Customer Reviews

Managing at the Speed of Change: How Resilient Managers Succeed and Prosper Where Others Fail

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
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As an IT consultant and project manager, dealing with change management occurs on an almost daily basis. Sometimes change management works, and works well, but all too often it fails miserably. Here is an author who understands why this happens and how to remedy the problem.

Author Conner runs one of the foremost consulting firms devoted exclusively to change. He is experienced, and has an easy writing style, allowing you to completely focus on what he says rather than hammering through loads of hype, meaningless acronyms and technical gobbledygook. He explains clearly why change initiatives often don't seem to stay in place after the initial implementation of the change. He then offers sound recommendations on the roles and responsibilities required to execute changes, along with the various pros and cons of different infrastructures for those roles.

Conner illustrates that each of us moves through our lives at our own speed of change, and how we have the ability to enhance our skills by understanding the uniqueness of people who have effectively dealt with change. These people have a vast amount of flexibility, differentiated by being extremely focused, highly resilient, well organized, and very proactive. When people like this work within the configuration of change, leading others through the eight models in the organizational change process, constructive results are bound to happen.

This is definitely a powerful, five-star book, and one that I have no hesitation putting on my personal list of the top "must read" books for IT professionals and project managers at all levels.

Conner has introduced some interesting concepts in addition to a thorough treatment of how to increase personal and organizational "resilience" to change.

Conner explains why so many change initiatives don't seem to "stick" after the initial roll out of the change. He offers some concrete recommendations on the roles required to execute a change, and the pros and cons of different organizational structures for those roles.

Another interesting concept he introduces is that there is an extra cost associated with being "surprised that we are surprised." During the course of a change, unexpected events occur -- if we are expecting to be surprised, we are better able to absorb the events even if we don't know what they are in advance. This is a strong argument for communicating early and frequently to an organization before and during the change process, rather than holding off until every tiny detail of the change has been worked out.

Daryl Connor has offered a management success classic with "Managing At the Speed of Change". His is a unique study in how to overcome others' failures in managing (you can learn from others' mistakes and Connor shows you how).

Connor's non technical style makes his 281 pages (hardback) interesting and informative. He defines a problem, suggests a remedy, and then proffers effective resolution.

Connor's greatest contribution comes through his discussions about change and its management. He says that resilient people are those who succeed. The book studies change imperatives and how one becomes more resilient. (His five basic characteristics of resilience, on page 238, are fascinating and illuminating.)

The book offers a plethora of graphs and drawings to illustrate Connor's thinking. His views will certainly create discussion in business courses and mangement training groups.

One of Connor's many helpful dictums arrives in his presentation for implementing the "synergistic process" (page 212 and following). He suggests four approaches for successfully implementation: (1) strategize, (2) monitor and reinforce, (3) remain team focused, and (4) update. Connor understand these to be "vital elements" for sound management practices. (For me, they are working.)

Connor's discussion of the unseen dangers in management is also helpful. His section on crisis management (chapter 14) is brilliant. His talk about Danger-Oriented People and Opportunity-Oriented People (pages 232-238) is alone worth the price of the book.

This book is recommended to all managers, to any who are looking to grow their careers in our fast-paced society, and those who study change.

I have lived through over a decade of watching companies waste millions on failed software implementations, sales initiatives, and -- yes--the much dreaded "Business Process Re-engineering."

After reading Daryl's book three times, I have distilled his 30 years' of wisdom down to some probing questions. I recommend every company undergoing significant change consider these questions as "book discussion guide..."

1. What is the most profound change you face as a leader? Please think through all lenses, including client changes, industry, regulatory, global, demographic, political, environmental, technology, and personal/health/spiritual/relationships.


2. Daryl Conner says "our lives are the most effective and efficient when we are moving at a speed that allows us to appropriately assimilate the changes we face."

What phase of assimilation is your team experiencing now? (Chapter 8)

3. "Future shock" is the point where humans can no longer assimilate change without displaying dysfunctional behavior. Name 3 dysfunctional behaviors that represent future shock in your company.


Now describe how you would help your colleague change those behavior(s). (pages 55-57).


4. Conner describes how "The Beast" loves to take dreams and turn them into nightmares. What is the loudest message The Beast says within your culture?


5. What are the top 3 change initiatives within your organization today?


6. What key values (behaviors, beliefs or assumptions) are essential to supporting these most pressing change initiatives?

7. Name 1 behavior you are willing to change to foster synergy and resilience (Chapters 12-14).

I have used these questions with my clients to help them gain more focus on what's important, eliminate what is not important, and align their teams towards a common goal. I trust you may benefit from them as well.

Thank you, Daryl, for your dedication to helping leaders in highly volatile times.

Lisa Nirell
www.energizegrowth.com

As a Help Desk manager, I deal with change management on a daily basis. Managing at the Speed of Change put in one book everything I have learned in seminars and hard earned experience and more. The author has an easy writing style, allowing you to focus on what he says rather thatn hammering through loads of technical jargon. I would put this on my must read book for Help Desk managers and IT professionals at all levels.

Conner's premise is that all of us move through life at our own speed of change, and that we have the ability to enhance our skills by understanding the characterisitcs of people who have successfully dealt with change. These people have an enormous amount of resilience, characterized by being positive, focused, flexible, organized, and proactive. When these resilient people work within the structure of change, and lead others through the eight patterns in the organizational change process, positive results happen. This book is powerful, and few authors have shared their personal experience with change as openly as Conner, which lends this book a credibility few can match. When read with William Bridges' "Transitions", you have a 1-2 punch in making change your ally.

The countless interviews which Mr. Conner performed will certainly pay off for the thousands of executives, leaders, and managers of the planet. This book contains a plethora of information and is the beginning of a real foundation for organizational change and how to deal with it.

David J. Sell, Captain, USAF Managed Care Officer, 95th Medical Group

As Alvin Toffler wrote nearly four decades ago (see Future Shock) many people struggle with the shock of experiencing "too much change in too short a period of time." If that described our situation in 1973, it certainly describes it today. Modern changes are larger, more complicated, and certainly faster than ever.

In this thoughtful book, Daryl Conner provides some good take-aways:
- Change is exhausting. It's inescapable. It's coming faster than ever.
- Every change requires personal energy, of which we have a finite amount.
- The bigger the change, the more disruptive it is.
- Resistance to change is natural. Learn to help people overcome their resistance.
- It's important to understand the various roles during change (sponsor, agent, target, advocate).
- If your change is contrary to your organization's culture, the change is doomed to fail.

This book can be a helpful guide for working with change in most any kind of organization - family, nonprofit, business, or school.

I found this book useful in how it identified the various elements to be considered in a change project. The comments about how resistance to positive change can still occur and the pattern of reactions to such positive change enlightening. However, pages 253 to 257 should be read first as they explain how the various elements to be considered in a change situation are related; something which I feel should have been done at the beginning of the book.

If you want to know why people react the way they do with regard to change in the work place, at home, or in life, this is the book for you. You will be guided in how to help reduce the level of anxiety when change is implemented. This is a wonderful book.