According to the Harvard Business Review, change management, as a recognized discipline, has been in existence for over half a century. Yet despite the huge investment that companies have made in tools and training, most studies show a 60-70% failure rate for organizational change projects.
A new book, The Little Black Book of Change, aims to demystify organizational transformation and show business leaders and managers how it is possible to turn an organization around quickly to create a new future – one where people think and behave differently and deliver results together. Based on the authors’ 25 years of experience implementing and facilitating transformational change with senior executive and middle management teams, the book offers a practical, concise and insightful guide to change management, based on real business case studies, underpinned by practical theory.
The book outlines 7 practical steps that will enable business leaders and managers tasked with delivering organizational change to create significant shifts in their organization and achieve specific objectives, from improving service levels to cost reductions, innovation or increasing market share. Known as ‘The Magnificent Seven’ these are:
- Letting go of the past
- Developing breakthrough ambition
- Creating a bold new vision of the future
- Engaging the players in the bold new future
- Cutting through the DNA
- Keeping the organization future-focused
- Gaining energy from setbacks
Mike Straw has 25 years' experience in industry working with large corporations such as Roche, Novartis, PepsiCo, Diageo, Heineken, Microsoft, AMEX and large, acute NHS hospitals and is a regular speaker on the topic of transformative and cultural change. He founded Achieve Breakthrough in 2003, an award-winning organizational change consultancy that helps clients to achieve and sustain significant step changes and business performance improvements. Management Consultancy Achieve Breakthrough has twice won a national award for its outstanding and innovative achievements in people management and development: The CIPD L&D Consultancy of the year 2013 and 2015. Mike is connected to Bath University Business School (UK) and Duke Corporate Education where he runs the innovation and leadership transformation sections of their programmes.
Paul Adams is CEO of a leading international technology company where he leads the global management team for the new business. He has a 20 year history in leadership/delivering organizational change to brands such as Diageo, The Co-Operative and Smith & Nephew plc, Talaris and Glory Global Solutions. He has a wealth of knowledge from senior executive roles in healthcare, consumer products sectors, and retail and industrial service centres. Previous experience includes board, management and commercial roles with a number of FTSE100 and Private Equity companies across Europe, the Americas and Asia; delivering key expertise in areas covering new production development, large and complex commercial deals, major global operations and manufacturing.