Management and Organisational Behaviour ..., 19 Mar 2008
This is an outstanding book to have in any executive library. It covers so much more than most other books, and I'd go so much as to say it is a must have / read for anyone studying management, or is on an MBA program, or is going into an executive post.

Well writen, covers topics clear and succinctly.

Money well spent.

Management and Organisational Behaviour ..., 19 Mar 2008
This is an outstanding book to have in any executive library. It covers so much more than most other books, and I'd go so much as to say it is a must have / read for anyone studying management, or is on an MBA program, or is going into an executive post.

Well writen, covers topics clear and succinctly.

Money well spent.

Don't Fear Change., 19 Oct 2007
A fantastic book on how to make necessary change in an organization by overcoming the inertia of "doing things the way they've always been done." I constantly run through the 8 steps in my mind when I am thinking about ways to help all of us continue to align our people to new ideas or more effective field strategies.

A good start, just the beginning, 03 Oct 2007
How many change initiatives have gone horribly wrong, most according to research. This book is a start, a good start into the field and a very big field indeed. It is still contemporary, easy to read and digest and doesn't try to get into the minutia, the eight stage strategy should be taken as a plausible logical approach which has a higher chance of working than most efforts we see. Don't do what many managers do and come running back from corporate leadership seminars all fired up thinking this book will solve everthing.

Of at least of one thing we can be sure of, Change Management is incredibly difficult (Kanter et al 1992) to make sense of. Always challenging and impossibly confusing though paradoxically now with many elements well researched by agents buried in the strata of academia, consultancy and change. And yet, frequently more than fifty percent (Kotter 1996) of all change initiatives fail.

Go on to read stuff from Hope-Hailey, Senge, Kanter, Schein & Beer and Noria and then the complexities begin to show.


Insight into the world of Change, 27 May 2007
One of the best books on strategic change resistance and gaining sponsorship you will ever read. I have used and continue to use the eight step framework for all my change programmes.

Well written, easy to read and practical.

Packed with Knowledge!, 24 Jun 2005
The picture on the cover of John P. Kotter's book tells it all: a group of penguins are shuffling their feet nervously on an icy precipice, while one brave bird leaps for the water below. The question is, which penguin are you? In too many organizations, executives shy away from the precipice, while someone lower down in the pecking order jumps in to test the landing conditions. Kotter says managers and leaders are quite different. A manager, he explains, is trained to think in a linear, one-two-three, risk-limiting way. Transformational change, however, can only be attained when true leaders push forward on several fronts at once - eight of them to be exact. Every successful change initiative begins with a coalition of leaders who create a sense of urgency. Kotter's book stems from a 1995 Harvard Business Review article titled, "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail." It will probably sound hauntingly familiar to managers who have watched change initiatives begin in the front courtyard with a marching band and end a few months later, ushered out the back door like a diner who can't pay the tab. If you want to know why your last change initiative fizzled, we say read this book. Better yet, study it to ensure that your next leap of faith is a flying success.

The leading change process model, 12 Jan 2005
Organisations need change. We all know that. But how can an organisation adopt great ideas, tools, and methods, absorbing them in a way to stimulate change and get superior results?

Harvard-professor John P. Kotter has been observing this process for almost 30 years. What intrigues him is why some leaders are able to take these tools and methods and get their organizations to change dramatically - while most do not.

How many times have we not seen somebody get very excited about some new tool (CRM, e-business, etc.)? Yet two years later there is no performance improvement at all. Often because most of the organisation has rejected the change needed to make it happen.

When people need to make big changes significantly and effectively, Kotter finds that there are generally eight basic things that must happen:

1. INSTILL A SENSE OF URGENCY. Identifying existing or potential crises or opportunities. Confronting reality, in the words of Execution-authors, Charan and Bossidy.

2. PICK A GOOD TEAM. Assembling a strong guiding coalition with enough power to lead the change effort. And make them work as a team, not a committee!

3. CREATE A VISION AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES. We need a clear sense of purpose and direction. In less successful situations you generally find plans and budgets, but no vision and strategy; or the strategies are so superficial that they have no credibility.

4. COMMUNICATE. As many people as possible need to hear the mandate for change loud and clear, with messages sent out consistently and often. Forget the boring memos that nobody reads! Try using videos, speeches, kick-off meetings, workshops in small units, etc. Also important is the teaching of new behaviours by the example of the guiding coalition

5. REMOVE OBSTACLES. Get rid of anything blocking change, like bosses stuck in the old ways or lack of information systems. Encourage risk-taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions. Empowerment is moving obstacles out of peoples' way so they can make something happen, once they've got the vision clear in their heads.

6. CHANGE FAST. Little quick wins are essential for creating momentum and providing sufficient credibility to pat the hard-working people on the back and to diffuse the cynics. Remember to recognize and reward employees involved in the improvements.

7. KEEP ON CHANGING. After change organizations get rolling and have some wins, they don't stop there. They go back and make wave after wave of other actions necessary for long-term, significant change. Successful change leaders don't drop the sense of urgency. On top of that, they are very systematic about figuring out all of the pieces they need to have in place before they declare victory.

8. MAKE CHANGE STICK. The last big step is nailing big change to the floor and making sure it sticks. And the way things stick is through culture. If you can create a totally new culture around some new way of managing, it will stay. It won't live on if it is dependent on one boss or a couple of enthusiastic people who will eventually move on.

We can divide these eight steps in three main processes. The first four steps focus on de-freezing the organization. The next three steps make change happen. The last step re-freezes the organization on the next rung on the ladder.

I've personally used Kotter's change process in several e-business projects. It has helped me a lot. I highly recommend that you buy this easy-to-read and affordable book. Alternatively, read his Harvard Business Review article from Mar/Apr 1995 on the same subject.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

Charles Handy's revolutionary 1989 bestseller The Age of Unreason catapulted him into the ranks of the top management consultants. In Understanding Organizations, he solidifies his reputation as a seminal business thinker, offering a brilliantly insightful, wide-ranging look at business organizations.

This classic text offers an illuminating discussion of key concepts of concern to all managers: culture, motivation, leadership, power, role-playing and working in groups. Ever mindful of actual business practice, Handy directly addresses how managers can translate the six main concepts into invaluble tools for effective management. He discusses how all organizations need to select, develop and reward their people; to structure and design their work; to resolve political conflicts; to lay down guidelines for their managers; and to plan for the future. In each case, the approaches and techniques described here are invaluable.

Equally important, Handy excels at presenting his ideas in colourful, immediately accessible ways, filling the book with illuminating examples and inventive metaphors that range from Tolstoy's ideas on the concept of self, to the many meanings of "good morning," to the conversations that occur in a stopped elevator, to the proper size for a vineyard or an elephant. He shows, for instance, how an optical illusion experiment sheds light on interdepartmental relations, and how the way schoolchildren are typecast by their peers helps explain corporate hierarchies. And along with case studies, graphs, charts, and questionnaires, Understanding Organizations is peppered with boxed sections that offer advice and stimulate thought, brimming with provocative quotations from business wizards such as Peter Drucker, Tom Peters, Warren Bennis, Alvin Toffler, and Rosabeth Moss Kanter, as well as from Aristotle, Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan, Gail Sheehy, and Joseph Heller.

What the successful manager knows intuitively, Charles Handy puts into words. His powerful interpretive schemes will help managers grasp the underlying dynamics of their company, make sense of its past, and assess--and shape--its future. --Jake Bond

Management and Organisational Behaviour ..., 19 Mar 2008
This is an outstanding book to have in any executive library. It covers so much more than most other books, and I'd go so much as to say it is a must have / read for anyone studying management, or is on an MBA program, or is going into an executive post.

Well writen, covers topics clear and succinctly.

Money well spent.

Don't Fear Change., 19 Oct 2007
A fantastic book on how to make necessary change in an organization by overcoming the inertia of "doing things the way they've always been done." I constantly run through the 8 steps in my mind when I am thinking about ways to help all of us continue to align our people to new ideas or more effective field strategies.

A good start, just the beginning, 03 Oct 2007
How many change initiatives have gone horribly wrong, most according to research. This book is a start, a good start into the field and a very big field indeed. It is still contemporary, easy to read and digest and doesn't try to get into the minutia, the eight stage strategy should be taken as a plausible logical approach which has a higher chance of working than most efforts we see. Don't do what many managers do and come running back from corporate leadership seminars all fired up thinking this book will solve everthing.

