Intentional Revolutions: A Seven-Point Strategy for Transforming Organizations (Gestalt Institute of Cleveland Publication) [Hardcover]

Edwin C. Nevis (Author), Joan Lancourt (Author), Helen C. Vassallo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0787902403 | ISBN-13: 978-0787902407 | Edition: 1

Let science set the stage

The most valuable ally a change agent could want. Author Edwin Nevis and his coauthors leverage breakthrough behavioral and social science research to arrive at seven surefire methods for investing workers with an all-new mindset. The results: a powerful strategy for influencing behavior, minimizing resistance to change, and sustaining an organization that is continuously adapting and self-renewing. Filled with examples of both successful and failed change efforts -- and with numerous case studies from companies including Motorola and Xerox -- this is one how-to on effecting change you should definitely include in your arsenal.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is both a mind-stretcher and a practical guide . . . an important addition to the library of any leader concerned with change." --Richard Beckhard, director, Richard Beckhard Associates and coauthor of Changing the Essence

From the Inside Flap

The most valuable ally a change agent could want. Author Edwin Nevis and his coauthors leverage breakthrough behavioral and social science research to arrive at seven surefire methods that help people adapt to new work situations. The results: a powerful strategy for influencing behavior, minimizing resistance to change, and sustaining an organization that is continuously adapting and self-renewing. Filled with examples of both successful and failed change efforts -- and with numerous case studies from companies including Motorola and Xerox -- this is one how-to on effecting change you should definitely include in your arsenal.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (April 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787902403
• ISBN-13: 978-0787902407
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,674 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 Definitely worth reading, February 26, 2002

By 

Paul Skidmore (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intentional Revolutions: A Seven-Point Strategy for Transforming Organizations (Gestalt Institute of Cleveland Publication) (Hardcover)

This a really good read. The authors begin from the premise that organizations are now more than ever forced to operate in a climate of change. Their capacity for transformation is therefore increasingly essential for their survival. The authors outline seven strategies for achieving such a transformation: coercion, persuasive communication, participation, structural rearrangement, role modelling, extrinsic rewards and expectancy.

The different chapters are presented and organised in a readily accessible style, and their argument has a powerful intuitive appeal because of the way it resonates with many of our commonplace, day-to-day experiences of organisational culture and change.

If the book has a weakness it is one common to this genre - namely that it deals much more effectively with what should be done than how it should be done. I find their seven strategies much more useful as a diagnostic or descriptive tool - helping to understand change efforts as merely one of several possible approaches - rather than as a prescriptive blueprint for how change can be implemented.