Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

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

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

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

A comprehensive briefing, not an operations manual, 11 Aug 2008

Esther Cameron and Mike Green's objective is to help their reader understand "why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept" by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Their purpose is not to explain how to plan and then implement a change initiative program. Those in need of guidance to do that should seek it elsewhere. (My suggestions would include James O'Toole's Leading Change and John Kotter's book of the same title as well as William Bridges' two books, Transitions and Managing Transitions.) Presumably Cameron and Green would be among the first to agree that it would be a fool's errand for a reader to adopt all of the information and counsel provided in this book when formulating and then implementing any change initiatives. Rather, each reader would be well-advised to absorb and digest the material and then select only what is most relevant to her or his own organization's specific needs, interests, objectives, and resources.

The material in this volume is carefully organized within two Parts:

The Underpinning Theory (Chapters 1-4): "Individual change is at the heart of everything that is achieved in organizations. Once individuals have the motivation to do something different, the whole world can begin to change...[Individuals] are to some extent governed by the norms of the groups they belong to, and groups are bound together in a whole system of groups of people that interconnect in various habitual ways. So the story is not always that simple. Individuals, teams, and organizations all play a part in the process of change, and leaders have a particularly onerous responsibility: that is, making all this happen."

The Applications (Chapters 5-8): In this Part, having looked at change and change management from three different perspectives (i.e. individual, team, and organization) and the roles, styles, and skills needed to become a successful leader of change, Cameron and Green apply this learning to specific types of change. "We have identified four generic change scenarios, and we look at the particular management challenges involved in initiating and implementing each type of change." These change scenarios are structural, mergers and acquisitions, cultural, and IT-based process.

One of Cameron and Green's most valuable devices is a graphic consolidation of key points that is inserted throughout their narrative. Each facilitates, indeed expedites frequent review later. For example:

Theory X and Theory Y Assumptions (Table 1.2, Page 19)
Myers Briggs Type Indicator types or MBTI (Table1.5, Page 45)
Teams going through change (Table 2.6, Pages 80-81)
Our conclusions about each model of change (Table 3.3, Pages 119-120)

Note: This last Table summarizes key points re that include Kurt Lewin (three-step model), R.J. Bullock and D. Batten (planned change), John Kotter (eight steps), R.F. Beckhard and R.T. Harris (change formula), David Nadler and B. Tushman (congruence model), William Bridges (managing the transition), Colin Carnall (change management model), and Peter Senge (systemic model).

Addressing team change during restructuring (Table 5.4, Pages 190-191)

Note: This "Forming" and "Storming" graphic correlates task (orientation), people (dependency), task (organizational), and people (conflict) within these categories: team purpose, team roles, team processes, tem relations, inter-term relations, MBTI, Key Belbin roles, and organizational focus.

In the concluding chapter, Cameron and Green share two "significant messages" that were ringing in their ears as the ink begins to dry on this book. "The first message we want to convey is about the importance of leaders being awake and aware. The notion of peripheral vision is a key one to keep in mind. Leaders need to wake up to what is going on around them. This means noticing the more than the obvious, the loud or directly visible. It means having an awareness of what is going on at the edges, and being observant about motion and change. Whichever assumptions a leader employs about the nature of change (machine, political system, organism or flux and transformation) there is a need to be extremely observant about what is going on in and around the organization...The second message is about the importance of reflection time. Leaders benefit greatly from taking regular, focused time to reflect on what is going on around them (the fruits of their peripheral vision), what is happening right now, what the options are and they are personally in all this. Their organizations benefit too because leadership action is considered, rather than knee-jerk."

Earlier, I suggested that Cameron and Green's objective is to help their reader understand "why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept" by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. That is, theirs is a "what to think about" book, not a "how to do it" book. They focus their reader's attention on a wealth of options (e.g. theories and models), resources (e.g. MBTI), focal points (i.e. individual change, team change, organizational change or a combination thereof), and references (Pages 270-275) to consider. Those who absorb and digest the material with appropriate care will also receive at least some assistance from Cameron and Green when designing and then launching change initiatives that are most appropriate to the needs, interest, resources, and objectives of their own organization.

* * * * *

Those who share my regard for this book are urged to check out the aforementioned books of the same title (Leading Change) by O'Toole and Kotter as well as Edgar H. Schein's Organizational Culture and Leadership, and Michael Beitler's Strategic Organizational Change, (Second Edition). Also Sarah Cook's The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance through Staff Satisfaction, Richard H. Axelrod's Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Organizations, Michael L. Stallard's Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

Spot on for what it is trying to be, 20 Aug 2007
As one would hope from authors writing about change management, this book is well thought out and executed.

It's not trying to be a massive, fully comprehensive tome on everything and anything to do with change management. Rather, it offers up some interesting theory and background on change, then follows it up with some practical chapters which are useful in many ways.

Even if you eschew the theory, it's well worth the purchase price. However, the theory is interesting reading in its own right, and will assist you to inform your ideas about change and how it can be deal with.


