Managing Change
Enquiry and Action

A case-rich textbook that gives students and managers the tools they need to deal with the messy reality of change.

Nic Beech (Author), Robert MacIntosh (Author)

9781107006058, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 July 2012

290 pages, 36 b/w illus. 4 tables
25.4 x 17.7 x 1.9 cm, 0.71 kg

'This book combines conceptual sophistication with a strong concern for practice - an unusual achievement, in my view. Noting that organizing is always unfinished, that organizations are always in process, and that change is ever present and ambiguous, Beech and MacIntosh make a persuasive case for complex ways of managing complex organizational change. As well as writing about the inescapable politics of change and the difficulties of changing culture and habits, they usefully highlight the importance of language and dialogue for engaging people, handling differences, and enacting change. A sophisticated book illuminating enquiry for effective action.' Haridimos Tsoukas, University of Warwick and Columbia Ship Management Professor of Strategic Management, University of Cyprus

The ability to manage change successfully is an essential part of business. It is a skill that is much valued by employers, and it is therefore one of the most commonly delivered courses. This book helps you to understand three key activities for managing change: diagnosing, explaining and enacting. Both practical and action-oriented, it gives students and managers the tools they need to deal with the messy reality of change. It combines theory and diagnostic tools with practical examples that focus on actions and outcomes. It also includes short vignettes and longer cases, from a range of international contexts, for classroom study or for use on distance learning courses. Managing Change is written for advanced undergraduates and graduate students taking modules on change management, strategy and organizations. Its class-tested approach has been successfully delivered in a wide variety of settings, including over fifty executive short courses with FTSE-listed businesses.

Part I. Foundations: 1. Approaches to practising change management
2. Current perspectives and classic ideas
Part II. Diagnosing: 3. Clarity and ambiguity
4. Engagement and vitality
5. Stakeholder positioning and dynamics
6. Culture, habits and unlearning
Part III. Enacting Change: 7. Changing structure
8. Identity and change
9. Choosing customers and competitors
10. Changing processes
11. Aligning people and activities
12. Learning and developing
13. Change through dialogue
Part IV. Explaining: 14. Developing and interpreting evidence and reflexive learning
15. Accounting for change
16. Conclusions
Part V. Extended Cases: Case 1. ABB
Case 2. ITS Canada
Case 3. Island Opera
Case 4. Oticon
Case 5. Admiral Insurance
Case 6. Power Provision
Case 7. Nokia
Case 8. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
Case 9. Apple
Index.

Subject Areas: Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU]