Strategic Organizational Change

Strategic Organizational Change is written by a practitioner for practitioners (managers and consultants). Much has been written about organizational change. Unfortunately, little guidance is provided for practitioners who are responsible for designing and implementing change — until now!

In this book, Dr. Beitler begins by providing a systematic approach for diagnosing organizational problems. Then he offers his step-by-step approach for designing and implementing organizational change interventions. Everything is written in a practical, easy-to-follow style, with an abundance of checklists and practice tools.

Every manager and change consultant will gain valuable insights and practice tools from this book. In an increasingly competitive environment these insights and tools will give managers and consultants the edge they need to succeed!

• Part I. The Practice of OC
• Chapter 1 — The Strategy-Driven Approach
• Purpose of this Book
• Consultant/Facilitator Viewpoint
• Step-by-Step Process
• Three Roots of OC Practice
• Management Advisory Services (MAS)
• Organizational Learning (OL)
• Organization Development (OD)
• Practice Log 1.1 — My History with Change Efforts
• The Strategy-Driven Approach
• Growing Need for OC Consultants
• References
• Chapter 2 — Foundations of OC Practice: A Brief Review
• Forcefield Analysis
• Practice Log 2.1 — "Gandhi?"
• Stages of Change
• Systems Thinking
• Practice Log 2.2 — Lessons From Other Professionals
• Open Systems
• First & Second-Order Change
• Participative Management
• Practice Log 2.3 — $2,000 Per Day for a Short Walk
• Teams and Diversity
• Conflict Management
• Appropriate Leadership
• Practice Log 2.4 — "One Size Fits All?"
• Action Research
• References
• Chapter 3 — Process Consulting: A Practice Model
• Three Consulting Approaches
• Expert Model
• Doctor-Patient Model
• Process Consultation Model
• Exercise 3.1 — "How" Do You Help
• The Psychodynamics of Helping
• Write Down "All the Things You Don't Know"
• Exercise 3.2 — What You Don't Know
• Active Inquiry
• Exercise 3.3 — Levels of Active Inquiry
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Speaking of Change
• Relationship Building With Client Members
• Face Work
• The Role of Perceptions
• Schein's Ten Principles
• Entry and Contracting
• Leading Versus Facilitating
• References
• Chapter 4 — Leading Versus Facilitating Change
• Steps in Leading Change
• Establish a Sense of Urgency
• Create a Guiding Coalition
• Develop a Vision and Strategy for the Specific Change
• Communicate the Change Vision and Strategic Plan
• Empower Employees for Action
• Generate Short-Term Wins
• Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change
• Anchor the New Changes in the Culture
• Power and Politics
• Political Savvy
• Power and Change
• Bases of Power
• Using Political/Power Skills
• Managing the Transition
• Sustaining Momentum
• References
• Chapter 5 — Data Gathering
• Six Data Gathering Methods
• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Observations
• Company Document Reviews
• Psychological Instruments
• Anonymous Letter Writing
• Six Target Groups
• Entire Organization
• Large Subsystems
• Group/Team
• Intergroup
• Dyads
• Individual Members or Roles
• Six Target Processes
• Strategic Planning/Goal Setting
• Leadership
• Decision Making/Problem Solving
• Communication Patterns
• Conflict Management
• Organizational Learning
• Summary
• Chapter 6 — Feedback, Diagnosis, and Action Planning
• The Feedback Step
• Content (the "What") of Feedback
• Process (the "How") of Feedback
• Survey Feedback Method
• The Diagnosis Step
• Organizational-Level Diagnosis
• Group-Level Diagnosis
• Individual-Level Diagnosis
• Diagnostic Techniques
• The Action Planning Step
• What is an Intervention?
• How to Tailor the Intervention
• Using Multiple Interventions
• Expected Results of OC Interventions
• Types of OC Interventions
• Summary
• References
• Part II. OC Interventions — Tools of the Profession
• Chapter 7 — Strategic Planning Interventions
• Practice Log 7.1 — What's the Plan?
• Roles of Senior Management & the OC Consultant
• Looking for Misfits''
• Getting Started — The Mission Statement
• Strategic Planning — SWOT Analysis
• Sustainable Competitive Advantage
• Strategic Planning at Different Levels
• Traditional Approaches to Strategic Planning
• Charles Summer's Approach
• Thomas Rogers' Approach
• Beckhard and Harris' Approach
• David Hanna's Approach
• The Search Conference
• Weisbord's Future Search Conference