Nothing as practical as good theory, 25 Aug 2006
I think this text is a fine attempt at bringing together a huge subject area in a readable format. The mix of theory from many parts of management thinking and discussion on application make it more than just an academic text book. Change is hard to implement, but sound theory well applied will be successful in most cases. This text provides a great grounding in both. Recommended for thoughtful change managers, not the ones who shoot first and aim later.

Change leadership focus, 19 Feb 2006
There are many ways to describe what change is all about. This book by practising consultants has a leadership focus. It divides change into four target objects: individuals, teams, groups, organisations and leaders. The first half of the book explains some theory with models and the second half illustrates the value of the new knowledge with generic change scenarios.
Some the material is a little dated but does not detract from the point of the book. The analysis of change frameworks and models is particularly informative with good practical tips and how and when to apply them. If you aspire to be a change agent as a consultant or manager, see the chapter on Leading Change which is an excellent primary of leadership roles, styles and competencies. Readers will find the summary pages and checklists valuable in planning transformational change when chaos reigns and the key to success is managing people, teams and organisation all at the same time.

Change leadership focus, 19 Feb 2006
There are many ways to describe what change is all about. This book by practising consultants has a leadership focus. It divides change into four target objects: individuals, teams, groups, organisations and leaders. The first half of the book explains some theory with models and the second half illustrates the value of the new knowledge with generic change scenarios.
Some the material is a little dated but does not detract from the point of the book. The analysis of change frameworks and models is particularly informative with good practical tips and how and when to apply them. If you aspire to be a change agent as a consultant or manager, see the chapter on Leading Change which is an excellent primary of leadership roles, styles and competencies. Readers will find the summary pages and checklists valuable in planning transformational change when chaos reigns and the key to success is managing people, teams and organisation all at the same time.

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

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

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

A comprehensive briefing, not an operations manual, 11 Aug 2008

Esther Cameron and Mike Green's objective is to help their reader understand "why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept" by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Their purpose is not to explain how to plan and then implement a change initiative program. Those in need of guidance to do that should seek it elsewhere. (My suggestions would include James O'Toole's Leading Change and John Kotter's book of the same title as well as William Bridges' two books, Transitions and Managing Transitions.) Presumably Cameron and Green would be among the first to agree that it would be a fool's errand for a reader to adopt all of the information and counsel provided in this book when formulating and then implementing any change initiatives. Rather, each reader would be well-advised to absorb and digest the material and then select only what is most relevant to her or his own organization's specific needs, interests, objectives, and resources.

The material in this volume is carefully organized within two Parts:

The Underpinning Theory (Chapters 1-4): "Individual change is at the heart of everything that is achieved in organizations. Once individuals have the motivation to do something different, the whole world can begin to change...[Individuals] are to some extent governed by the norms of the groups they belong to, and groups are bound together in a whole system of groups of people that interconnect in various habitual ways. So the story is not always that simple. Individuals, teams, and organizations all play a part in the process of change, and leaders have a particularly onerous responsibility: that is, making all this happen."

The Applications (Chapters 5-8): In this Part, having looked at change and change management from three different perspectives (i.e. individual, team, and organization) and the roles, styles, and skills needed to become a successful leader of change, Cameron and Green apply this learning to specific types of change. "We have identified four generic change scenarios, and we look at the particular management challenges involved in initiating and implementing each type of change." These change scenarios are structural, mergers and acquisitions, cultural, and IT-based process.

One of Cameron and Green's most valuable devices is a graphic consolidation of key points that is inserted throughout their narrative. Each facilitates, indeed expedites frequent review later. For example:

Theory X and Theory Y Assumptions (Table 1.2, Page 19)
Myers Briggs Type Indicator types or MBTI (Table1.5, Page 45)
Teams going through change (Table 2.6, Pages 80-81)
Our conclusions about each model of change (Table 3.3, Pages 119-120)

Note: This last Table summarizes key points re that include Kurt Lewin (three-step model), R.J. Bullock and D. Batten (planned change), John Kotter (eight steps), R.F. Beckhard and R.T. Harris (change formula), David Nadler and B. Tushman (congruence model), William Bridges (managing the transition), Colin Carnall (change management model), and Peter Senge (systemic model).

Addressing team change during restructuring (Table 5.4, Pages 190-191)

Note: This "Forming" and "Storming" graphic correlates task (orientation), people (dependency), task (organizational), and people (conflict) within these categories: team purpose, team roles, team processes, tem relations, inter-term relations, MBTI, Key Belbin roles, and organizational focus.

In the concluding chapter, Cameron and Green share two "significant messages" that were ringing in their ears as the ink begins to dry on this book. "The first message we want to convey is about the importance of leaders being awake and aware. The notion of peripheral vision is a key one to keep in mind. Leaders need to wake up to what is going on around them. This means noticing the more than the obvious, the loud or directly visible. It means having an awareness of what is going on at the edges, and being observant about motion and change. Whichever assumptions a leader employs about the nature of change (machine, political system, organism or flux and transformation) there is a need to be extremely observant about what is going on in and around the organization...The second message is about the importance of reflection time. Leaders benefit greatly from taking regular, focused time to reflect on what is going on around them (the fruits of their peripheral vision), what is happening right now, what the options are and they are personally in all this. Their organizations benefit too because leadership action is considered, rather than knee-jerk."

Earlier, I suggested that Cameron and Green's objective is to help their reader understand "why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept" by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. That is, theirs is a "what to think about" book, not a "how to do it" book. They focus their reader's attention on a wealth of options (e.g. theories and models), resources (e.g. MBTI), focal points (i.e. individual change, team change, organizational change or a combination thereof), and references (Pages 270-275) to consider. Those who absorb and digest the material with appropriate care will also receive at least some assistance from Cameron and Green when designing and then launching change initiatives that are most appropriate to the needs, interest, resources, and objectives of their own organization.

* * * * *

Those who share my regard for this book are urged to check out the aforementioned books of the same title (Leading Change) by O'Toole and Kotter as well as Edgar H. Schein's Organizational Culture and Leadership, and Michael Beitler's Strategic Organizational Change, (Second Edition). Also Sarah Cook's The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance through Staff Satisfaction, Richard H. Axelrod's Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Organizations, Michael L. Stallard's Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

Spot on for what it is trying to be, 20 Aug 2007
As one would hope from authors writing about change management, this book is well thought out and executed.

It's not trying to be a massive, fully comprehensive tome on everything and anything to do with change management. Rather, it offers up some interesting theory and background on change, then follows it up with some practical chapters which are useful in many ways.

Even if you eschew the theory, it's well worth the purchase price. However, the theory is interesting reading in its own right, and will assist you to inform your ideas about change and how it can be deal with.


Nothing as practical as good theory, 25 Aug 2006
I think this text is a fine attempt at bringing together a huge subject area in a readable format. The mix of theory from many parts of management thinking and discussion on application make it more than just an academic text book. Change is hard to implement, but sound theory well applied will be successful in most cases. This text provides a great grounding in both. Recommended for thoughtful change managers, not the ones who shoot first and aim later.

Change leadership focus, 19 Feb 2006
There are many ways to describe what change is all about. This book by practising consultants has a leadership focus. It divides change into four target objects: individuals, teams, groups, organisations and leaders. The first half of the book explains some theory with models and the second half illustrates the value of the new knowledge with generic change scenarios.
Some the material is a little dated but does not detract from the point of the book. The analysis of change frameworks and models is particularly informative with good practical tips and how and when to apply them. If you aspire to be a change agent as a consultant or manager, see the chapter on Leading Change which is an excellent primary of leadership roles, styles and competencies. Readers will find the summary pages and checklists valuable in planning transformational change when chaos reigns and the key to success is managing people, teams and organisation all at the same time.

Change leadership focus, 19 Feb 2006
There are many ways to describe what change is all about. This book by practising consultants has a leadership focus. It divides change into four target objects: individuals, teams, groups, organisations and leaders. The first half of the book explains some theory with models and the second half illustrates the value of the new knowledge with generic change scenarios.
Some the material is a little dated but does not detract from the point of the book. The analysis of change frameworks and models is particularly informative with good practical tips and how and when to apply them. If you aspire to be a change agent as a consultant or manager, see the chapter on Leading Change which is an excellent primary of leadership roles, styles and competencies. Readers will find the summary pages and checklists valuable in planning transformational change when chaos reigns and the key to success is managing people, teams and organisation all at the same time.

An examination of "the centrality of emotion" when leading change, 09 Nov 2007

This book first published in 2002 and I recently re-read it, curious to know how well John Kotter's core concepts have held up since then. My conclusion? Very well indeed. The Heart of Change is in several respects a sequel to Kotter's previously published classic, Leading Change, in which he observes that "Over the past decade, I have watched more than a hundred companies try to remake themselves into significantly better competitors...Their efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, right-sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnaround. But in almost every case the basic goal has been the same: to make fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to help cope with a new, more challenging market environment. A few of these corporate change efforts have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale. The lessons that can be drawn are interesting and will probably be relevant to even more organizations in the increasingly competitive business environment of the coming decade."

Whereas in Leading Change Kotter examines the eight steps people tend to follow to produce new ways of operating, in this volume he and Dan Cohen examine "the core problem people face in all of those steps, and how to successfully deal with the problem." And the central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems. "All these elements, and others, are important. But the core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people, and behavior change happens in highly successful situations mostly by speaking to people's feelings." (Those who do that effectively have what Daniel Goleman characterizes as "emotional intelligence.") Kotter and Cohen structure this book around the eight steps "because that is how people experience the process. There is a flow in a successful change effort, and the chapters follow that flow."

