The Change Leader's Roadmap: How to Navigate Your Organization's Transformation [Paperback]

 

 

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NOTE: The review that follows is of the Second Edition, published in 2010

I recently read the Second Edition of this book (first published in 2001) and the Second Edition of Beyond Change Management (also first published in 2001) and commend Linda Ackerman Anderson Dean Anderson on a brilliant explanation of how to achieve breakthrough results through what they characterize as "change conscious leadership." My only criticism, and it is a significant one, is that neither volume addresses an essential component of organizational transformation: performance measure. For that, those in need of guidance are encouraged to read Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measure: Rethinking the Way We measure and Drive Organizational Success, published by ANACOM (2007). If possible, the Andersons suggest that Beyond Change Management be read first, then this one.

Readers will especially appreciate the Andersons' skill use of "cases in point" that focus on real-world situations to illustrate key points. They include capacity assessments (Page 84), DTE Energy Mindset Shift (92-95), Fortune 500 company reward system (158), manufacturing company system-wide integration strategy (262), and common change methodology for efforts (297). There is substantial value to be found in real-world situations in which the most important do's and don'ts of change agency are revealed within an empirical frame-of-reference. Those who read this book also receive a substantial value-added benefit: free premium content that includes worksheets and job aids. Access them at www.pfeiffer.com/go/anderson using the password provided in the book.

Reading most business books is a benign experience as material is absorbed and digested. That is certainly not the case with this book, nor with The Change Leader's Roadmap. Each includes checklists (especially of the right questions to ask) and worksheets that are designed to facilitate, indeed intensify the reader's engagement in their narrative. The Andersons immediately establish a direct and cordial rapport with their reader so that there is continuous interaction between the reader and the material provided. Throughout their narrative and at the aforementioned website, the Andersons provide about as much information, wisdom, and advice as an individual or team will need to design and then implement change initiatives. I also highly recommend Spitzer's book as well as the one co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

There is another resource worthy of consideration, The Execution Premium: Linking Strategy to Operations for Competitive Advantage co-authored by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton. In it, they devote almost all of their attention to focusing on (a) what is most important in terms of linking strategy to operations for competitive advantage and (b) how to do that with resources and initiatives that are cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective. Kaplan and Norton are also the co-authors of Strategy Maps: Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes and Alignment: Using the Balanced Scorecard to Create Corporate Synergies.

I selected the title of my review because, as I worked my way through this book, I was reminded of Peter Drucker's observation, "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all." It is no small praise to suggest that in this book, Dean Anderson and Linda Ackerman Anderson do everything humanly possible to help their to avoid doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all" when planning and then implementing change initiatives.

This is a "must read" book if you are leading or involved in organizational culture or process change.

The book offers a transformation model with tools that align with each phase of the model. It talks to assessing readiness, building the infrastructure, building the strategy, driving commitment, designing the transformation and implementing it. It has just enough theory to clarify the model, and is extremely grounded in practicality.

It offers invaluable insight into what to watch for, what to leverage and how to avoid pitfalls in the transformation process.

This book structured the realm of change management to me, to the extent that it is no longer an art form that I need to aspire to, but a process that I actually use.

This is a good book. I recommend it in addition to my own, "Strategic Organizational Change."

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

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5.0 out of 5 stars No fluff - provides a clear roadmap to implementing change
If you are involved in organizational change, including the introduction and rollout of new systems, steering company culture and/or reengineering this book is a gem. Read more

Published on Jun 21 2002 by Mike Tarrani

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