Of at least of one thing we can be sure of, Change Management is incredibly difficult (Kanter et al 1992) to make sense of. Always challenging and impossibly confusing though paradoxically now with many elements well researched by agents buried in the strata of academia, consultancy and change. And yet, frequently more than fifty percent (Kotter 1996) of all change initiatives fail.

Go on to read stuff from Hope-Hailey, Senge, Kanter, Schein & Beer and Noria and then the complexities begin to show.


Insight into the world of Change, 27 May 2007
One of the best books on strategic change resistance and gaining sponsorship you will ever read. I have used and continue to use the eight step framework for all my change programmes.

Well written, easy to read and practical.

Packed with Knowledge!, 24 Jun 2005
The picture on the cover of John P. Kotter's book tells it all: a group of penguins are shuffling their feet nervously on an icy precipice, while one brave bird leaps for the water below. The question is, which penguin are you? In too many organizations, executives shy away from the precipice, while someone lower down in the pecking order jumps in to test the landing conditions. Kotter says managers and leaders are quite different. A manager, he explains, is trained to think in a linear, one-two-three, risk-limiting way. Transformational change, however, can only be attained when true leaders push forward on several fronts at once - eight of them to be exact. Every successful change initiative begins with a coalition of leaders who create a sense of urgency. Kotter's book stems from a 1995 Harvard Business Review article titled, "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail." It will probably sound hauntingly familiar to managers who have watched change initiatives begin in the front courtyard with a marching band and end a few months later, ushered out the back door like a diner who can't pay the tab. If you want to know why your last change initiative fizzled, we say read this book. Better yet, study it to ensure that your next leap of faith is a flying success.

The leading change process model, 12 Jan 2005
Organisations need change. We all know that. But how can an organisation adopt great ideas, tools, and methods, absorbing them in a way to stimulate change and get superior results?

Harvard-professor John P. Kotter has been observing this process for almost 30 years. What intrigues him is why some leaders are able to take these tools and methods and get their organizations to change dramatically - while most do not.

How many times have we not seen somebody get very excited about some new tool (CRM, e-business, etc.)? Yet two years later there is no performance improvement at all. Often because most of the organisation has rejected the change needed to make it happen.

When people need to make big changes significantly and effectively, Kotter finds that there are generally eight basic things that must happen:

1. INSTILL A SENSE OF URGENCY. Identifying existing or potential crises or opportunities. Confronting reality, in the words of Execution-authors, Charan and Bossidy.

2. PICK A GOOD TEAM. Assembling a strong guiding coalition with enough power to lead the change effort. And make them work as a team, not a committee!

3. CREATE A VISION AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES. We need a clear sense of purpose and direction. In less successful situations you generally find plans and budgets, but no vision and strategy; or the strategies are so superficial that they have no credibility.

4. COMMUNICATE. As many people as possible need to hear the mandate for change loud and clear, with messages sent out consistently and often. Forget the boring memos that nobody reads! Try using videos, speeches, kick-off meetings, workshops in small units, etc. Also important is the teaching of new behaviours by the example of the guiding coalition

5. REMOVE OBSTACLES. Get rid of anything blocking change, like bosses stuck in the old ways or lack of information systems. Encourage risk-taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions. Empowerment is moving obstacles out of peoples' way so they can make something happen, once they've got the vision clear in their heads.

6. CHANGE FAST. Little quick wins are essential for creating momentum and providing sufficient credibility to pat the hard-working people on the back and to diffuse the cynics. Remember to recognize and reward employees involved in the improvements.

7. KEEP ON CHANGING. After change organizations get rolling and have some wins, they don't stop there. They go back and make wave after wave of other actions necessary for long-term, significant change. Successful change leaders don't drop the sense of urgency. On top of that, they are very systematic about figuring out all of the pieces they need to have in place before they declare victory.

8. MAKE CHANGE STICK. The last big step is nailing big change to the floor and making sure it sticks. And the way things stick is through culture. If you can create a totally new culture around some new way of managing, it will stay. It won't live on if it is dependent on one boss or a couple of enthusiastic people who will eventually move on.

We can divide these eight steps in three main processes. The first four steps focus on de-freezing the organization. The next three steps make change happen. The last step re-freezes the organization on the next rung on the ladder.

I've personally used Kotter's change process in several e-business projects. It has helped me a lot. I highly recommend that you buy this easy-to-read and affordable book. Alternatively, read his Harvard Business Review article from Mar/Apr 1995 on the same subject.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

If you ony buy one book on Organisational Behaviour, make it this one, 07 Jul 2008
Charles Handy is arguably the UK's top business "guru", but in my opinion this title somewhat diminishes his life's work, which has gone beyond matters of simple business administration into a philosophy of life and work, and is imbued with a spirituality that I find infectious (even though I am not a very spiritual person). This, however, is his seminal management text, and there is but a hint of the philosophical musings of "The Empty Raincoat" and "The Hungry Spirit".

Understanding Organisations was first published in 1976, and my fourth edition (I don't know why Amazon describes this as the third edition - that must be an error) was published in 1993, with a revised introduction in 1999. It cannot claim to be entirely up to date, therefore, but it remains valid both as a commentary on previous work on motivation, roles, leadership, power groups and organisations as well as contributing many of Handy's own ideas on the subject. I think that it was here that he first used analogies with the ancient Greek gods to describe the cultures of organisations, which he later developed in "Gods of Management". I've dipped into this book in the past, and have worked through it systematically recently as one of the key texts for a course on "Organisational Behaviour". My impression is that there are few more recent developments in this field than were taken into account in the writing of the book.

I have few quibbles. Handy's style is scholarly - I had wondered if this was his doctoral thesis but in fact he did not do one (he has an honorary one from Trinity College Dublin). It is accessible - and I do like the dry humour with which he delivers some of his case studies - but it is not as an easy or entertaining a read as some of his subsequent works. This is an excellent book, whether to use as a course text or to dip into as you experience and reflect on "trouble at mill" in your working life.


A great place to start learning about organisations, 27 May 2007
Charles Handy has been very influential shaping my attitudes to work, life styles and the management of organisations. This is a great primer for new students. I also highy recommend reading all his books and listening to his audio recordings.

His later works outline succinctly the demands changing corporations and globalization place on individuals and society. A very inspirational and thought provoking commentator, he positions the world of work in the larger context of ethics and morality. He also explores the human struggle to maintain individuality, spirituality, choice, freedom and dignity


The Star, 26 Sep 2006
Easier to understand than other management books,
Excellent aptitude and examples

Down to Earth and Practical

When I got bored with the rest this was the best


Essential, effortless reading, 27 Apr 2006
This is truly a remarkable book. Handy has compiled a great body of classic management theory and practice - and made it effortless to absorb.

And it is this accessibility and clarity that Handy brings to the subject.

I thoroughly recommend this book for serious management students (as the depth is here) and also business people who want a compact volume that is easy to read.

Overview of organisational behaviour, 01 Dec 2003
Handy's book is well-written and highly readable. By putting all litterature references at the end of the book the book becomes more readable as the book is free from reference insertions that might disturb the flow of reading. However, for academic use this convention makes it significantly more complicated to reference to any other than Handy himself. One has to cross-reference between sections of the book to try to find the original inventor of a concept. Hence, the book is highly recommended for practitioners that wants to read the book as a novel. The structure of the book makes it less user-friendly for academic work.

Smart people often believe that the opinion of the crowd is always inferior to the opinion of the individual specialist. Philosophical giants such as Nietzsche thought that "Madness is the exception in individuals but the rule in groups". Henry David Thoreau lamented: "The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member but on the contrary degrades itself to a level with the lowest member." The motto of the great and the ordinary seems to be: Bet on the expert because crowds are generally stupid and often dangerous. Business columnist James Surowiecki's new book The Wisdom of Crowds explains exactly why the conventional wisdom is wrong. The fact is that, under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them. Groups don't even need to be dominated by exceptionally intelligent people in order to be smart. Even if most of the people within a group are not especially well-informed or rational, it can still reach a collectively wise decision. Why? Because, as it turns out, if you ask a large enough group of diverse, independent people to make a prediction or estimate a probability, and then average those estimates, the errors each of them makes in coming up with an answer will cancel themselves out. Not any old crowd will do of course. For the crowd to be wise it has to satisfy four specific conditions, but once those conditions are met, its judgment is likely to be accurate.