They duly acknowledge the importance of clear thinking to large-scale change when selecting a strategy, locating information and then determining what to do with it, selecting possibilities for short-term achievements (i.e. picking "low-hanging fruit"), and formulating periodic progress reports. That said, I agree with Kotter and Cohen that effective leaders are sensitive to the emotions that undermine change (e.g. false pride, pessimism, cynicism, insecurity, and fear of the unknown), and they find ways to reduce those feelings.

Effective leaders are also sensitive to the emotions that facilitate change (e.g. faith, trust, optimism, reality-based pride, enthusiasm), and they find ways to nourish and enhance those feelings. Most important of all, effective leaders master the "See-Feel-Change" approach: They help others to recognize a problem or a solution to a problem, then help them to visualize it as concretely as possible, anchored in human terms, so that they will be emotionally committed to the given change initiatives. Kotter and Cohen devote a separate chapter to each of the eight steps, explaining with a series of real-life stories how various people changed their organizations and how others can change theirs. John Kotter and Dan Cohen understand, of course, that change initiatives inevitably encounter resistance. However, they have demonstrated in their book that almost anyone can help give direction to, or energize, at least a part of one the eight steps. "We need more of these people, and there is no reason we cannot have more. We need more people doing what they already do, but better - and there is no reason why that also is not possible." I agree.

Change my Heart, Oh God..., 19 Oct 2007
The sequel to Leading Change. I highly recommend this book. It gives real-life examples of companies and managers who acted on the eight steps of anchoring change in their culture. This summary will give you a good overview and stretch you to try some creative ways to help drive home your vision with your teams.

A Must-Read!, 17 Jun 2005
By interviewing 400 individuals from 130 businesses to get their change sagas, authors John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen further anchor the fresh approach to organizational change that Kotter presented in 'Leading Change' (1996). Their main insight: organizations change when their people change. And, people change for emotional reasons. Some readers may think that the emphasis on feelings is "soft" or even "distracting," but the authors warn against relying on spreadsheets or reports to promote transformation. They insist that the best way to engage the emotions is not to "tell" but to "show" - in videos, displays or even office design. The visual sense, they point out, processes enormous amounts of complex information instantly. At the end of each chapter, the authors include useful, modestly titled, "Exercises That Might Help." With appreciation for that level of detail, we recommend this illuminating book. Kotter has presented his eight-step change model before, but this practical, compact work demonstrates - with plainspoken stories of real-life managers and companies - how it functions. Thus the form of the book - "showing" - exactly replicates its main point.

A good sequel to Leading Change, 08 Oct 2002
The excellent Leading Change was the "how to" book. Kotter's sequel, The Heart of Change, is the "how did" version; filled with case studies of each step of the way.

Kotter exudes that rational business cases usually only provoke incremental change and that's what most organisations do. He describes the need for attention grabbing stimuli,to the 3 senses: Seeing,Hearing and Feeling, to provoke quantum change.

Step 1, Increase Urgency, alone is worth the price of the book.

Harrison Owen in his recent book, The Power of Spirit - How Organisations Transform, describes the importance of stories (and myths) to shaping corporate culture. Kotter's book is filled with such stories of defining moments.

I've given Heart of Change 4 stars because I think the net value of the book is incremental to its predecessor, Leading Change.

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

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

A comprehensive briefing, not an operations manual, 11 Aug 2008

Esther Cameron and Mike Green's objective is to help their reader understand "why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept" by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Their purpose is not to explain how to plan and then implement a change initiative program. Those in need of guidance to do that should seek it elsewhere. (My suggestions would include James O'Toole's Leading Change and John Kotter's book of the same title as well as William Bridges' two books, Transitions and Managing Transitions.) Presumably Cameron and Green would be among the first to agree that it would be a fool's errand for a reader to adopt all of the information and counsel provided in this book when formulating and then implementing any change initiatives. Rather, each reader would be well-advised to absorb and digest the material and then select only what is most relevant to her or his own organization's specific needs, interests, objectives, and resources.

The material in this volume is carefully organized within two Parts:

The Underpinning Theory (Chapters 1-4): "Individual change is at the heart of everything that is achieved in organizations. Once individuals have the motivation to do something different, the whole world can begin to change...[Individuals] are to some extent governed by the norms of the groups they belong to, and groups are bound together in a whole system of groups of people that interconnect in various habitual ways. So the story is not always that simple. Individuals, teams, and organizations all play a part in the process of change, and leaders have a particularly onerous responsibility: that is, making all this happen."

The Applications (Chapters 5-8): In this Part, having looked at change and change management from three different perspectives (i.e. individual, team, and organization) and the roles, styles, and skills needed to become a successful leader of change, Cameron and Green apply this learning to specific types of change. "We have identified four generic change scenarios, and we look at the particular management challenges involved in initiating and implementing each type of change." These change scenarios are structural, mergers and acquisitions, cultural, and IT-based process.

