Beyond the Wall of Resistance, Revised 2nd Edition
Why 70% of All Changes Still Fail--and What You Can Do About It
By: Rick Maurer
Published: June 16, 2010
Format: Paperback, 208 pages
ISBN-10: 1885167725
ISBN-13: 978-1885167729
Publisher: Bard Press
"You'd think we'd be pretty good at making change work by now, but we're not", writes renowned change management expert and speaker Rick Maurer, in his practical and change facilitating book Beyond the Wall of Resistance, Revised 2nd Edition: Why 70% of All Changes Still Fail--and What You Can Do About It. The author describes why even well designed plans for organizational change fail, and why this lack of effective change management is costing businesses money, time, and opportunities for innovation.
Rick Maurer presents the sobering reality that since the first edition of his landmark book, that discovered that 70 percent of all change efforts fail, that the statistics have not changed at all. During that time, attempts at organizational change have not been effective, and many of the affected companies have continued to lose competitiveness, or have gone out of business entirely. Change leaders continue to make what the author calls the four biggest mistakes:
* Assuming that understanding equals support and commitment
* Underestimating the potential power of employee and management engagement
* Failure to appreciate the power of fear
* Failure to acknowledge that even a slight lack of trust and confidence in leaders can kill an otherwise fine idea
Rick Maurer (photo left) recognizes that the common causes of change management failure are challenges for leaders, but he has good news for change oriented leaders. There are proven techniques for implementing change effectively, and for overcoming the all too frequently encountered resistance. The author begins by advising leaders to look at change in a new and different way than in the past. Changing the approach taken to change requires an open mind, and a commitment to understanding how change really works. Rick Maurer shares new ideas for planning and implementing change. Through better planning, and consideration of the point of view of those affected, a more effective change management concept can be devised for application. The author also describes proven techniques for creating change effectively through improved leadership skills, for engaging everyone involved, and for meeting and overcoming resistance.
For me, the power of the book is how Rick Maurer addresses the challenges facing change management leaders, and provides a fresh approach to implementing that change effectively with the needs and concerns of all stakeholders in mind. The author demonstrates that top down imposition of change will not work as employees are not engaged in the process or even the reasons why change may even be critical to organizational survival. Building trust is essential to facilitating optimal change, and that requires listening to and engaging the employees. Rick Maurer recognizes that there is very often a gap between what a leader knows, and what can be done, and shares ideas for bridging that knowledge gap successfully. Not only does the book focus on the necessity for a new type of change leadership, but also on the importance of developing a plan with input from all interested parties. At the same time, the book provides a series of actions that can be taken to coordinate change and implement it effectively with the support of employees.
I highly recommend this revised edition of the landmark book Beyond the Wall of Resistance, Revised 2nd Edition: Why 70% of All Changes Still Fail--and What You Can Do About It by Rick Maurer, to anyone seeking to implement change in their own organization effectively and with positive results for management and employees. In this uncertain economy, the need for change is often critical to company survival. By making embracing resistance and gaining support for change through engagement and trust, a leader can guide the organization through a difficult transition more easily.
Read the transformational book Beyond the Wall of Resistance, Revised 2nd Edition: Why 70% of All Changes Still Fail--and What You Can Do About It by Rick Maurer, and discover how to facilitate change in your organization with less chance for becoming one of the 70 percent of organizations that failed in their efforts to change. This book will give you and your company the tools to create change, and gain a lead over the competition, who may be struggling ineffectively with change resistance themselves.
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