines of:
Change is good.
Change must happen.
Promote Change.
If people don't like your change get rid of them.

There is no consideration given to analysis, progress, fixing actual problems. The upper level manager at my company who promoted this book also cost our company more than $31 Million because she was addicted to changing things. I call that sort of thing a Legacy change, as in "look at what a good job I did, I changed things." It promotes change over results. Change for change sake does not equal progress.

This book is even more painful than an Ayn Rand novel.

Unfortunately the manager at my company adopted the philosophy of this handbook. Since then, moral has taken a severe drop, senior employees have left and we've been investigated by outside sources for questionable practices. I have never read a book that promotes such ineffective methods of employee development. This book is trash!

This book has ruined our company as well. Unethical style, unworthy "insights", unscientific results that promote unstable behaviors. Call the police on these people and put a DNR on this book.

I was told to read this book by a senior level manager in the corporation I work in. I went into the reading with high hopes to be motivated by the short, but highly recommended read. I barely could get past the second page. It made me angry and I started to second guess the corporation I was working for. Yes change is inevitable, but working with change and working against it are quite different. This book tells you to forget your past and just look forward not worrying about anything or anyone that may cross your path. It talks about change like blowing through a path like a hurricane...and everyone knows nothing good ever comes from the path of a hurricane.

It made me think that a cult would evolve if a corporation adopted these behaviors and the people that the company relied on and that held it together like glue would be left in the dust. You need more than just bricks to keep an organization together and this book gives you no resources or tools to reference. It only gives a biased view of dealing with change in a way that may not work with an educated society.

The only reason I read the entire book was because it was so short and I was hoping something good would be hidden in it, but I found nothing but trash, as another reviewer put it. I felt very strongly after reading the book that I would never want to work for a company that agreed with the point of view portrayed.

Giant Fortune 500 company. Head of a major sector of the company bought into this booklet. Sent everybody above a certain level a copy of this booklet. I called it "The Little Orange Book." It contains lots of quotes that seem to be derived from Mao-Tse-Tung's "Little Red Book" although it doesn't go so far as to recommending gutting village dissidents in front of all the villagers.

Here are some quotes: "You want hot-blooded people bent on making their mark." "You need radicals. Rebels. Revolutionaries. People who howl at the moon." Well, we got 'em. Did not take them long to run the highly intelligent, experienced people out of the company. The revolutionaries rode roughshod over everybody to claw their way to the top regardless of the effect on the business.

I don't think we got the type of culture change that was anticipated.

The part of the company that used this booklet as a guide declined from a 20,000 person organization to zero. It no longer exists.

Beware of those who endorse this book and hope they never reach a level of prominance in YOUR company!

A great quick read and guide to managing culture change. Similar to One Minute Manager in presenting succinct statements. Have found it useful in merger situations and in introducing new ways of doing things. Buy in quantity because when I lend it, it never comes back.

I have heard a lot of criticisms of this small book as being too 'brutal' and uncaring of peoples needs and sensibilities. If one was to act PRECISELY as laid out then yes, I would agree. However if you have the brains and emotional maturity to read between the lines and see the messages the authors have laid out, use your skills with people to ensure the communication of ideas is effective and appropriate, its a brilliant book with some great 'heads up' information. It outlines some very common traps for inexperienced people and states clearly what must happen to effect genuine change.

As a 'handbook' for how to act? Not so much....as a great tool to evaluate your change plans and progress? Great !

We used this book as the basis for a day long discussion about changing the culture of our organization. It was used as a pre-read to a one day meeting. It facilitated a common language and concepts allowing us to cover more ground in a shorter time. I would recommend this book for any group looking to change its culture through revolution rather than evolution.

When dealing with a deeply-entrenched culture that has to change to keep up with the world around it, this book can be a huge inspiration for managers. I have seen it work first-hand without destroying the company, yes, even strengthening it and giving it "permission" to look at things with fresh eyes.

However, I can see some of the critics' points in that it doesn't give tools and it advises some confrontational techniques. However, I would hazard a guess that the authors expected the readers to already have a well thought out plan. There IS a reason that the book is vague in that regards.

As to the reader who criticized the writing level: I didn't find it to be overly simplistic or offensive. If one has spent any time in a marketing or teaching environment, they will know that the key to learning and changing behavior is repetition.

Perhaps the loudest critics of this book belong in the 30% who are anti-change?