Webster, Douglas W.; Thames, Bob

Chasing Change : Building Organizational Capacity in a Turbulent Environment

Chasing Change Bringing about change requires more than simply advocating and imple menting new policies, structures, or other physical dimension changes. It also requires a behavioral change at the individual or personal level in order to engage the hearts and minds of people. Chasing Change addresses change at both an organizational and a personal level through a robust multi dimensional change model to aid readers understanding of how the external environ ment drives change, and how to stay in alignment with it. A survival guide for organizational members who have seen far too many failed improvement initiatives, Chasing Change provides an understanding of the cultural and personal dimensions of change that must be leveraged in tandem with infrastructure in order to have and sustain a successful change initiative. Written for CEOs, managers, and others leading change initiatives, Chasing Change distinguishes between change imposed on organizations by the external environment, and change that the organization originates in response to misalignment between the organization and the external environment. Authors Bob Thames and Doug Webster combine their decades of strategic change experience to identify thirteen core capabilities that can be evaluated and further developed to enable greater learning and adaptation to change: Leadership Commitment Accountability Forward Thinking Innovation Communication Risk Tolerance Organizational Learning Trust Diversity Empowerment Adaptation Dynamic Stability Organized into three parts—Awareness, Ass essment, and Assimilation—Chasing Change begins with change basics and a model for understanding how the environment sets the stage for change. From there, the book proceeds to an assessment of core organizational capa bilities to effectively respond to requirements for change. The authors conclude by laying out specific strategies, references, and tools currently available to enable organizations to be more effective in their unique change challenges. An essential resource for all agents of change, Chasing Change provides readers with the knowledge to understand the drivers of change as well as a practical toolset for meeting the change management needs tailored to each specific organization.