One of Cameron and Green's most valuable devices is a graphic consolidation of key points that is inserted throughout their narrative. Each facilitates, indeed expedites frequent review later. For example:

Theory X and Theory Y Assumptions (Table 1.2, Page 19)
Myers Briggs Type Indicator types or MBTI (Table1.5, Page 45)
Teams going through change (Table 2.6, Pages 80-81)
Our conclusions about each model of change (Table 3.3, Pages 119-120)

Note: This last Table summarizes key points re that include Kurt Lewin (three-step model), R.J. Bullock and D. Batten (planned change), John Kotter (eight steps), R.F. Beckhard and R.T. Harris (change formula), David Nadler and B. Tushman (congruence model), William Bridges (managing the transition), Colin Carnall (change management model), and Peter Senge (systemic model).

Addressing team change during restructuring (Table 5.4, Pages 190-191)

Note: This "Forming" and "Storming" graphic correlates task (orientation), people (dependency), task (organizational), and people (conflict) within these categories: team purpose, team roles, team processes, tem relations, inter-term relations, MBTI, Key Belbin roles, and organizational focus.

In the concluding chapter, Cameron and Green share two "significant messages" that were ringing in their ears as the ink begins to dry on this book. "The first message we want to convey is about the importance of leaders being awake and aware. The notion of peripheral vision is a key one to keep in mind. Leaders need to wake up to what is going on around them. This means noticing the more than the obvious, the loud or directly visible. It means having an awareness of what is going on at the edges, and being observant about motion and change. Whichever assumptions a leader employs about the nature of change (machine, political system, organism or flux and transformation) there is a need to be extremely observant about what is going on in and around the organization...The second message is about the importance of reflection time. Leaders benefit greatly from taking regular, focused time to reflect on what is going on around them (the fruits of their peripheral vision), what is happening right now, what the options are and they are personally in all this. Their organizations benefit too because leadership action is considered, rather than knee-jerk."

Earlier, I suggested that Cameron and Green's objective is to help their reader understand "why change happens, how change happens, and what needs to be done to make change a more welcoming concept" by carefully reviewing a wealth of resources that provide models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. That is, theirs is a "what to think about" book, not a "how to do it" book. They focus their reader's attention on a wealth of options (e.g. theories and models), resources (e.g. MBTI), focal points (i.e. individual change, team change, organizational change or a combination thereof), and references (Pages 270-275) to consider. Those who absorb and digest the material with appropriate care will also receive at least some assistance from Cameron and Green when designing and then launching change initiatives that are most appropriate to the needs, interest, resources, and objectives of their own organization.

* * * * *

Those who share my regard for this book are urged to check out the aforementioned books of the same title (Leading Change) by O'Toole and Kotter as well as Edgar H. Schein's Organizational Culture and Leadership, and Michael Beitler's Strategic Organizational Change, (Second Edition). Also Sarah Cook's The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement: Better Business Performance through Staff Satisfaction, Richard H. Axelrod's Terms of Engagement: Changing the Way We Change Organizations, Michael L. Stallard's Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

Spot on for what it is trying to be, 20 Aug 2007
As one would hope from authors writing about change management, this book is well thought out and executed.

It's not trying to be a massive, fully comprehensive tome on everything and anything to do with change management. Rather, it offers up some interesting theory and background on change, then follows it up with some practical chapters which are useful in many ways.

Even if you eschew the theory, it's well worth the purchase price. However, the theory is interesting reading in its own right, and will assist you to inform your ideas about change and how it can be deal with.


Nothing as practical as good theory, 25 Aug 2006
I think this text is a fine attempt at bringing together a huge subject area in a readable format. The mix of theory from many parts of management thinking and discussion on application make it more than just an academic text book. Change is hard to implement, but sound theory well applied will be successful in most cases. This text provides a great grounding in both. Recommended for thoughtful change managers, not the ones who shoot first and aim later.

Change leadership focus, 19 Feb 2006
There are many ways to describe what change is all about. This book by practising consultants has a leadership focus. It divides change into four target objects: individuals, teams, groups, organisations and leaders. The first half of the book explains some theory with models and the second half illustrates the value of the new knowledge with generic change scenarios.
Some the material is a little dated but does not detract from the point of the book. The analysis of change frameworks and models is particularly informative with good practical tips and how and when to apply them. If you aspire to be a change agent as a consultant or manager, see the chapter on Leading Change which is an excellent primary of leadership roles, styles and competencies. Readers will find the summary pages and checklists valuable in planning transformational change when chaos reigns and the key to success is managing people, teams and organisation all at the same time.

Change leadership focus, 19 Feb 2006
There are many ways to describe what change is all about. This book by practising consultants has a leadership focus. It divides change into four target objects: individuals, teams, groups, organisations and leaders. The first half of the book explains some theory with models and the second half illustrates the value of the new knowledge with generic change scenarios.
Some the material is a little dated but does not detract from the point of the book. The analysis of change frameworks and models is particularly informative with good practical tips and how and when to apply them. If you aspire to be a change agent as a consultant or manager, see the chapter on Leading Change which is an excellent primary of leadership roles, styles and competencies. Readers will find the summary pages and checklists valuable in planning transformational change when chaos reigns and the key to success is managing people, teams and organisation all at the same time.

