"Developing Change Agents examines the role of academia in creating the next generation of sustainability leaders. Delving into strategies to transform higher education, this volume empowers universities to develop change agents who can scale solutions to meet the wicked environmental, social, and political challenges of the present and future. Developing Change Agents advances a revolutionary perspective on the way academia functions from the administrative hierarchies to faculty, and the classroom and to deep engagement in the communities where the solutions must be co-created. This book works to find a transdisciplinary, effective method of tackling the world’s issues with reference to emotional intelligence, diversity, community, and reward structures and supports a tailored, reflexive approach based upon each university’s diverse and unique students, faculty, programs, and communities"--University of Minnesota Libraries website.
Increasingly, managers at all levels of the organization are being called upon to serve as "change agents," responsible for developing, implementing, and sustaining HRD initiatives, regardless of whether they have been formally trained to do so. In The Manager as Change Agent, Jerry W. Gilley, together with a team of experts in the field of internal consulting, offers a practical approach to developing the skills necessary for leading change in your organization, including motivating people who are resistant to change, resolving conflict, and building consensus.
"A good balance between theory and practice . . . it definitely fills a void in the [lack of] texts in the area and the change literature in general . . . a good fit for my graduate class on 'Managing Organizational Change.'" —Anthony F. Buono, McCallum Graduate School of Business, Bentley College "Like Gareth Morgan's Images of Organization, this book is a superb blend of theory and practicality. It demystifies chaos and paradox, and it encourages the understanding of organizational dynamics from multiple perspectives. It is refreshing to read a book that presents diverse theories and interventions so even-handedly." —Andrea Markowitz, Ph.D., President, OB&D, Inc. Learning to Change: A Guide for Organizational Change Agents provides a comprehensive overview of organizational change theories and practices developed by both U.S. and European change theorists. The authors compare and contrast five fundamentally different ways of thinking about change: yellow print thinking, blue print thinking, red print thinking, green print thinking and white print thinking. They also discuss in detail the steps change agents take, such as diagnosis, change strategy, the intervention plan, and interventions. In addition, they explore the attributes of a successful change agent and provide advice for career and professional development. The book includes case studies that describe multiple approaches to organizational change issues. This book will appeal to both the practitioner and academic audiences. It can be used as a text in graduate courses in change management and will also be a useful reference for consultants and managers. Features: Discusses the abilities, attitudes, and styles of successful change agents Describes five fundamentally different ways of thinking about change Presents a state-of-the-art overview of change management insights, methods, and instruments Summarizes an extensive amount of organizational change literature Supplies readers with useful insights and courses of action that will allow them to design and implement change professionally Learning to Change became a bestseller upon its initial publication in the Netherlands. The color-model on change is very popular among thousands of managers and change consultants and presents a new approach to change processes and a new language for change.
James H. Lowry encapsulated his thirty plus years of experience in the field of minority business development in the book he co-authored in 2011, Minority Business Success: Refocusing on the American Dream. In his new book, Change Agent: A Life Dedicated to Creating Wealth for Minorities, Lowry delivers a deeply personal, candid, and often humorous, portrayal of his life from the South Side of Chicago to Wall Street and trailblazing entrepreneur. Often the first black in many rooms, at eighty years old, he continues the fight so he will not be the last. More than just a story of his life, this memoir illustrates the power of iconic mentors and pivotal opportunities leveraged across the globe, demonstrates how breakthroughs can be achieved through years of lessons learned, and offers real solutions to the ever widening wealth gap that plagues minority communities today. Unlike like many who only diagnose the problem, Lowry delivers a plan to accelerate economic development in the black community. This book is a road map for the next generation of leaders and will inspire new change agents to take the reins.
What separates excellent organizations from the truly ordinary? What allows some organizations to rapidly change and continually reinvent themselves while others have trouble making even modest improvements? the fundamental ingredient is the presence of change agents. Change agents are individuals who have the knowledge, skills and tools to help organizations create radical improvement. They achieve results through their keen ability to facilitate groups of people through well-defined processes to develop, organize, and sell new ideas. They are the invisible hands that turn vision into action. The Change Agentes Guide to Radical Improvement is a comprehensive how-to book, packed with all of the information and tools necessary to make any improvement project a rousing success. Its unique methods integrate the best practices in organizational development, team building, voice of the customer, reengineering, problem solving, creativity, innovation, and project management. the systematic change agent model introduced in this book will help you: Pick the right improvement projects to work on, by diagnosing the real issues effecting the organization. Organize the project so that it has the best chance to succeed, by uncovering the projectes success criteria, securing management support, and building the right team. Select the best change process to improve customer satisfaction, reengineer a process, solve a problem or develop a plan. Generate innovative out of the box ideas that dramatically impact the bottom line. Navigate the politics of change; ensuring radical ideas become radical improvements.
The development change agent contextualises the development change agent through his or her relationship with the local beneficiaries of development. The focus is on change agents as enablers or facilitators of development at micro or grassroots level, and the key theme is the call for the establishment of a partnership in planning between change agents and the beneficiaries of development. In most chapters the authors challenge conventional thinking on the particular issue under discussion. New options are generated for development change agents, the beneficiaries of development, policy makers and politicians to consider. Popular but contentious development concepts and approaches like holism, a people-centred approach, capacity building, empowerment and participation are explained and applied, and approaches relevant to social capital, indigenous knowledge systems and action research methodology are introduced.This title is relevant to a broad range of potential readers: students at universities (development studies, public and development management, anthropology, sociology, social work, forestry, community health), development practitioners, development consultants, those working for NGOs and CBOs, development corporations/agencies, and politicians and government officials.
From the ill-fated dot-com bubble to unprecedented merger and acquisition activity to scandal, greed, and, ultimately, recession -- we've learned that widespread and difficult change is no longer the exception. By outlining the process organizations have used to achieve transformational goals and by identifying where and how even top performers derail during the change process, Kotter provides a practical resource for leaders and managers charged with making change initiatives work.
This dynamic and innovative new core textbook examines and explores the theoretical underpinnings of this complex and fascinating subject and provides students with the practical skills required to become a successful management consultant. Rooted in change management theory, it explores the role of the internal and external change agents and their impact on organizational development and transformation. The experience and highly-regarded expertise of the author team ensures that the text is built on solid academic foundations, while six of the chapters feature extended 'Consultancy in Action' sections penned by practitioners who provide invaluable insights into the reality of working as a management consultant in a wide range of contexts. Written in a lively and accessible style, the authors carefully guide the student through each stage of consulting, presenting a wealth of experiential learning exercises and activities to help hone skills and develop a consultant's mindset. This is an essential textbook for MBA, postgraduate and undergraduate students studying modules on Management Consulting. It is also a useful supplementary text for modules on change management.