Surowieki concentrates on three kinds of problems. The first are cognition problems (problems that are likely to have definitive answers, such as: "How many books will Amazon sell this month?"). The second are problems of coordination (problems requiring members of a group to figure out how to coordinate their behaviour with one another) and the third are problems of cooperation (getting self-interested, distrustful people to work together-- despite their selfishness). The brilliant first half of the book illustrates this theory with practical examples. The second half of the book essentially consists of case studies with each chapter talking about the way collective intelligence either flourishes or flounders. Much of this part deals with business topics such as corporations, markets and the dynamics of a stock-market bubble.

Surowieki has an engaging, direct style defending his surprising central thesis in entertaining ways by, for example, talking about laying bets on football games and political elections; traffic jams; Google; the Challenger explosion and the search for a missing submarine. The Wisdom of Crowds is an entertaining book making a serious point and by the end of the superb first half the reader has been made to accept that, while with most things, the average is mediocrity, when it comes to decision-making the average results in excellence. --Larry BrownSmart people often believe that the opinion of the crowd is always inferior to the opinion of the individual specialist. Philosophical giants such as Nietzsche thought that "Madness is the exception in individuals but the rule in groups". Henry David Thoreau lamented: "The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member but on the contrary degrades itself to a level with the lowest member." The motto of the great and the ordinary seems to be: Bet on the expert because crowds are generally stupid and often dangerous. Business columnist James Surowiecki's new book The Wisdom of Crowds explains exactly why the conventional wisdom is wrong. The fact is that, under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them. Groups don't even need to be dominated by exceptionally intelligent people in order to be smart. Even if most of the people within a group are not especially well-informed or rational, it can still reach a collectively wise decision. Why? Because, as it turns out, if you ask a large enough group of diverse, independent people to make a prediction or estimate a probability, and then average those estimates, the errors each of them makes in coming up with an answer will cancel themselves out. Not any old crowd will do of course. For the crowd to be wise it has to satisfy four specific conditions, but once those conditions are met, its judgment is likely to be accurate.

Surowieki concentrates on three kinds of problems. The first are cognition problems (problems that are likely to have definitive answers, such as: "How many books will Amazon sell this month?"). The second are problems of coordination (problems requiring members of a group to figure out how to coordinate their behaviour with one another) and the third are problems of cooperation (getting self-interested, distrustful people to work together-- despite their selfishness). The brilliant first half of the book illustrates this theory with practical examples. The second half of the book essentially consists of case studies with each chapter talking about the way collective intelligence either flourishes or flounders. Much of this part deals with business topics such as corporations, markets and the dynamics of a stock-market bubble.

Surowieki has an engaging, direct style defending his surprising central thesis in entertaining ways by, for example, talking about laying bets on football games and political elections; traffic jams; Google; the Challenger explosion and the search for a missing submarine. The Wisdom of Crowds is an entertaining book making a serious point and by the end of the superb first half the reader has been made to accept that, while with most things, the average is mediocrity, when it comes to decision-making the average results in excellence. --Larry Brown

Management and Organisational Behaviour ..., 19 Mar 2008
This is an outstanding book to have in any executive library. It covers so much more than most other books, and I'd go so much as to say it is a must have / read for anyone studying management, or is on an MBA program, or is going into an executive post.

Well writen, covers topics clear and succinctly.

Money well spent.

Don't Fear Change., 19 Oct 2007
A fantastic book on how to make necessary change in an organization by overcoming the inertia of "doing things the way they've always been done." I constantly run through the 8 steps in my mind when I am thinking about ways to help all of us continue to align our people to new ideas or more effective field strategies.

A good start, just the beginning, 03 Oct 2007
How many change initiatives have gone horribly wrong, most according to research. This book is a start, a good start into the field and a very big field indeed. It is still contemporary, easy to read and digest and doesn't try to get into the minutia, the eight stage strategy should be taken as a plausible logical approach which has a higher chance of working than most efforts we see. Don't do what many managers do and come running back from corporate leadership seminars all fired up thinking this book will solve everthing.

Of at least of one thing we can be sure of, Change Management is incredibly difficult (Kanter et al 1992) to make sense of. Always challenging and impossibly confusing though paradoxically now with many elements well researched by agents buried in the strata of academia, consultancy and change. And yet, frequently more than fifty percent (Kotter 1996) of all change initiatives fail.

Go on to read stuff from Hope-Hailey, Senge, Kanter, Schein & Beer and Noria and then the complexities begin to show.


Insight into the world of Change, 27 May 2007
One of the best books on strategic change resistance and gaining sponsorship you will ever read. I have used and continue to use the eight step framework for all my change programmes.

Well written, easy to read and practical.

Packed with Knowledge!, 24 Jun 2005
The picture on the cover of John P. Kotter's book tells it all: a group of penguins are shuffling their feet nervously on an icy precipice, while one brave bird leaps for the water below. The question is, which penguin are you? In too many organizations, executives shy away from the precipice, while someone lower down in the pecking order jumps in to test the landing conditions. Kotter says managers and leaders are quite different. A manager, he explains, is trained to think in a linear, one-two-three, risk-limiting way. Transformational change, however, can only be attained when true leaders push forward on several fronts at once - eight of them to be exact. Every successful change initiative begins with a coalition of leaders who create a sense of urgency. Kotter's book stems from a 1995 Harvard Business Review article titled, "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail." It will probably sound hauntingly familiar to managers who have watched change initiatives begin in the front courtyard with a marching band and end a few months later, ushered out the back door like a diner who can't pay the tab. If you want to know why your last change initiative fizzled, we say read this book. Better yet, study it to ensure that your next leap of faith is a flying success.

The leading change process model, 12 Jan 2005
Organisations need change. We all know that. But how can an organisation adopt great ideas, tools, and methods, absorbing them in a way to stimulate change and get superior results?

Harvard-professor John P. Kotter has been observing this process for almost 30 years. What intrigues him is why some leaders are able to take these tools and methods and get their organizations to change dramatically - while most do not.

How many times have we not seen somebody get very excited about some new tool (CRM, e-business, etc.)? Yet two years later there is no performance improvement at all. Often because most of the organisation has rejected the change needed to make it happen.

When people need to make big changes significantly and effectively, Kotter finds that there are generally eight basic things that must happen:

1. INSTILL A SENSE OF URGENCY. Identifying existing or potential crises or opportunities. Confronting reality, in the words of Execution-authors, Charan and Bossidy.

2. PICK A GOOD TEAM. Assembling a strong guiding coalition with enough power to lead the change effort. And make them work as a team, not a committee!

3. CREATE A VISION AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES. We need a clear sense of purpose and direction. In less successful situations you generally find plans and budgets, but no vision and strategy; or the strategies are so superficial that they have no credibility.

4. COMMUNICATE. As many people as possible need to hear the mandate for change loud and clear, with messages sent out consistently and often. Forget the boring memos that nobody reads! Try using videos, speeches, kick-off meetings, workshops in small units, etc. Also important is the teaching of new behaviours by the example of the guiding coalition

5. REMOVE OBSTACLES. Get rid of anything blocking change, like bosses stuck in the old ways or lack of information systems. Encourage risk-taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions. Empowerment is moving obstacles out of peoples' way so they can make something happen, once they've got the vision clear in their heads.

6. CHANGE FAST. Little quick wins are essential for creating momentum and providing sufficient credibility to pat the hard-working people on the back and to diffuse the cynics. Remember to recognize and reward employees involved in the improvements.

7. KEEP ON CHANGING. After change organizations get rolling and have some wins, they don't stop there. They go back and make wave after wave of other actions necessary for long-term, significant change. Successful change leaders don't drop the sense of urgency. On top of that, they are very systematic about figuring out all of the pieces they need to have in place before they declare victory.

8. MAKE CHANGE STICK. The last big step is nailing big change to the floor and making sure it sticks. And the way things stick is through culture. If you can create a totally new culture around some new way of managing, it will stay. It won't live on if it is dependent on one boss or a couple of enthusiastic people who will eventually move on.

We can divide these eight steps in three main processes. The first four steps focus on de-freezing the organization. The next three steps make change happen. The last step re-freezes the organization on the next rung on the ladder.

I've personally used Kotter's change process in several e-business projects. It has helped me a lot. I highly recommend that you buy this easy-to-read and affordable book. Alternatively, read his Harvard Business Review article from Mar/Apr 1995 on the same subject.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

If you ony buy one book on Organisational Behaviour, make it this one, 07 Jul 2008
Charles Handy is arguably the UK's top business "guru", but in my opinion this title somewhat diminishes his life's work, which has gone beyond matters of simple business administration into a philosophy of life and work, and is imbued with a spirituality that I find infectious (even though I am not a very spiritual person). This, however, is his seminal management text, and there is but a hint of the philosophical musings of "The Empty Raincoat" and "The Hungry Spirit".