An examination of "the centrality of emotion" when leading change, 09 Nov 2007

This book first published in 2002 and I recently re-read it, curious to know how well John Kotter's core concepts have held up since then. My conclusion? Very well indeed. The Heart of Change is in several respects a sequel to Kotter's previously published classic, Leading Change, in which he observes that "Over the past decade, I have watched more than a hundred companies try to remake themselves into significantly better competitors...Their efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, right-sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnaround. But in almost every case the basic goal has been the same: to make fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to help cope with a new, more challenging market environment. A few of these corporate change efforts have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale. The lessons that can be drawn are interesting and will probably be relevant to even more organizations in the increasingly competitive business environment of the coming decade."

Whereas in Leading Change Kotter examines the eight steps people tend to follow to produce new ways of operating, in this volume he and Dan Cohen examine "the core problem people face in all of those steps, and how to successfully deal with the problem." And the central issue is never strategy, structure, culture, or systems. "All these elements, and others, are important. But the core of the matter is always about changing the behavior of people, and behavior change happens in highly successful situations mostly by speaking to people's feelings." (Those who do that effectively have what Daniel Goleman characterizes as "emotional intelligence.") Kotter and Cohen structure this book around the eight steps "because that is how people experience the process. There is a flow in a successful change effort, and the chapters follow that flow."

They duly acknowledge the importance of clear thinking to large-scale change when selecting a strategy, locating information and then determining what to do with it, selecting possibilities for short-term achievements (i.e. picking "low-hanging fruit"), and formulating periodic progress reports. That said, I agree with Kotter and Cohen that effective leaders are sensitive to the emotions that undermine change (e.g. false pride, pessimism, cynicism, insecurity, and fear of the unknown), and they find ways to reduce those feelings.

Effective leaders are also sensitive to the emotions that facilitate change (e.g. faith, trust, optimism, reality-based pride, enthusiasm), and they find ways to nourish and enhance those feelings. Most important of all, effective leaders master the "See-Feel-Change" approach: They help others to recognize a problem or a solution to a problem, then help them to visualize it as concretely as possible, anchored in human terms, so that they will be emotionally committed to the given change initiatives. Kotter and Cohen devote a separate chapter to each of the eight steps, explaining with a series of real-life stories how various people changed their organizations and how others can change theirs. John Kotter and Dan Cohen understand, of course, that change initiatives inevitably encounter resistance. However, they have demonstrated in their book that almost anyone can help give direction to, or energize, at least a part of one the eight steps. "We need more of these people, and there is no reason we cannot have more. We need more people doing what they already do, but better - and there is no reason why that also is not possible." I agree.

Change my Heart, Oh God..., 19 Oct 2007
The sequel to Leading Change. I highly recommend this book. It gives real-life examples of companies and managers who acted on the eight steps of anchoring change in their culture. This summary will give you a good overview and stretch you to try some creative ways to help drive home your vision with your teams.

A Must-Read!, 17 Jun 2005
By interviewing 400 individuals from 130 businesses to get their change sagas, authors John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen further anchor the fresh approach to organizational change that Kotter presented in 'Leading Change' (1996). Their main insight: organizations change when their people change. And, people change for emotional reasons. Some readers may think that the emphasis on feelings is "soft" or even "distracting," but the authors warn against relying on spreadsheets or reports to promote transformation. They insist that the best way to engage the emotions is not to "tell" but to "show" - in videos, displays or even office design. The visual sense, they point out, processes enormous amounts of complex information instantly. At the end of each chapter, the authors include useful, modestly titled, "Exercises That Might Help." With appreciation for that level of detail, we recommend this illuminating book. Kotter has presented his eight-step change model before, but this practical, compact work demonstrates - with plainspoken stories of real-life managers and companies - how it functions. Thus the form of the book - "showing" - exactly replicates its main point.

A good sequel to Leading Change, 08 Oct 2002
The excellent Leading Change was the "how to" book. Kotter's sequel, The Heart of Change, is the "how did" version; filled with case studies of each step of the way.

Kotter exudes that rational business cases usually only provoke incremental change and that's what most organisations do. He describes the need for attention grabbing stimuli,to the 3 senses: Seeing,Hearing and Feeling, to provoke quantum change.

Step 1, Increase Urgency, alone is worth the price of the book.

Harrison Owen in his recent book, The Power of Spirit - How Organisations Transform, describes the importance of stories (and myths) to shaping corporate culture. Kotter's book is filled with such stories of defining moments.

I've given Heart of Change 4 stars because I think the net value of the book is incremental to its predecessor, Leading Change.

