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Leadership and the Art of Change
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Leadership and the Art of Change
A Practical Guide to Organizational Transformation

  • Lee R. Beach - University of Arizona (Emeritus), University of Arizona, USA


June 2005 | 200 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

Leadership Solutions

Most books on leadership and organizational change focus on descriptive theory and research, simplistic and questionable gimmicks, or biographical sketches of successful leaders whose character and exploits students are encouraged to emulate. Leadership and the Art of Change avoids pedantry, gimmicks, and hero worship while addressing the complex issues involved in trying to lead an organization. It does not bury the reader in abstractions, nor does it offer quick fixes.  

Leadership and the Art of Change is a unique book in that it focuses on a leader's central and most daunting task—achieving organizational change that successfully addresses external and internal threats and opportunities. Author Lee R. Beach uses six prime responsibilities as the framework for discussing change leadership: external and internal environmental assessment to identify required changes, organizational culture as a constraint on change, vision for motivating change; plans as a map for change, implementation to produce change, and follow-through for institutionalizing achieved changes and making ongoing change a part of the culture.   

Key Features:

  • Defines leadership as the art of producing changes in an organization's environment, its culture, and its practices in pursuit of survival and prosperity
  • Explains the importance of organizational culture as the key to facilitating or inhibiting change
  • Examines methods for building a vision and leveraging culture in order to move the organization toward the vision with implementation strategies
  • Offers self-summary exercises as well as a new episode of an ongoing vignette in each chapter that helps readers understand the issues under consideration
  • Includes appendices that provide students with hands-on tools to do marketing research, survey an organization's culture, and perform decision analyses  

Written in a conversational manner, Leadership and the Art of Change is an engaging textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying management in a variety of programs including Business, Public Administration, Health Care Management, and Social Work. It will also be of interest to professional managers looking for a unique perspective on organizational change.


 
Acknowledgments
 
Preface
 
Introduction
 
Assessment: Specifying Change
 
Culture: Constraining Change
 
Vision: Motivating Change
 
Plans: Mapping Change
 
Implementation: Producing Change
 
Follow-through: Institutionalizing Change
 
Conclusion: Expanding the Analysis of Change Leadership
 
Appendix A: Assessing Customer Service Needs
 
Appendix B: The Organizational Culture Survey
 
Appendix C: Decision Techniques
 
About the Author
 
Index

Seems like a very good organizer for the developmental sequence of the course and coverage of key topics.

Professor Iris Johnson
Education, Louisiana State University Shreveport
January 15, 2015

Great in combination with Anderson Case Study book highlighting organizational change.

Professor Iris Johnson
Education, Louisiana State University Shreveport
September 4, 2015

Was not appropriate for my course

Professor Pam Van Dyke
Cox, School of Business, Southern Methodist University
March 5, 2014

Great assimilation of leadership and change theories

Dr Jennifer Williams
ALEC, Texas A&M University
March 5, 2010

Appropriate coverage of topics in a subject of long-term business sustainability and competitive advantage

Len Deneault
Business Dept, Rivier College
September 29, 2009
Key features
  • Defines leadership as the art of producing changes in an organization's environment, its' culture and its' practices in pursuit of survival and prosperity.
  • Identifies six prime responsibilities that leaders must meet to bring about desirable change successfully, which provides the framework for the book.
  • Explains the importance of organizational culture as the key to facilitating or inhibiting change.
  • Examines methods for building a vision and leveraging culture in order to move the organization toward the vision with implementation strategies.
  • Provides practical advice for to promote communication between and cooperation to achieve progress.
  • Each chapter is followed by exercises including a new episode of an ongoing vignette that helps readers understand the issues under consideration.
  • A solid foundation in the literature is provided throughout, and by a list of sources and material for further study after each chapter.