Leading people through change remains a huge leadership issue in today’s quickly evolving world. Gaining soft skills to manage change also remains an essential leadership skill. Most books topping the bestseller lists inspire readers to help their organizations adapt better. This book is not one of those inspirational pieces. Rather, Julie Hodges guides readers through the entire field to see the diverse approaches required to help their people adapt. Instead of just triggering those with big titles to dominate, this text cultivates leaders to build an organization’s practices and people to enact lasting change.
Unlike many books on change management, this book is a textbook. Its contents derive primarily from academic theories of change management, but it’s clearly informed by the everyday practice of leading groups through change. Honestly, I’m not – and never will be – steeped in the academic literature of management to appraise whether it meets the theoretical standards well. I do appreciate the value of academic theories, and this book uses theory to teach different ways of approaching common problems.
For instance, it discusses varying approaches to implementing change from a people-centered direction. Instead of mandating a change via a top-down edict, leaders can follow the several factors Hodges suggests to persuade people to jump on board. The care in the text made it obvious that Hodges spent time building a critical mass of support for various initiatives. Though she doesn’t share stories like many popular books, the explained theory aligns with her background of people-centered practice.
If you’re interested in change management, you’ll find a lot of books with practical stories to inspire you along the authors’ already trodden path. Reading those accounts does have value. In contrast, this book will teach you comprehensive theories to help readers adapt their leadership style to the people they lead. If you’re interested in sharpening your change management skills beyond mere inspiration into the nitty-gritty of people, this book might just be for you.
Managing and Leading People through Organizational Change: The Theory and Practice of Sustaining Change through People
By Julie Hodges
Narrated by Amanda Dolan
Audio copyright (c) 2019
Brilliance Audio
Text copyright (c) 2016
Kogan Page
ASIN B07RD1CS5L
Length: 15:50
Genre: Change Management
www.amazon.com