A Description of the Advantages of Forming Trust, the Psychology of Trust, and How to Build Trust, 22 Nov 2007
Trust can make things easier, and distrust can definitely make things much harder. You already know that. But do you know how to check out where you need to change in order to create more beneficial trust? The Speed of Trust can help those who need a template for such self-examination.

Mr. Stephen M. R. Covey is the son of Dr. Stephen R. Covey of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People fame. If you've read that famous book, you may remember young Stephen referred to by his father as the seven-year-old son who was asked to keep the yard "clean and green" and did neither at first. Dr. Covey writes the foreword for this book and refers to that example. Ms. Rebecca Merrill helped with the writing of Dr. Stephen R. Covey's book First Things First which was coauthored by Roger Merrill.

Trust is expressed by a paradigm that includes five waves of trust (self trust based on the principle of credibility, relationship trust based on the principle of proper behavior, organizational trust based on the principle of alignment, market trust based on the principle of reputation, and societal trust based on the principle of contribution). Most of the book is taken up with examining those five waves and their underlying principles. The core of the book comes, however, in the 13 behaviors that establish trust (talk straight, demonstrate respect, create transparency, right wrongs, show loyalty, get better, confront reality, clarify expectations, practice accountability, listen first, keep commitments, and extend trust). Each section of the book comes with ways to check on your performance and to create plans for improvement.

This book is by far the best development of the subject of creating and restoring trust that I have read. That makes the book an essential reference. I congratulate and appreciate the authors for tackling this important subject.

I would be remiss, however, in being a trustworthy reviewer if I didn't point out some weaknesses in the approach:

1. Some of the examples of trust and mistrust drawn from Mr. Covey's experiences aren't terribly satisfying to read. Perhaps the most jarring example is one of the early ones in the book that describes the distrust that the Franklin Quest people felt toward him after the company merged with Covey Leadership Center. Mr. Covey comes across as unbelievably naive for not having taken into account how the two cultures should mesh (if at all) in engineering the merger. That's a more fundamental lesson than the lack of trust point. In addition, he doesn't seem to realize that merely being the son of the company's founder would make many people who didn't know him skeptical of his qualifications and his talent. Having read about how naive Mr. Covey was in this situation undercut my confidence in his ability to address the subject of trust. But I did appreciate his willingness to share such a painful experience in his book.

2. Most of the examples that are cited that do not involve Mr. Covey's direct experience are very overused. They same examples have been used to prove excellence in many other dimensions. As a result, the book doesn't come alive as much as it might. The examples conjure up memories of other books and arguments rather than cleanly bringing across the authors' trust-related points.

3. The book's structure and style are pretty pedantic, but without the precision that an academic would bring to the subject. In most areas, the authors rely on your sense of what's right rather than giving you clear lines of what to do and what not to do. That's fine if you already have a well-defined sense of how trust is formed and re-established. But if you don't know the answers already because you haven't lived in that kind of an environment, the book will leave you with too little direction.

4. Ultimately, long sections of the book are very general and boring. The major exceptions are the examples drawn from Mr. Covey's own family. I found those examples to be fresh and interesting.

After you finish this book, I suggest that you think about those who have gained your trust and distrust. What did they do? Examining those personal examples will add a lot of depth to the general ideas presented here.


A Description of the Advantages of Forming Trust, the Psychology of Trust, and How to Build Trust, 22 Nov 2007
Trust can make things easier, and distrust can definitely make things much harder. You already know that. But do you know how to check out where you need to change in order to create more beneficial trust? The Speed of Trust can help those who need a template for such self-examination.

Mr. Stephen M. R. Covey is the son of Dr. Stephen R. Covey of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People fame. If you've read that famous book, you may remember young Stephen referred to by his father as the seven-year-old son who was asked to keep the yard "clean and green" and did neither at first. Dr. Covey writes the foreword for this book and refers to that example. Ms. Rebecca Merrill helped with the writing of Dr. Stephen R. Covey's book First Things First which was coauthored by Roger Merrill.

Trust is expressed by a paradigm that includes five waves of trust (self trust based on the principle of credibility, relationship trust based on the principle of proper behavior, organizational trust based on the principle of alignment, market trust based on the principle of reputation, and societal trust based on the principle of contribution). Most of the book is taken up with examining those five waves and their underlying principles. The core of the book comes, however, in the 13 behaviors that establish trust (talk straight, demonstrate respect, create transparency, right wrongs, show loyalty, get better, confront reality, clarify expectations, practice accountability, listen first, keep commitments, and extend trust). Each section of the book comes with ways to check on your performance and to create plans for improvement.

This book is by far the best development of the subject of creating and restoring trust that I have read. That makes the book an essential reference. I congratulate and appreciate the authors for tackling this important subject.

