Changing the Way We Manage Change

To cope with the chaotic new business environment, organizations must find ways to manage the problems of change—but also the process of change itself. Yesterday's solutions are obsolete. Innovative solutions are rare, yet even the best require not only the efforts of individuals but other agents as well. Sims sees change agents throughout any organization and at all levels—line and staff people, human resource specialists, and those who have hitherto had little reason to tackle such tasks and have not been accountable for their outcomes. Unique models are presented for change interventions, along with techniques and tools that executives need to accomplish them. The result is a book that experienced executives will understand and utilize, but also one that will bring novices up to speed, providing new ways to use their own instincts and capabilities for innovation. Sims and his contributors challenge the traditional prescription for creating change, providing a compelling critique of accepted approaches to change management, highlighting the strengths of these approaches and emphasizing what can be extracted to foster change. Each author provides insights into the competencies, skills, and values required for the rapid and successful creation of lasting change. In doing so, they also reemphasize that there is no universal approach to change management, and that the need for innovation, flexibility, and adaptability remains dominant.

RONALD R. SIMS is the Floyd Dewey Gottwald Senior Professor of Business Administration in the Graduate School of Business at the College of William and Mary. He holds a doctorate in organizational behavior and consults widely with organizations in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. Sims is author or coauthor of more than 75 scholarly and professional articles and more than 20 books. Among his more recent Quorum titles are Organizational Success Through Effective Human Resources Management (2002), The Challenge of Front-Line Management (2000), and Keys to Employee Success in Coming Decades (1999, with John G. Veres III).