4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read!, Feb 29 2004
This is one of the most succinct and clearly written business books you will ever read. Author William Bridges uses language with care and precision, delivering the goods without any superfluous jargon. He cites many welcome quotations on change and innovation from a wide range of writers and thinkers whose work is not usually found in business books. He places these quotations in context with aptly chosen examples of recent business transitions, bringing intelligence and sensibility to a subject too often addressed only with clichés and cant. Only those who have read many business books can fully appreciate the value of such an approach. Others will merely find that they are able to read this book from cover to cover without at any point having to wonder what the author really means to say. Managing transitions is really about helping people deal with fear and uncertainty - the key is to build trust and confidence. Everything Bridges says flows from that common sense insight, and seems obvious and necessary once he says it, though it may not seem as evident to you until you read his book. We highly recommends that you do so.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The first change management book I've found., July 27 2002
This review is from: Managing Transitions: Making The Most Of Change (Paperback)
Being an IT consultant, two of my main concerns are Project Management and Change Resistance. The combination of these two usually helps or dooms a project. "Managing Transitions" is the first book I have read that focuses on HOW to deal with change, instead of staying only in the WHAT should change, or WHY change is necessary.
In summary, "Managing Transitions" divides change into beginning, transition, and closure. It also suggests taking people's feelings into account, and giving them as much information as can be given, in order to get the trust of the ones going through change.
It gets four stars because in most chapters it talks about upper management as knowing exactly what has to be done, and it is only at the end that it acknowledges they may be wrong too. Since this is a book directed to managers, that is understandable. Most of its focus is in showing superiors how to lead their subordinates through change. However, it also devotes one chapter to explain how to deal with personal change.
With 125 pages, it is easy to read. In this "Who Moved my Cheese?" age, Bridges book is getting much less attention than it deserves.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
MANAGING change and more!, Nov 3 2003
By A Customer
This book shows you how to MANAGE transitions and why transitions fail. It is an excellent read. If you want to know how to make the MOST of change, you have to be an Optimal Thinker. So read Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self too.
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