Understanding Organisations was first published in 1976, and my fourth edition (I don't know why Amazon describes this as the third edition - that must be an error) was published in 1993, with a revised introduction in 1999. It cannot claim to be entirely up to date, therefore, but it remains valid both as a commentary on previous work on motivation, roles, leadership, power groups and organisations as well as contributing many of Handy's own ideas on the subject. I think that it was here that he first used analogies with the ancient Greek gods to describe the cultures of organisations, which he later developed in "Gods of Management". I've dipped into this book in the past, and have worked through it systematically recently as one of the key texts for a course on "Organisational Behaviour". My impression is that there are few more recent developments in this field than were taken into account in the writing of the book.

I have few quibbles. Handy's style is scholarly - I had wondered if this was his doctoral thesis but in fact he did not do one (he has an honorary one from Trinity College Dublin). It is accessible - and I do like the dry humour with which he delivers some of his case studies - but it is not as an easy or entertaining a read as some of his subsequent works. This is an excellent book, whether to use as a course text or to dip into as you experience and reflect on "trouble at mill" in your working life.


A great place to start learning about organisations, 27 May 2007
Charles Handy has been very influential shaping my attitudes to work, life styles and the management of organisations. This is a great primer for new students. I also highy recommend reading all his books and listening to his audio recordings.

His later works outline succinctly the demands changing corporations and globalization place on individuals and society. A very inspirational and thought provoking commentator, he positions the world of work in the larger context of ethics and morality. He also explores the human struggle to maintain individuality, spirituality, choice, freedom and dignity


The Star, 26 Sep 2006
Easier to understand than other management books,
Excellent aptitude and examples

Down to Earth and Practical

When I got bored with the rest this was the best


Essential, effortless reading, 27 Apr 2006
This is truly a remarkable book. Handy has compiled a great body of classic management theory and practice - and made it effortless to absorb.

And it is this accessibility and clarity that Handy brings to the subject.

I thoroughly recommend this book for serious management students (as the depth is here) and also business people who want a compact volume that is easy to read.

Overview of organisational behaviour, 01 Dec 2003
Handy's book is well-written and highly readable. By putting all litterature references at the end of the book the book becomes more readable as the book is free from reference insertions that might disturb the flow of reading. However, for academic use this convention makes it significantly more complicated to reference to any other than Handy himself. One has to cross-reference between sections of the book to try to find the original inventor of a concept. Hence, the book is highly recommended for practitioners that wants to read the book as a novel. The structure of the book makes it less user-friendly for academic work.

The definitive Common Sense, 23 Jun 2008
Recently on the BBC's One Show, they asked some random customers in a market place to guess the weight of a bag of something-or-other and then took the average that turned out surprisingly accurate.

I wondered how the producers knew that would happen - they must have read about it somewhere and then, sometime later I heard the title "The Wisdom of Crowds" and knew instantly that this was the source and so it proved.

The author is a columnist for the New Yorker and it shows, the Americans routinely employ multiple "fact checkers" (this is not the case in the UK), it is a pleasant smooth read with plenty of interesting examples of this remarkable thing: "The Wisdom of crowds".

If you, like me, have never come across it, then you will also be fascinated by e.g. the fact that within minutes of the Challenger blowing up, the NYSE had already correctly predicted the company responsible (involved in the solid fuel boosters) and that subsequent investigations showed no "insider trading" patterns - it was simply the combined knowledge of The Crowd.

If this review is at all interesting? Then you will find the book much more so because there is so much more to it.

Diversity, Independence and Decentralisation = Intelligence?, 25 May 2008
A great book, not a scientific treaties but very interesting and sure to be influential for quite some time to come. The basic premise is that a decentralised group of diverse and independent people can be collectively smarter than a single expert or group of experts working under the wrong conditions. Although I don't believe that this is a completely new idea the book does a good job of pulling together a very wide variety of examples to demonstrate its' point.

the most inspiring book i've read in a long time, 18 Feb 2008
This is the one piece of influence that has changed my line of thinking the most. From stock markets, to prediction markets to human behavior, Surowiecki covers everything in a light and refreshing way that entertains and enlightens at the same time.

get it, read it.

The folly of consumers, 13 Nov 2007
The fact that this book sold dispels Surowiecki's entire thesis. The content is anecdotal at best and delivered in a brutal slap stick style. He begins every chapter with a 'story', something like, in 1989 a young boy and his aging father wandered through a greenish hinterland, a blah blah, who cares? The topic is interesting enough, in light of the web and such collaborative movements, although approached way too lightly as to lend his thesis any credence. I managed to trawl through his trickle like prose and actually get to the end of the book, quite unbelievable considering how utterly useless it really is.

Another rung up the smartness ladder, 12 Jun 2007
I notice that Amazon are bundling this with Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" and they do actually have a lot in common. "The Wisdom of Crowds" belongs to that growing niche of 'smart books' written for grown-ups who need a bit more than pub banter to keep their grey matter alive. My opinion is that Surowiecki may have benefitted from a slightly tougher editor who could've made this book just a bit more readable. Yes it's definately worth reading cover to cover as the 'wisdom' does keep on flowing, but having to persevere through a book detracts from the enjoyment. All that's left at the end is a vague smugness that "Haha, I did it... now I know a lot more clever stuff than I previously did... haha... now I've now climbed another rung up the smartness ladder.." Or maybe it's only me who thinks like that?

Management and Organisational Behaviour ..., 19 Mar 2008
This is an outstanding book to have in any executive library. It covers so much more than most other books, and I'd go so much as to say it is a must have / read for anyone studying management, or is on an MBA program, or is going into an executive post.

Well writen, covers topics clear and succinctly.

Money well spent.

Don't Fear Change., 19 Oct 2007
A fantastic book on how to make necessary change in an organization by overcoming the inertia of "doing things the way they've always been done." I constantly run through the 8 steps in my mind when I am thinking about ways to help all of us continue to align our people to new ideas or more effective field strategies.

A good start, just the beginning, 03 Oct 2007
How many change initiatives have gone horribly wrong, most according to research. This book is a start, a good start into the field and a very big field indeed. It is still contemporary, easy to read and digest and doesn't try to get into the minutia, the eight stage strategy should be taken as a plausible logical approach which has a higher chance of working than most efforts we see. Don't do what many managers do and come running back from corporate leadership seminars all fired up thinking this book will solve everthing.

Of at least of one thing we can be sure of, Change Management is incredibly difficult (Kanter et al 1992) to make sense of. Always challenging and impossibly confusing though paradoxically now with many elements well researched by agents buried in the strata of academia, consultancy and change. And yet, frequently more than fifty percent (Kotter 1996) of all change initiatives fail.

Go on to read stuff from Hope-Hailey, Senge, Kanter, Schein & Beer and Noria and then the complexities begin to show.


Insight into the world of Change, 27 May 2007
One of the best books on strategic change resistance and gaining sponsorship you will ever read. I have used and continue to use the eight step framework for all my change programmes.

Well written, easy to read and practical.

Packed with Knowledge!, 24 Jun 2005
The picture on the cover of John P. Kotter's book tells it all: a group of penguins are shuffling their feet nervously on an icy precipice, while one brave bird leaps for the water below. The question is, which penguin are you? In too many organizations, executives shy away from the precipice, while someone lower down in the pecking order jumps in to test the landing conditions. Kotter says managers and leaders are quite different. A manager, he explains, is trained to think in a linear, one-two-three, risk-limiting way. Transformational change, however, can only be attained when true leaders push forward on several fronts at once - eight of them to be exact. Every successful change initiative begins with a coalition of leaders who create a sense of urgency. Kotter's book stems from a 1995 Harvard Business Review article titled, "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail." It will probably sound hauntingly familiar to managers who have watched change initiatives begin in the front courtyard with a marching band and end a few months later, ushered out the back door like a diner who can't pay the tab. If you want to know why your last change initiative fizzled, we say read this book. Better yet, study it to ensure that your next leap of faith is a flying success.

The leading change process model, 12 Jan 2005
Organisations need change. We all know that. But how can an organisation adopt great ideas, tools, and methods, absorbing them in a way to stimulate change and get superior results?

Harvard-professor John P. Kotter has been observing this process for almost 30 years. What intrigues him is why some leaders are able to take these tools and methods and get their organizations to change dramatically - while most do not.