I would be remiss, however, in being a trustworthy reviewer if I didn't point out some weaknesses in the approach:

1. Some of the examples of trust and mistrust drawn from Mr. Covey's experiences aren't terribly satisfying to read. Perhaps the most jarring example is one of the early ones in the book that describes the distrust that the Franklin Quest people felt toward him after the company merged with Covey Leadership Center. Mr. Covey comes across as unbelievably naive for not having taken into account how the two cultures should mesh (if at all) in engineering the merger. That's a more fundamental lesson than the lack of trust point. In addition, he doesn't seem to realize that merely being the son of the company's founder would make many people who didn't know him skeptical of his qualifications and his talent. Having read about how naive Mr. Covey was in this situation undercut my confidence in his ability to address the subject of trust. But I did appreciate his willingness to share such a painful experience in his book.

2. Most of the examples that are cited that do not involve Mr. Covey's direct experience are very overused. They same examples have been used to prove excellence in many other dimensions. As a result, the book doesn't come alive as much as it might. The examples conjure up memories of other books and arguments rather than cleanly bringing across the authors' trust-related points.

3. The book's structure and style are pretty pedantic, but without the precision that an academic would bring to the subject. In most areas, the authors rely on your sense of what's right rather than giving you clear lines of what to do and what not to do. That's fine if you already have a well-defined sense of how trust is formed and re-established. But if you don't know the answers already because you haven't lived in that kind of an environment, the book will leave you with too little direction.

4. Ultimately, long sections of the book are very general and boring. The major exceptions are the examples drawn from Mr. Covey's own family. I found those examples to be fresh and interesting.

After you finish this book, I suggest that you think about those who have gained your trust and distrust. What did they do? Examining those personal examples will add a lot of depth to the general ideas presented here.


Trust?, 23 Sep 2007
For someone advocating trust, Stephen M.R. Covey seems to rely far too much on unsuspecting business travellers picking up his book (which has been made to look substantially like those of Stephen R. Covey, his father) under the assumption that they are buying a book written by Stephen R. Covey. Stephen M.R. Covey's book is unfortunately uninspiring.

Interesting examination of trust, 30 Jan 2007
Stephen M.R. Covey's book provides a framework for understanding trust, and a set of guidelines for building and restoring trust. Abundant anecdotes illustrate its lessons. An impressive array of business leaders, gurus and authorities lent their names to blurbs for this book, most of them endorsing the proposition that trust is good for the bottom line of any business. It would be hard to argue with that. If the book's style reminds you of "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," there's a reason. The author is the son of 7 Habits' guru Stephen R. Covey, and the same writer, Rebecca R. Merrill, was involved in both books. While this solid book may not be quite as intensely focused as 7 Habits (but then, what is?), we recommend it to readers seeking confirmation of perennial truths about the importance of trust and its application in business.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change was a groundbreaker when it was first published in 1990, and it continues to be a business bestseller, with more than 10 million copies sold. Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges.

Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift"--a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" (acting with initiative rather than reacting) and much more.

This isn't a quick-tips-start-tomorrow kind of book. The concepts are sometimes intricate, and you'll want to study this book, not skim it. When you finish, you'll probably have Post-it notes or hand-written annotations in every chapter, and you'll feel like you've taken a powerful seminar by Covey. --Joan Price

Simply Brilliant, 20 Sep 2008
I bought Audio version of this book from itunes as I can listen but may buy the book as well just to back up what was said, the book gives case studies from known people like dragons den`s James Cann and other well known business people and how they got started and gives snippets of what their best advice would be.

It is not surprising that the advice they give is very similar in style and not one of them says that they regret anything about how they got started.

Buy it, it truly is a great book.


I wish he'd written this 5 years ago., 03 Sep 2008
An excellent book by Mr B. Every word is true, no nonsense and clearly spells out the steps you need to take OR NOT when setting up a business.

Having just buried my first business I wish I had had it 5 years ago. Lessons I have learnt the hard way are spelt out here and should be heeded.

While giving every encouragement to the budding small business person, he makes no bones about the need to know your market, your figures and when to walk away.

A valuable book no small business should be without.

I WOKE UP AND CHANGED MY LIFE, 01 Sep 2008
Having already been inspired by Duncan Bannatyne's first book, I had waited with eager anticipation for the release of this, his second publication. I was not disappointed and could simply not put it down.

Written with unequivocal business insight, this unique bible offers genius and sound advice from someone who has travelled the journey from extreme poverty to multi-millionaire status.

A must read for business entrepreneurs everywhere, it is an inspiration beyond compare for all of us who want to better ourselves and emulate our nation's richest, most popular and treasured Dragon !



Inspiring read..., 22 Aug 2008
I purchased this book yesterday for my annual holiday read, though couldn't wait until I hit the beach so started to read it when I got home and couldn't put it down!
I finished the book in the early hours of this morning and felt inspired to leave a review before I jetted off for 2 weeks as I couldn't wait 2 weeks to tell my business friends how good it is!
I found the book to be an essential tool in planning, raising funds and running your own business.
This is a 'must read' from the most famous Dragon from the BBC2 program.
Enjoy!

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