[pb]Covert Processes at Work, Managing the Hidden Dimensions of Org Change, 4 stars

[NancyJ]

Covert Processes at Work: Managing the Five Hidden Dimensions of Organizational Change by Robert Marshak, 4 stars.

If you've ever noticed that some things in a group or company seem "undiscussable" this book can help you understand why. Uncertainty is a common cause of job stress, and some workplaces are much more confusing than others because there is a lot under the surface. If you understand your organization, it can go a long way toward improving the quality of your work life. "Covert" is intended as a neutral term, not as a sinister force. It doesn't suggest spying, surveillance or espionage.

This book is ideal for anyone working in organization development, consulting, change management, and related areas. It may also be good for those interested in psychology, management, culture, HR, training, leadership, teams, or how things work 'at work."

Most large change management projects fail to meet expectations, and one of the reasons is that they fail to account for people! Rational models of decision making often fail to account for culture, motivations, emotions, assumptions, perspectives, and other variations among people. This book helps identify many of those mental, emotional, or group processes. It helps you to identify cues, clues, assumptions, defensive mechanisms, and sources of fear. It helps you to create conditions (e.g. psychological safety) that will enable people to be more open if needed. It provides tips on OD interventions, reframing, and related techniques. I found the section on metaphors particularly interesting. One of my favorite focus group questions is to ask people - what kind of animal is your organization. It can reveal interesting things about the culture.

I also liked that he talked about different levels of analysis - i.e. individuals, small groups, large units, or the organization as a whole. This is very helpful if you're coaching a leader or a team, or analyzing the overall org culture, or focusing on a process that bridges many groups.