Viral Change: The alternative to slow, painful and unsuccessful management of change in organizations (Paperback)

by Leandro Herrero (Author)
Key Phrases: behavioural fabric, change management programme, smart mobs, Change Champions, New York, Kevin Bacon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Many 'Change Management' initiatives end in fiasco, because they focus on processes and systems only and because they are based on wrong assumptions. But there is no change unless the change is behavioral. Viral ChangeTM will debunk these myths and show that, in Viral ChangeTM mode, people talk less about 'the programme' and do more in a way that infects other people, creating 'tipping points' where the new behaviors and the new changes become visible and sustainable. In short, Viral ChangeTM uses the networks of influence which are often below the radar of the organization chart to create internal infections of success. In this second revised edition, the author has further elaborated on influence mechanisms as well as added further insights with regard to viral leadership. These insights are firmly rooted in the author's own practical experience of successfully implementing and practicing Viral Change with his clients. The second revised edition of Viral ChangeTM will appeal to any reader who is interested in how organizations are rapidly evolving today and how understanding internal social networks is changing the way we should lead and manage. Viral Change is now more than ever THE manager's handbook on how to create sustainable change in organizations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: meetingminds (December 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905776012
• ISBN-13: 978-1905776016
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #486,811 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful guide for creating change in a large corporation, July 2, 2007

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (6/07)

So many large corporations spend millions of dollars on programs that they think will create positive change in their organization. As the change vehicle gets bogged down in committees and long-term commitments and strategies, the originals goals are often lost. Leandro Herrero's approach in "Viral Change" is completely different. This well-written, easy-to-follow book will teach you how to create lasting change in the corporate world. The author, a psychiatrist, debunks many myths about creating change in the corporate structure and outlines the process in very simple and straightforward steps.

The author begins the book by getting you to think about your position on fifteen assumptions. These are: Big changes requires big actions, only change at the top can ensure change within the organization, people are resistant to change, cultural change is a slow and painful long-term affair, everybody needs to be involved in the change, communication and training are the vital components of change, new processes and systems create the new necessary behaviors, people are rational and will react to logical and rational requests for change, there is no point in creating change in one division without the rest of the company participating, skeptical people and enemies of change need to be sidelined, vision for change needs to come from the top and cascade down, after change, you need a period of stability and consolidation, short-term wins are tactical, but they do not usually represent real change, there will always be casualties - people not accepting change - and you need to identify and deal with them and people used to not complying with norms will be even worse at accepting change. These same assumptions are revisited at the end of the book with very different outcomes when using viral change principles.

The bottom line in "Viral Change" is that change does not have to be a long, drawn-out and painful process. It can happen very quickly by using small, incremental steps. And it does not have to have the buy-in of all the "top brass" and committees. One person, not necessarily at the top, can effect positive change by using this process. Large corporations, for-profit and not-for- profit, often get in trouble because they become inflexible and unable to change quickly to meet the increasing demands in their industries. It does not have to be this way and Leandro Herrero proves that in this insightful book "Viral Change."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Theoretic but also pragmatic, January 18, 2009

By	Che Broekman (Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Herrero's work offers a define alternative to the big bang org change approach, but he does tend to make it easier than it looks. I think I will need to read it a couple of times before I would attempt it in a real organizational change environment.

The book is a bit repetitive and could have been written with perhaps a 100 less pages. Also, those areas where the processes to be applied are a bit too brief.

Despite these short comings, the book is an excellent resource for managers or consultants wanting to drive change. The idea (applying VC) just needs to get some runs on the board to achieve an appropriate level of professional believability