• Beckhard's Confrontation Meeting
• Non-Traditional Approaches to Strategic Planning
• Real Time Strategic Change
• The Open Space Meeting
• The Beitler Approach to Strategic Planning
• Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
• Transorganizational Development (TD)
• Structure, Culture, Human Processes
• References
• Chapter 8 — Structural Interventions
• The Entire Organization's Structure
• Function-Based
• Product/Service-Based
• Process-Based
• Matrix-Based
• Network-Based
• Restructuring the Entire Organization
• Downsizing
• Team/Group Structure
• Creative Teams
• Tactical Teams
• Decision-Making Teams
• Individual Job Design (Structure)
• The Engineering Approach
• It Pays the Bills!
• The Psychological Approach
• The Sociotechnical Approach
• Summary
• References
• Chapter 9 — Organizational Culture Interventions
• Indirect Changes
• Direct Changes
• Different Approaches to Studying the Phenomenon
• My Simplistic Definition
• Levels of Organizational Culture
• Practice Log 9.1 — "Norms for Lunch"
• Organizational Culture and Organizational Success
• Organizational Culture and Organizational Change
• Cameron and Quinn's "Types"
• Cameron and Quinn's OCAI Instrument
• Cameron and Quinn's Organizational Profiles
• Schein's Approach
• Ethnographic versus Clinical Approaches
• A Collaborative Approach
• What to Ask
• Organizational Culture and Leadership
• Transmitting Culture
• Changing Organizational Culture
• Summary
• References
• Chapter 10 — Human Process Interventions
• Team-Building Interventions
• Practice Log 10.1 — An HPWT
• A Generic Team-Building Intervention
• Group Diagnostic Meetings
• The Role Analysis Exercise
• Interdependency Exercise
• Responsibility Charting
• Appreciations and Concerns Exercise
• Forcefield Analysis
• Visioning
• Organizational Mirror Intervention
• Conflict Management Interventions
• Principled Negotiations
• Blake, Shepard, and Mouton's Conflict Intervention
• TRW Conflict Intervention
• Two-Person Contract Intervention
• Role Negotiation Technique
• Essentials of Conflict Management
• Two Types of Conflict
• References
• Chapter 11 — Management Development Interventions
• Assessment
• In-House vs. External Assessment
• Assessment Instruments
• Development
• Coaching/Mentoring
• Behavior Modeling
• Experiential/Sensitivity Training
• Job Rotation
• Cross-Cultural Training
• Career Planning
• Performance Management
• Goal Setting and Performance Appraisal
• Rewards and Guidance Counseling
• Summary
• References
• Chapter 12 — Organizational Learning Interventions
• What is Organizational Learning (OL)?
• What is Knowledge Management (KM)?
• Learning Organizations — All Theory?
• Two Prerequisites for Learning Organizations
• Self-Directed Learning
• Learning Agreements
• Four Unanswered Questions — Answered!
• Promoting Individual Learning
• Rewarding Individual Learning
• Capturing Individual Learning
• Benefitting From Individual Learning
• Summary
• References
• Part III. Other Issues in OC
• Chapter 13 — Evaluating OC
• Evaluation of the OC Intervention
• Two Types of Evaluation for OC Interventions
• Designing Evaluation Measurements
• Institutionalizing OC
• Evaluating the Consultant
• The World of Management Scientists
• The World of Management Consultants
• The World of Managers
• The Problems with Evaluation
• Conclusion
• References
• Chapter 14 — Globalization and OC
• Oechsler's Research
• Hofstede's Research
• Trompenaars' Work
• Universalism versus Particularism
• Individualism versus Communitarianism
• Neutral versus Emotional
• Specific versus Diffuse
• Achievement versus Ascription
• Attitudes toward Time
• Attitudes toward Nature and Human Nature
• Implications of Hofstede's and Trompenaars' Work
• The Role of the Expatriate Manager
• The Costs of the Problem
• A Four-Phase Training Model
• Beitler and Frady's Model
• References
• Chapter 15 — OC, IT, and the 21st Century
• OC and IT
• 21st Century Workforce
• 21st Century Organizations
• 21st Century OC Practice
• References

This should not be the first or even second book you read on strategic consulting and its brethren. Especially as it is chronically short on details, even though there are lots of relevant references that you may search for.

With that small criticism out of the way, I have to admit that this book is clearly outstanding! It covers all necessary bases and does so in a logical (from a management consultant perspective) way. Recommended reading, as you'll probably learn something new on each reading :-).