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Leading Transformation: How to Take Charge of Your Company's Future
New Tools to Overcome the Human Barriers to Change Leaders know that their job is to transform their organizations to keep pace with technology and an ever-changing business environment. They also know that they are bound to fail in doing so. But this discouraging prospect is not because they won't be able to solve a technological or strategic problem. Leaders will fail because of intractable human responses associated with change--responses such as fear, ingrained habits, politics, incrementalism, and lack of imagination. These stumbling blocks always arise when we humans are faced with change, but what if we had a way to transcend them? This book reveals a radical new method for doing just that. Written by the executive who designed and implemented it, the neuroscientist who helped make it work, and the academic who explains why it works and how to do it, Leading Transformation introduces an innovative yet proven process for creating breakthrough change. Divided into three steps--envisioning the possible, breaking down resistance, and prototyping the future--this process uses cutting-edge tools such as science fiction, cartoons, rap music, artifact trails, and neuroprototypes to overcome people's inability to imagine or react to what doesn't yet exist, override powerful habits and routines that prevent them from changing, and create compelling narratives about the organization's future and how to get there. Showing how these tools have been used successfully by companies such as Lowe's, Walmart, Pepsi, IKEA, Google, Microsoft, and others, the process revealed in this book gives leaders the means to transcend the human barriers that block change and lead their organizations confidently into the future.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2018
67 people are currently reading
287 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 6, 2018
Leading transformation in organizations is hard. We are not just only dealing with financial and other kinds of resources constraints but also the human side of it. Fear, uncertainty, lack of priority, organizational politics get in the way of truly changing our organizations for the better.
This book presents unique insights on how companies can facilitate change. Here we are not talking about incremental changes. We are dealing with radical, transformative (maybe disruptive at some point) change which many organizations need not just to stay relevant but to be on top of their game.
One of the featured organizations here is Lowe. Lowe is a furniture manufacturer. This book explains how the furniture company took advantage of unconventional way of convincing the company’s executive leadership to make the necessary change. You will things like creating a narrative arc, use of comics, and many more.
Another things that I really find helpful is the detailed explanation of the steps the authors took to create the changes. The authors speak from their actual experience combined with research they’ve used to illustrate their points.
This book is a also result of collaboration which makes it unique. We have the perspective of a manager, neuroscientist, and academic all in one book. Their expertise truly resonates on this work.
Anyone who is in the business of making transformative changes in their organization needs to read this book.
This book presents unique insights on how companies can facilitate change. Here we are not talking about incremental changes. We are dealing with radical, transformative (maybe disruptive at some point) change which many organizations need not just to stay relevant but to be on top of their game.
One of the featured organizations here is Lowe. Lowe is a furniture manufacturer. This book explains how the furniture company took advantage of unconventional way of convincing the company’s executive leadership to make the necessary change. You will things like creating a narrative arc, use of comics, and many more.
Another things that I really find helpful is the detailed explanation of the steps the authors took to create the changes. The authors speak from their actual experience combined with research they’ve used to illustrate their points.
This book is a also result of collaboration which makes it unique. We have the perspective of a manager, neuroscientist, and academic all in one book. Their expertise truly resonates on this work.
Anyone who is in the business of making transformative changes in their organization needs to read this book.
January 30, 2022
I rate it a 4 for the new idea of “Behavioural Innovation” that this book has put forward - an intersection of using neuroscience and behavioural psychology to understand human barriers to change so that organisational transformation can be overcome.
Being a business person, I like that the authors have used a case study to walk the reader through the steps that they have applied to transform the company, Lowe, in the case.
Interesting approaches I took away from the book:
1. Using science fiction as a tool to help our minds reimagine the possible
2. Using neuroscience to collect behavioural data on decision making and applying the insight to predict rate of adoption
3. Doing corporate storytelling not by sequential order of corporate events as we are all familiar with but applying the story arc of having a protagonist, a dilemma, a hero and a resolution. In the book, they have explained how this is done in Lowe that helps to remove the abstract from
this concept
What I think can be improved:
- the book can be better organised and more succinctly written to increase its impact and recall value. Some of the points are repetitive
Being a business person, I like that the authors have used a case study to walk the reader through the steps that they have applied to transform the company, Lowe, in the case.
Interesting approaches I took away from the book:
1. Using science fiction as a tool to help our minds reimagine the possible
2. Using neuroscience to collect behavioural data on decision making and applying the insight to predict rate of adoption
3. Doing corporate storytelling not by sequential order of corporate events as we are all familiar with but applying the story arc of having a protagonist, a dilemma, a hero and a resolution. In the book, they have explained how this is done in Lowe that helps to remove the abstract from
this concept
What I think can be improved:
- the book can be better organised and more succinctly written to increase its impact and recall value. Some of the points are repetitive
August 1, 2018
A very interesting and useful book. It's full of great examples and it guides you through the necessary steps.
I was fascinated by the graphical novel as it was a great way to summarize the content.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Harvard Business Review Press and Netgalley for this ARC
I was fascinated by the graphical novel as it was a great way to summarize the content.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Harvard Business Review Press and Netgalley for this ARC
January 8, 2019
Dreaming big is one thing, getting the change made so it can be a possible future is quite another. The authors claim that the process in this book will provide the tools for leading and creating real change in your business.
One of the tools that grabbed my attention is the creation of a story, with a narrative arc to help people to see the future. The objective is to be open to what’s possible rather than making small changes based on the small opportunities that are more obvious to you, now. The science fiction is a genre that they see as one that helps us see potential futures more easily and the process of building your story and sharing it, is one they spend a great deal of time and effort on.
There is a vast amount of content to work through (and other tools to consider). Some insights I found useful:
Disrupting habits can help facilitate change
You need to speak a language people value or use
There is power in data linked to behaviour
The value of fast early wins in helping to get people to buy into the change
Persistence is essential
The importance of getting comfortable with uncertainty
This may be a process more accessible to corporates such as Google, Walmart and Lowe’s but with my experience, I was not convinced that this is accessible to smaller and medium-sized businesses (up to 500 employees). It came across as complicated and a process requiring extensive financial and people resources.
With many thanks to the author, the publishers Harvard Business Review Press, and NetGalley for my free copy to review.
One of the tools that grabbed my attention is the creation of a story, with a narrative arc to help people to see the future. The objective is to be open to what’s possible rather than making small changes based on the small opportunities that are more obvious to you, now. The science fiction is a genre that they see as one that helps us see potential futures more easily and the process of building your story and sharing it, is one they spend a great deal of time and effort on.
There is a vast amount of content to work through (and other tools to consider). Some insights I found useful:
Disrupting habits can help facilitate change
You need to speak a language people value or use
There is power in data linked to behaviour
The value of fast early wins in helping to get people to buy into the change
Persistence is essential
The importance of getting comfortable with uncertainty
This may be a process more accessible to corporates such as Google, Walmart and Lowe’s but with my experience, I was not convinced that this is accessible to smaller and medium-sized businesses (up to 500 employees). It came across as complicated and a process requiring extensive financial and people resources.
With many thanks to the author, the publishers Harvard Business Review Press, and NetGalley for my free copy to review.
October 21, 2023
Unusual though very intuitive guidance how to perceived organisational transformation as for business book. Loved the mention of fear, status-quo and incrementation bias as major stoppers for innovative approach. Be visionary and know how to deal with resistance through narratives, data and prototyping are crucial for leaders responsible for transformations.
August 13, 2020
I thought this book had some interesting concepts, but the organization of the book was sub par. It's was just all over the place. Each chapter seemed to start a new ides, then it never got around to finishing that idea.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews