Leading the Edge of Change : Building Individual and Organizational Capacity for the Evolving Nature of Change [Paperback]

John L. Bennett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2000

It is about doing more than coping with change. It is about developing the capacity to survive and then thrive during the turbulence of change, which confront us personally, professionally, and as organizations. This is more than a how-to book although it offers 10 tools and worksheets to help individuals, teams and organizations prepare for and excel through change.

 Not just a how-to book, Leading the Edge of Change summarizes key elements of the widely used models of change styles to illustrate personal responses to change.
 It applies the Herrmann Whole Brain Model to lay a framework for teamwork, leadership and communication.
 Through the eyes and experiences of one employee, this book weaves personal experiences of the central characters growth as a leader of tremendous change into topics covering the nature of change, responses to change, building resilience, leadership, teamwork, project and action planning, and communication.
 The book is beautifully packaged with an eye-catching four-color cover.
 A great gift for members of change leadership teams as well as people in organizations targeted for change.

The use of a story line to explain personal and organizational responses to change coupled with the application of tools to help lead and be a part of change make this an informative and practical book.

By telling the story of Maggie, a employee, as she develops and matures in her responsibilities and role of responding to and leading change, Mr. Bennett has made the subject interesting and appealing. He has applied the Herrmann Whole Brain and the Change Style Indicator Models as a way of helping individuals in their response to change. This helps the reading better understand the lead others.

We also like the useful worksheets, tools, and an extensive resource list enable understanding, application and further learning.

Included, you will find more than 10 worksheets and tools to support individuals, teams and large scale organizational change.

Editorial Reviews

Review

John has masterfully woven the insight you need to build yourself and your team to the cutting edge of change. -- Robert J. Danzig, former President, Hearst Newspapers

This practical book, written with wisdom and from experience, will nourish your mind and nuture your soul... -- Nido R. Qubein, Chairman, Creative Services, Inc.

About the Author

John Bennett lives on a Lake near Charlotte, NC. John earned a masters degree in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is an international speaker, trainer, consultant, coach who specializes in helping individuals and organizations prepare for, excel through and improve from change. Prior to forming the organizational development consulting firm, Lawton & Associates, he was CEO of a $23 million American Red Cross biomedical services division where he led mergers, turn-arounds, market development opportunities and the development/installation of various computer systems. John has more than 20 years experience leading and being a part of change.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Paw Print Pr; 1 edition (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967832306
• ISBN-13: 978-0967832302
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,062,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Key to a Treasure Chest of Leadership, May 12, 2002

By 

Roger E. Herman (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leading the Edge of Change : Building Individual and Organizational Capacity for the Evolving Nature of Change (Paperback)

While change has become ubiquitous, leading change places an organization in a stronger competitive position. Leaders are supposed to lead change, but many don't know how. This book will give them some insight to do a better job at building individual and organizational capacity for the evolving nature of change.

The book is organized into four sections: Nature and Response to Change, Building the Capacity to Spring Back and Survive, Organizational Components, and Time to Change. A bibliography and appendices add to the value of this little volume. A number of charts are provided for the reader to complete to organize the leadership process and follow through.

During the first two chapters, the reader gains a good knowledge of what change is all about, including natural human responses to change. As Bennett launches into his explanation, he tells us about his grandmother and about Maggie, a sort of girl-next-door near grandmother's place. Maggie is a manager coping with change in her organization and Granny . . . well, she's a grandmother filled with wisdom. These characters are used to teach and to offer case studies, adding a smoothness to what might otherwise be just another difficult-to-read leadership book.

Interacting as a consultant (Bennett is a Certified Management Consultant), the author coaches Maggie on how to work with her colleagues who relate to change in different ways. This process makes the book comfortably instructive.

In the second section of the book, the focus is on resilience, a concept not often found in books on change. We're all "hit" by change, but the key to good leadership and success is how we bounce back from the impacts of change or adversity. A major key is to avoid extinction (hear the dinosaur?) by being flexible and adaptable. Bennett warns that we are all potential dinosaurs; due diligence is in order!

The balance of the book is filled with information and ideas that will reinforce what you know and provoke some creative thinking. The Herrmann Brain Dominance concepts are interwoven to add a different dimension to the leadership-oriented content.

Graphs and charts are thrown in to help the reader grasp the knowledge graphically . . . and to have lots of forms to complete to manage your leadership of change.

Then I got my surprise. I was just about finished with the book, thinking it was a good leadership book. There are so many out there. Then, on page 85 I hit "Bibliography and Resources." I almost flipped by it until I realized what a tremendous treasure John Bennett has given us! Over four pages of listings that reads like the List of Recommended Readings for several graduate courses. What a rich resource! I couldn't resist. I counted. 65.

This is a book that will really open your learning about leading change. It's the key to a treasure chest.

5.0 out of 5 stars You've got to read this book!, February 15, 2001

By 

Robbie Romeiser (Spartanburg, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leading the Edge of Change : Building Individual and Organizational Capacity for the Evolving Nature of Change (Paperback)

If I could sum up in one word what this book has given me, that word would be WISDOM! More specifically, LEADING THE EDGE OF CHANGE has given me a deep understanding of how and why people react to change in different ways. It also taught me how I could (and should) choose people of differing change tolerances for project teams. People with different change tolerances will complement one another, as well as balance one another, during the process of managing initiatives for higher productivity and, therefore, for higher profits.

Without a doubt, LEADING THE EDGE OF CHANGE has enhanced my ability to work with other people for our common goals. For that reason, I will reread it regularly, and I will always keep it among my most-used reference materials!

Robbie Romeiser, President & CEO Faster Goals

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking, "user friendly" reading for managers., September 7, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leading the Edge of Change : Building Individual and Organizational Capacity for the Evolving Nature of Change (Paperback)

Leading The Edge Of Change: Building Individual And Organizational Capacity For The Evolving Nature Of Change summarizes key elements of widely used models of change styles to illustrate personal responses to change. Using the eyes and experiences of a single employee, John Bennett applies the Herrmann Whole Brain Model to lay a framework for teamwork, leadership, and communication. Invaluable, thought-provoking, "user friendly" reading for anyone charged with business management responsibilities, Leading The Edge Of Change weaves personal experiences of the central character's growth as a leader of tremendous change.