How many times have we not seen somebody get very excited about some new tool (CRM, e-business, etc.)? Yet two years later there is no performance improvement at all. Often because most of the organisation has rejected the change needed to make it happen.

When people need to make big changes significantly and effectively, Kotter finds that there are generally eight basic things that must happen:

1. INSTILL A SENSE OF URGENCY. Identifying existing or potential crises or opportunities. Confronting reality, in the words of Execution-authors, Charan and Bossidy.

2. PICK A GOOD TEAM. Assembling a strong guiding coalition with enough power to lead the change effort. And make them work as a team, not a committee!

3. CREATE A VISION AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES. We need a clear sense of purpose and direction. In less successful situations you generally find plans and budgets, but no vision and strategy; or the strategies are so superficial that they have no credibility.

4. COMMUNICATE. As many people as possible need to hear the mandate for change loud and clear, with messages sent out consistently and often. Forget the boring memos that nobody reads! Try using videos, speeches, kick-off meetings, workshops in small units, etc. Also important is the teaching of new behaviours by the example of the guiding coalition

5. REMOVE OBSTACLES. Get rid of anything blocking change, like bosses stuck in the old ways or lack of information systems. Encourage risk-taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions. Empowerment is moving obstacles out of peoples' way so they can make something happen, once they've got the vision clear in their heads.

6. CHANGE FAST. Little quick wins are essential for creating momentum and providing sufficient credibility to pat the hard-working people on the back and to diffuse the cynics. Remember to recognize and reward employees involved in the improvements.

7. KEEP ON CHANGING. After change organizations get rolling and have some wins, they don't stop there. They go back and make wave after wave of other actions necessary for long-term, significant change. Successful change leaders don't drop the sense of urgency. On top of that, they are very systematic about figuring out all of the pieces they need to have in place before they declare victory.

8. MAKE CHANGE STICK. The last big step is nailing big change to the floor and making sure it sticks. And the way things stick is through culture. If you can create a totally new culture around some new way of managing, it will stay. It won't live on if it is dependent on one boss or a couple of enthusiastic people who will eventually move on.

We can divide these eight steps in three main processes. The first four steps focus on de-freezing the organization. The next three steps make change happen. The last step re-freezes the organization on the next rung on the ladder.

I've personally used Kotter's change process in several e-business projects. It has helped me a lot. I highly recommend that you buy this easy-to-read and affordable book. Alternatively, read his Harvard Business Review article from Mar/Apr 1995 on the same subject.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

If you ony buy one book on Organisational Behaviour, make it this one, 07 Jul 2008
Charles Handy is arguably the UK's top business "guru", but in my opinion this title somewhat diminishes his life's work, which has gone beyond matters of simple business administration into a philosophy of life and work, and is imbued with a spirituality that I find infectious (even though I am not a very spiritual person). This, however, is his seminal management text, and there is but a hint of the philosophical musings of "The Empty Raincoat" and "The Hungry Spirit".

Understanding Organisations was first published in 1976, and my fourth edition (I don't know why Amazon describes this as the third edition - that must be an error) was published in 1993, with a revised introduction in 1999. It cannot claim to be entirely up to date, therefore, but it remains valid both as a commentary on previous work on motivation, roles, leadership, power groups and organisations as well as contributing many of Handy's own ideas on the subject. I think that it was here that he first used analogies with the ancient Greek gods to describe the cultures of organisations, which he later developed in "Gods of Management". I've dipped into this book in the past, and have worked through it systematically recently as one of the key texts for a course on "Organisational Behaviour". My impression is that there are few more recent developments in this field than were taken into account in the writing of the book.

I have few quibbles. Handy's style is scholarly - I had wondered if this was his doctoral thesis but in fact he did not do one (he has an honorary one from Trinity College Dublin). It is accessible - and I do like the dry humour with which he delivers some of his case studies - but it is not as an easy or entertaining a read as some of his subsequent works. This is an excellent book, whether to use as a course text or to dip into as you experience and reflect on "trouble at mill" in your working life.


A great place to start learning about organisations, 27 May 2007
Charles Handy has been very influential shaping my attitudes to work, life styles and the management of organisations. This is a great primer for new students. I also highy recommend reading all his books and listening to his audio recordings.

His later works outline succinctly the demands changing corporations and globalization place on individuals and society. A very inspirational and thought provoking commentator, he positions the world of work in the larger context of ethics and morality. He also explores the human struggle to maintain individuality, spirituality, choice, freedom and dignity


The Star, 26 Sep 2006
Easier to understand than other management books,
Excellent aptitude and examples

Down to Earth and Practical

When I got bored with the rest this was the best


Essential, effortless reading, 27 Apr 2006
This is truly a remarkable book. Handy has compiled a great body of classic management theory and practice - and made it effortless to absorb.

And it is this accessibility and clarity that Handy brings to the subject.

I thoroughly recommend this book for serious management students (as the depth is here) and also business people who want a compact volume that is easy to read.

Overview of organisational behaviour, 01 Dec 2003
Handy's book is well-written and highly readable. By putting all litterature references at the end of the book the book becomes more readable as the book is free from reference insertions that might disturb the flow of reading. However, for academic use this convention makes it significantly more complicated to reference to any other than Handy himself. One has to cross-reference between sections of the book to try to find the original inventor of a concept. Hence, the book is highly recommended for practitioners that wants to read the book as a novel. The structure of the book makes it less user-friendly for academic work.

The definitive Common Sense, 23 Jun 2008
Recently on the BBC's One Show, they asked some random customers in a market place to guess the weight of a bag of something-or-other and then took the average that turned out surprisingly accurate.

I wondered how the producers knew that would happen - they must have read about it somewhere and then, sometime later I heard the title "The Wisdom of Crowds" and knew instantly that this was the source and so it proved.

The author is a columnist for the New Yorker and it shows, the Americans routinely employ multiple "fact checkers" (this is not the case in the UK), it is a pleasant smooth read with plenty of interesting examples of this remarkable thing: "The Wisdom of crowds".

If you, like me, have never come across it, then you will also be fascinated by e.g. the fact that within minutes of the Challenger blowing up, the NYSE had already correctly predicted the company responsible (involved in the solid fuel boosters) and that subsequent investigations showed no "insider trading" patterns - it was simply the combined knowledge of The Crowd.

If this review is at all interesting? Then you will find the book much more so because there is so much more to it.

Diversity, Independence and Decentralisation = Intelligence?, 25 May 2008
A great book, not a scientific treaties but very interesting and sure to be influential for quite some time to come. The basic premise is that a decentralised group of diverse and independent people can be collectively smarter than a single expert or group of experts working under the wrong conditions. Although I don't believe that this is a completely new idea the book does a good job of pulling together a very wide variety of examples to demonstrate its' point.

the most inspiring book i've read in a long time, 18 Feb 2008
This is the one piece of influence that has changed my line of thinking the most. From stock markets, to prediction markets to human behavior, Surowiecki covers everything in a light and refreshing way that entertains and enlightens at the same time.

get it, read it.

The folly of consumers, 13 Nov 2007
The fact that this book sold dispels Surowiecki's entire thesis. The content is anecdotal at best and delivered in a brutal slap stick style. He begins every chapter with a 'story', something like, in 1989 a young boy and his aging father wandered through a greenish hinterland, a blah blah, who cares? The topic is interesting enough, in light of the web and such collaborative movements, although approached way too lightly as to lend his thesis any credence. I managed to trawl through his trickle like prose and actually get to the end of the book, quite unbelievable considering how utterly useless it really is.

Another rung up the smartness ladder, 12 Jun 2007
I notice that Amazon are bundling this with Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" and they do actually have a lot in common. "The Wisdom of Crowds" belongs to that growing niche of 'smart books' written for grown-ups who need a bit more than pub banter to keep their grey matter alive. My opinion is that Surowiecki may have benefitted from a slightly tougher editor who could've made this book just a bit more readable. Yes it's definately worth reading cover to cover as the 'wisdom' does keep on flowing, but having to persevere through a book detracts from the enjoyment. All that's left at the end is a vague smugness that "Haha, I did it... now I know a lot more clever stuff than I previously did... haha... now I've now climbed another rung up the smartness ladder.." Or maybe it's only me who thinks like that?

Good for managing dogs or idiotic employees ..., 21 Nov 2007
Same story as most of the other best-selling One Minute Manager books - People can be managed like dogs or idiotic children. The approach works great if you're the Manager applying the BS but if you're forced to eat it (ie you're an employee / human resource), it can be very frustrating and mentally destabilizing. On a serious note, there's a sinister agenda running through these books, highly stacked in favor of 'managers'.

Great book for the skindeep, none-too-bright, busy executive wanting a quick-fix to inflict onto his stupid employees and / or a line of crap to spout to his upper levels!

A New Hope, 02 Dec 2005
No, not Star Wars, but star management.
This book, which I have read a few times and never seem to get back once I share it, has been a major tool in my own and in my team's development and productivity.

I would heartily recommend this book for both trainee and experienced managers who feel in need of some further guidance.

The One Minute Manager Builds High Performance Teams, 23 Sep 2004
Kenneth Blanchard puts into words what you always knew to be true and by reading his books makes you realise this. Simply Brilliant! The Bible for modern day managers!

Simple, But Important Steps to Team-Based Success, 24 May 2004
All of us know and can do more than any one of us. That's the logic that makes everyone understand the potential of teams. Just watch a championship sports team, and imagine trying to overcome them by yourself. Fat chance!

Yet when teams gets started, they often work less well than an individual. What's needed to get from here to there? That's what this book is all about.

A common problem is putting a team together, giving them a task, and waiting for the good results. That won't work. People have to have the right skills, knowledge, information, tools, and attitude to perform. That includes experience with working together on teams. For example, if you put a bunch of Internet-oriented people together on a team to play basketball against the Lakers, the results might not be too good for your new team. Bill Jenson's book, Simplicity, is a good resource on this point, as well.

This book does a good job of showing you how you can help the green team become the great team. If you want to enjoy more success in your enterprise, this book is essential reading.

Thanks again!, 07 Dec 2001
Every time I read one of Blanchard's books I know it will be brilliant, but every time I get more surprised at the unbelievably simple and brilliant way that him and his colleagues deliver their message in.
I must say that I have become a "Blanchardian" after reading almost all his publications. I am a business consultant, and I have seen his models work for real. Teams were something I didn't have much of luck with, but after this book I have become an "expert" on team management.

Thank you, again!

Management and Organisational Behaviour ..., 19 Mar 2008
This is an outstanding book to have in any executive library. It covers so much more than most other books, and I'd go so much as to say it is a must have / read for anyone studying management, or is on an MBA program, or is going into an executive post.

Well writen, covers topics clear and succinctly.

Money well spent.

Don't Fear Change., 19 Oct 2007
A fantastic book on how to make necessary change in an organization by overcoming the inertia of "doing things the way they've always been done." I constantly run through the 8 steps in my mind when I am thinking about ways to help all of us continue to align our people to new ideas or more effective field strategies.

A good start, just the beginning, 03 Oct 2007
How many change initiatives have gone horribly wrong, most according to research. This book is a start, a good start into the field and a very big field indeed. It is still contemporary, easy to read and digest and doesn't try to get into the minutia, the eight stage strategy should be taken as a plausible logical approach which has a higher chance of working than most efforts we see. Don't do what many managers do and come running back from corporate leadership seminars all fired up thinking this book will solve everthing.

Of at least of one thing we can be sure of, Change Management is incredibly difficult (Kanter et al 1992) to make sense of. Always challenging and impossibly confusing though paradoxically now with many elements well researched by agents buried in the strata of academia, consultancy and change. And yet, frequently more than fifty percent (Kotter 1996) of all change initiatives fail.

Go on to read stuff from Hope-Hailey, Senge, Kanter, Schein & Beer and Noria and then the complexities begin to show.


Insight into the world of Change, 27 May 2007
One of the best books on strategic change resistance and gaining sponsorship you will ever read. I have used and continue to use the eight step framework for all my change programmes.

Well written, easy to read and practical.

Packed with Knowledge!, 24 Jun 2005
The picture on the cover of John P. Kotter's book tells it all: a group of penguins are shuffling their feet nervously on an icy precipice, while one brave bird leaps for the water below. The question is, which penguin are you? In too many organizations, executives shy away from the precipice, while someone lower down in the pecking order jumps in to test the landing conditions. Kotter says managers and leaders are quite different. A manager, he explains, is trained to think in a linear, one-two-three, risk-limiting way. Transformational change, however, can only be attained when true leaders push forward on several fronts at once - eight of them to be exact. Every successful change initiative begins with a coalition of leaders who create a sense of urgency. Kotter's book stems from a 1995 Harvard Business Review article titled, "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail." It will probably sound hauntingly familiar to managers who have watched change initiatives begin in the front courtyard with a marching band and end a few months later, ushered out the back door like a diner who can't pay the tab. If you want to know why your last change initiative fizzled, we say read this book. Better yet, study it to ensure that your next leap of faith is a flying success.

The leading change process model, 12 Jan 2005
Organisations need change. We all know that. But how can an organisation adopt great ideas, tools, and methods, absorbing them in a way to stimulate change and get superior results?

Harvard-professor John P. Kotter has been observing this process for almost 30 years. What intrigues him is why some leaders are able to take these tools and methods and get their organizations to change dramatically - while most do not.

How many times have we not seen somebody get very excited about some new tool (CRM, e-business, etc.)? Yet two years later there is no performance improvement at all. Often because most of the organisation has rejected the change needed to make it happen.

When people need to make big changes significantly and effectively, Kotter finds that there are generally eight basic things that must happen:

1. INSTILL A SENSE OF URGENCY. Identifying existing or potential crises or opportunities. Confronting reality, in the words of Execution-authors, Charan and Bossidy.

2. PICK A GOOD TEAM. Assembling a strong guiding coalition with enough power to lead the change effort. And make them work as a team, not a committee!

3. CREATE A VISION AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES. We need a clear sense of purpose and direction. In less successful situations you generally find plans and budgets, but no vision and strategy; or the strategies are so superficial that they have no credibility.

4. COMMUNICATE. As many people as possible need to hear the mandate for change loud and clear, with messages sent out consistently and often. Forget the boring memos that nobody reads! Try using videos, speeches, kick-off meetings, workshops in small units, etc. Also important is the teaching of new behaviours by the example of the guiding coalition

5. REMOVE OBSTACLES. Get rid of anything blocking change, like bosses stuck in the old ways or lack of information systems. Encourage risk-taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions. Empowerment is moving obstacles out of peoples' way so they can make something happen, once they've got the vision clear in their heads.

6. CHANGE FAST. Little quick wins are essential for creating momentum and providing sufficient credibility to pat the hard-working people on the back and to diffuse the cynics. Remember to recognize and reward employees involved in the improvements.

7. KEEP ON CHANGING. After change organizations get rolling and have some wins, they don't stop there. They go back and make wave after wave of other actions necessary for long-term, significant change. Successful change leaders don't drop the sense of urgency. On top of that, they are very systematic about figuring out all of the pieces they need to have in place before they declare victory.

8. MAKE CHANGE STICK. The last big step is nailing big change to the floor and making sure it sticks. And the way things stick is through culture. If you can create a totally new culture around some new way of managing, it will stay. It won't live on if it is dependent on one boss or a couple of enthusiastic people who will eventually move on.

We can divide these eight steps in three main processes. The first four steps focus on de-freezing the organization. The next three steps make change happen. The last step re-freezes the organization on the next rung on the ladder.

I've personally used Kotter's change process in several e-business projects. It has helped me a lot. I highly recommend that you buy this easy-to-read and affordable book. Alternatively, read his Harvard Business Review article from Mar/Apr 1995 on the same subject.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

If you ony buy one book on Organisational Behaviour, make it this one, 07 Jul 2008
Charles Handy is arguably the UK's top business "guru", but in my opinion this title somewhat diminishes his life's work, which has gone beyond matters of simple business administration into a philosophy of life and work, and is imbued with a spirituality that I find infectious (even though I am not a very spiritual person). This, however, is his seminal management text, and there is but a hint of the philosophical musings of "The Empty Raincoat" and "The Hungry Spirit".

Understanding Organisations was first published in 1976, and my fourth edition (I don't know why Amazon describes this as the third edition - that must be an error) was published in 1993, with a revised introduction in 1999. It cannot claim to be entirely up to date, therefore, but it remains valid both as a commentary on previous work on motivation, roles, leadership, power groups and organisations as well as contributing many of Handy's own ideas on the subject. I think that it was here that he first used analogies with the ancient Greek gods to describe the cultures of organisations, which he later developed in "Gods of Management". I've dipped into this book in the past, and have worked through it systematically recently as one of the key texts for a course on "Organisational Behaviour". My impression is that there are few more recent developments in this field than were taken into account in the writing of the book.

I have few quibbles. Handy's style is scholarly - I had wondered if this was his doctoral thesis but in fact he did not do one (he has an honorary one from Trinity College Dublin). It is accessible - and I do like the dry humour with which he delivers some of his case studies - but it is not as an easy or entertaining a read as some of his subsequent works. This is an excellent book, whether to use as a course text or to dip into as you experience and reflect on "trouble at mill" in your working life.


A great place to start learning about organisations, 27 May 2007
Charles Handy has been very influential shaping my attitudes to work, life styles and the management of organisations. This is a great primer for new students. I also highy recommend reading all his books and listening to his audio recordings.

His later works outline succinctly the demands changing corporations and globalization place on individuals and society. A very inspirational and thought provoking commentator, he positions the world of work in the larger context of ethics and morality. He also explores the human struggle to maintain individuality, spirituality, choice, freedom and dignity


The Star, 26 Sep 2006
Easier to understand than other management books,
Excellent aptitude and examples

Down to Earth and Practical

When I got bored with the rest this was the best


Essential, effortless reading, 27 Apr 2006
This is truly a remarkable book. Handy has compiled a great body of classic management theory and practice - and made it effortless to absorb.

And it is this accessibility and clarity that Handy brings to the subject.

I thoroughly recommend this book for serious management students (as the depth is here) and also business people who want a compact volume that is easy to read.

Overview of organisational behaviour, 01 Dec 2003
Handy's book is well-written and highly readable. By putting all litterature references at the end of the book the book becomes more readable as the book is free from reference insertions that might disturb the flow of reading. However, for academic use this convention makes it significantly more complicated to reference to any other than Handy himself. One has to cross-reference between sections of the book to try to find the original inventor of a concept. Hence, the book is highly recommended for practitioners that wants to read the book as a novel. The structure of the book makes it less user-friendly for academic work.

The definitive Common Sense, 23 Jun 2008
Recently on the BBC's One Show, they asked some random customers in a market place to guess the weight of a bag of something-or-other and then took the average that turned out surprisingly accurate.

I wondered how the producers knew that would happen - they must have read about it somewhere and then, sometime later I heard the title "The Wisdom of Crowds" and knew instantly that this was the source and so it proved.

The author is a columnist for the New Yorker and it shows, the Americans routinely employ multiple "fact checkers" (this is not the case in the UK), it is a pleasant smooth read with plenty of interesting examples of this remarkable thing: "The Wisdom of crowds".

If you, like me, have never come across it, then you will also be fascinated by e.g. the fact that within minutes of the Challenger blowing up, the NYSE had already correctly predicted the company responsible (involved in the solid fuel boosters) and that subsequent investigations showed no "insider trading" patterns - it was simply the combined knowledge of The Crowd.

If this review is at all interesting? Then you will find the book much more so because there is so much more to it.

Diversity, Independence and Decentralisation = Intelligence?, 25 May 2008
A great book, not a scientific treaties but very interesting and sure to be influential for quite some time to come. The basic premise is that a decentralised group of diverse and independent people can be collectively smarter than a single expert or group of experts working under the wrong conditions. Although I don't believe that this is a completely new idea the book does a good job of pulling together a very wide variety of examples to demonstrate its' point.

the most inspiring book i've read in a long time, 18 Feb 2008
This is the one piece of influence that has changed my line of thinking the most. From stock markets, to prediction markets to human behavior, Surowiecki covers everything in a light and refreshing way that entertains and enlightens at the same time.

get it, read it.

The folly of consumers, 13 Nov 2007
The fact that this book sold dispels Surowiecki's entire thesis. The content is anecdotal at best and delivered in a brutal slap stick style. He begins every chapter with a 'story', something like, in 1989 a young boy and his aging father wandered through a greenish hinterland, a blah blah, who cares? The topic is interesting enough, in light of the web and such collaborative movements, although approached way too lightly as to lend his thesis any credence. I managed to trawl through his trickle like prose and actually get to the end of the book, quite unbelievable considering how utterly useless it really is.

Another rung up the smartness ladder, 12 Jun 2007
I notice that Amazon are bundling this with Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" and they do actually have a lot in common. "The Wisdom of Crowds" belongs to that growing niche of 'smart books' written for grown-ups who need a bit more than pub banter to keep their grey matter alive. My opinion is that Surowiecki may have benefitted from a slightly tougher editor who could've made this book just a bit more readable. Yes it's definately worth reading cover to cover as the 'wisdom' does keep on flowing, but having to persevere through a book detracts from the enjoyment. All that's left at the end is a vague smugness that "Haha, I did it... now I know a lot more clever stuff than I previously did... haha... now I've now climbed another rung up the smartness ladder.." Or maybe it's only me who thinks like that?

Good for managing dogs or idiotic employees ..., 21 Nov 2007
Same story as most of the other best-selling One Minute Manager books - People can be managed like dogs or idiotic children. The approach works great if you're the Manager applying the BS but if you're forced to eat it (ie you're an employee / human resource), it can be very frustrating and mentally destabilizing. On a serious note, there's a sinister agenda running through these books, highly stacked in favor of 'managers'.

Great book for the skindeep, none-too-bright, busy executive wanting a quick-fix to inflict onto his stupid employees and / or a line of crap to spout to his upper levels!

A New Hope, 02 Dec 2005
No, not Star Wars, but star management.
This book, which I have read a few times and never seem to get back once I share it, has been a major tool in my own and in my team's development and productivity.

I would heartily recommend this book for both trainee and experienced managers who feel in need of some further guidance.

The One Minute Manager Builds High Performance Teams, 23 Sep 2004
Kenneth Blanchard puts into words what you always knew to be true and by reading his books makes you realise this. Simply Brilliant! The Bible for modern day managers!

Simple, But Important Steps to Team-Based Success, 24 May 2004
All of us know and can do more than any one of us. That's the logic that makes everyone understand the potential of teams. Just watch a championship sports team, and imagine trying to overcome them by yourself. Fat chance!

Yet when teams gets started, they often work less well than an individual. What's needed to get from here to there? That's what this book is all about.

A common problem is putting a team together, giving them a task, and waiting for the good results. That won't work. People have to have the right skills, knowledge, information, tools, and attitude to perform. That includes experience with working together on teams. For example, if you put a bunch of Internet-oriented people together on a team to play basketball against the Lakers, the results might not be too good for your new team. Bill Jenson's book, Simplicity, is a good resource on this point, as well.

This book does a good job of showing you how you can help the green team become the great team. If you want to enjoy more success in your enterprise, this book is essential reading.

Thanks again!, 07 Dec 2001
Every time I read one of Blanchard's books I know it will be brilliant, but every time I get more surprised at the unbelievably simple and brilliant way that him and his colleagues deliver their message in.
I must say that I have become a "Blanchardian" after reading almost all his publications. I am a business consultant, and I have seen his models work for real. Teams were something I didn't have much of luck with, but after this book I have become an "expert" on team management.

Thank you, again!

Leadership: Theory and Practice Peter Northouse, 17 Nov 2008
This book helped me get the best results on my course. Clear, concise and relevant. An easy read on a difficult and complex subject. If only there were other books written like this in all subjects.

If only more text books were written like this..., 13 Mar 2005
I can't even begin to explain how well constructed this book is. It tackles the fundamental elements of Leadership theory and systematically explains the strengths, limitations and history behind each theory, as well as giving useful insights into the ways and reasoning behind their development.

If you are studying for exams in Leadership (as I was) this book provides a great overview, and will enable you to answer those popular 'compare and contrast' one theory against another exam questions.

This book was worth every penny! I hope other authors of textbooks can take note.

best text book ever purchasd, 01 Mar 2003
this book was the best text book ever purchaesed! easy to read format, with chapters clearly defined. I am studying nursing leadership at degree level and found this book to contain everthing I wanted and more in relation to the theories of leadership and could put it all into context within the nursing profession. I particulary like the "advantages and disadvantages" section of each chapter which helped enormously with analytical skills and critiquing!

An excellent read for graduate and postgraduate students, 08 Sep 2000
This is an excellent summary of the current state of leadership research. The book is composed of 12 chapters 10 of which each deal with a single leadership theory.Each theory is clearly outlined followed by sections headed strengths and criticisms. An ideal layout for any student with an essay to write. Far better written then most popular management books and containing a vast amount of useful and easily understood information, I highly recommend it to lecturers, trainers, students, and general readers who are fed up with reading the latest mangement cookbook.

The Heart of Change is John Kotter's follow-up to his enormously popular first book, Leading Change, in which he outlined a framework for implementing change that sidesteps many of the pitfalls common to organisations looking to turn themselves around. The essence of Kotter's message is this: the reason so many change initiatives fail is because they rely too much on "data gathering, analysis, report writing, and presentations" instead of a more creative approach aimed at grabbing the "feelings that motivate useful action". In The Heart of Change, Kotter, with the help of Dan Cohen, a partner at Deloitte Consulting, shows how his eight-step approach has worked at over 100 organisations. And in just about each case, change happened because the players were lead to "see" and "feel" the change. In one example, a sales representative underscores a sense of urgency to change a manufacturing process by showing a videotape interview of an unhappy customer; in another example, a purchasing manager makes his point to senior management about corporate waste by displaying on the company's boardroom table the 424 different kinds of gloves that the company had procured through different vendors at vastly different prices. Well written and loaded with real-life examples and practical advice The Heart of Change towers over other change management titles. Managers and employees at organisations both big and small will find much to draw from. --Harry C Edwards

Management and Organisational Behaviour ..., 19 Mar 2008
This is an outstanding book to have in any executive library. It covers so much more than most other books, and I'd go so much as to say it is a must have / read for anyone studying management, or is on an MBA program, or is going into an executive post.

Well writen, covers topics clear and succinctly.

Money well spent.

Don't Fear Change., 19 Oct 2007
A fantastic book on how to make necessary change in an organization by overcoming the inertia of "doing things the way they've always been done." I constantly run through the 8 steps in my mind when I am thinking about ways to help all of us continue to align our people to new ideas or more effective field strategies.

A good start, just the beginning, 03 Oct 2007
How many change initiatives have gone horribly wrong, most according to research. This book is a start, a good start into the field and a very big field indeed. It is still contemporary, easy to read and digest and doesn't try to get into the minutia, the eight stage strategy should be taken as a plausible logical approach which has a higher chance of working than most efforts we see. Don't do what many managers do and come running back from corporate leadership seminars all fired up thinking this book will solve everthing.

Of at least of one thing we can be sure of, Change Management is incredibly difficult (Kanter et al 1992) to make sense of. Always challenging and impossibly confusing though paradoxically now with many elements well researched by agents buried in the strata of academia, consultancy and change. And yet, frequently more than fifty percent (Kotter 1996) of all change initiatives fail.

Go on to read stuff from Hope-Hailey, Senge, Kanter, Schein & Beer and Noria and then the complexities begin to show.


Insight into the world of Change, 27 May 2007
One of the best books on strategic change resistance and gaining sponsorship you will ever read. I have used and continue to use the eight step framework for all my change programmes.

Well written, easy to read and practical.

Packed with Knowledge!, 24 Jun 2005
The picture on the cover of John P. Kotter's book tells it all: a group of penguins are shuffling their feet nervously on an icy precipice, while one brave bird leaps for the water below. The question is, which penguin are you? In too many organizations, executives shy away from the precipice, while someone lower down in the pecking order jumps in to test the landing conditions. Kotter says managers and leaders are quite different. A manager, he explains, is trained to think in a linear, one-two-three, risk-limiting way. Transformational change, however, can only be attained when true leaders push forward on several fronts at once - eight of them to be exact. Every successful change initiative begins with a coalition of leaders who create a sense of urgency. Kotter's book stems from a 1995 Harvard Business Review article titled, "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail." It will probably sound hauntingly familiar to managers who have watched change initiatives begin in the front courtyard with a marching band and end a few months later, ushered out the back door like a diner who can't pay the tab. If you want to know why your last change initiative fizzled, we say read this book. Better yet, study it to ensure that your next leap of faith is a flying success.

The leading change process model, 12 Jan 2005
Organisations need change. We all know that. But how can an organisation adopt great ideas, tools, and methods, absorbing them in a way to stimulate change and get superior results?

Harvard-professor John P. Kotter has been observing this process for almost 30 years. What intrigues him is why some leaders are able to take these tools and methods and get their organizations to change dramatically - while most do not.

How many times have we not seen somebody get very excited about some new tool (CRM, e-business, etc.)? Yet two years later there is no performance improvement at all. Often because most of the organisation has rejected the change needed to make it happen.

When people need to make big changes significantly and effectively, Kotter finds that there are generally eight basic things that must happen:

1. INSTILL A SENSE OF URGENCY. Identifying existing or potential crises or opportunities. Confronting reality, in the words of Execution-authors, Charan and Bossidy.

2. PICK A GOOD TEAM. Assembling a strong guiding coalition with enough power to lead the change effort. And make them work as a team, not a committee!

3. CREATE A VISION AND SUPPORTING STRATEGIES. We need a clear sense of purpose and direction. In less successful situations you generally find plans and budgets, but no vision and strategy; or the strategies are so superficial that they have no credibility.

4. COMMUNICATE. As many people as possible need to hear the mandate for change loud and clear, with messages sent out consistently and often. Forget the boring memos that nobody reads! Try using videos, speeches, kick-off meetings, workshops in small units, etc. Also important is the teaching of new behaviours by the example of the guiding coalition

5. REMOVE OBSTACLES. Get rid of anything blocking change, like bosses stuck in the old ways or lack of information systems. Encourage risk-taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions. Empowerment is moving obstacles out of peoples' way so they can make something happen, once they've got the vision clear in their heads.

6. CHANGE FAST. Little quick wins are essential for creating momentum and providing sufficient credibility to pat the hard-working people on the back and to diffuse the cynics. Remember to recognize and reward employees involved in the improvements.

7. KEEP ON CHANGING. After change organizations get rolling and have some wins, they don't stop there. They go back and make wave after wave of other actions necessary for long-term, significant change. Successful change leaders don't drop the sense of urgency. On top of that, they are very systematic about figuring out all of the pieces they need to have in place before they declare victory.

8. MAKE CHANGE STICK. The last big step is nailing big change to the floor and making sure it sticks. And the way things stick is through culture. If you can create a totally new culture around some new way of managing, it will stay. It won't live on if it is dependent on one boss or a couple of enthusiastic people who will eventually move on.

We can divide these eight steps in three main processes. The first four steps focus on de-freezing the organization. The next three steps make change happen. The last step re-freezes the organization on the next rung on the ladder.

I've personally used Kotter's change process in several e-business projects. It has helped me a lot. I highly recommend that you buy this easy-to-read and affordable book. Alternatively, read his Harvard Business Review article from Mar/Apr 1995 on the same subject.

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

If you ony buy one book on Organisational Behaviour, make it this one, 07 Jul 2008
Charles Handy is arguably the UK's top business "guru", but in my opinion this title somewhat diminishes his life's work, which has gone beyond matters of simple business administration into a philosophy of life and work, and is imbued with a spirituality that I find infectious (even though I am not a very spiritual person). This, however, is his seminal management text, and there is but a hint of the philosophical musings of "The Empty Raincoat" and "The Hungry Spirit".

Understanding Organisations was first published in 1976, and my fourth edition (I don't know why Amazon describes this as the third edition - that must be an error) was published in 1993, with a revised introduction in 1999. It cannot claim to be entirely up to date, therefore, but it remains valid both as a commentary on previous work on motivation, roles, leadership, power groups and organisations as well as contributing many of Handy's own ideas on the subject. I think that it was here that he first used analogies with the ancient Greek gods to describe the cultures of organisations, which he later developed in "Gods of Management". I've dipped into this book in the past, and have worked through it systematically recently as one of the key texts for a course on "Organisational Behaviour". My impression is that there are few more recent developments in this field than were taken into account in the writing of the book.

I have few quibbles. Handy's style is scholarly - I had wondered if this was his doctoral thesis but in fact he did not do one (he has an honorary one from Trinity College Dublin). It is accessible - and I do like the dry humour with which he delivers some of his case studies - but it is not as an easy or entertaining a read as some of his subsequent works. This is an excellent book, whether to use as a course text or to dip into as you experience and reflect on "trouble at mill" in your working life.


A great place to start learning about organisations, 27 May 2007
Charles Handy has been very influential shaping my attitudes to work, life styles and the management of organisations. This is a great primer for new students. I also highy recommend reading all his books and listening to his audio recordings.

His later works outline succinctly the demands changing corporations and globalization place on individuals and society. A very inspirational and thought provoking commentator, he positions the world of work in the larger context of ethics and morality. He also explores the human struggle to maintain individuality, spirituality, choice,