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25 Good Books on Change
The Classics
-
The Classics:
- Future
Shock
by Alvin Toffler
- Grow
or Die by George Ainsworth-Land
- Thriving
on Chaos by Tom Peters
- The
Change Masters by Rosabeth Moss
Kanter
- Transitions by William Bridges
Future Shock, Alvin Toffler
-- Bantam, 1970.
"The Prophet" -- Fully 10 to 15 years before the onslaught
of rapid change, a solitary voice predicted -- in a substantive and insightful
way -- the rise of change as the key issue of our time. Some reviewers
applauded him; others dismissed him as a "Chicken Little" who was telling
us something we already knew. A generation later, we see that he got it
right. Although 30+ years old, and clearly an historical piece, the book
still has a kind of haunting currency and rhetoric. Granted, his examples
are dated (the PC hasn't even appeared yet!) but his concluding
comments on the skills that people will need to meet the future --
Learn How to Learn; Learn How to Choose; Learn How to Relate -- are
inspiring and prophetic.
Grow
or Die, George Ainsworth-Land -- John Wiley and Sons, 1986
"The Source" -- Originally published in 1973, when he was George
T. Lock Land, this book with the subtitle, "The Unifying Principle of
Transformation" attempts to describe a unifying principle of growth that
spans phenomena from physics to biology to history to organizational growth
to human relationships. Originally a controversial book, its ideas have
become the cornerstone of strategic planning and organizational transformation
models. To say the book is a "tough read" is an understatement -- some
call it "unreadable." I count it a privilege to call George a personal
friend, and I asked him once, "Why did you make it so tough to read?"
Loosely paraphrasing the Danish physicist Niels Bohr, he answered: "I
never try to write more clearly than I think." If you're up to bending
and expanding your brain, give it a try. Or you can take a look at a more
readable version of his thinking in Breakpoint and Beyond by George
Land and Beth Jarman, HarperBusiness, 1993.
Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters
-- Alfred A. Knopf, 1987
"The Voice Crying in the Wilderness" -- Peters was the first since
Toffler to popularize the issue of Change -- with a capital "C"
-- as a distinct organizational discipline with its own set of issues and
assumptions. With his characteristic verve and hyperbole, he made change
a household word. Occasionally he sends "wrong" messages -- implying,
for example, that if you don't want to "thrive" on chaos like him , you
might be a wimp -- but in general, Peters provides an excellent sense of what
change means in an organizational setting, and what people have to be
prepared to do. Also, under his prophet's robe he wears the garb
of an academic and, as a result, his information is informed, documented,
organized and applicable.
The
Change Masters, Rosabeth Moss Kanter -- Simon and Schuster, 1983
"The Scholar" -- Ostensibly a book on" innovation and entrepreneurship,"
Kanter's book became a kind of compendium of information regarding the
issues, forces and movements in the organizational world which are redefining
the corporate and organizational culture. As such, her work is a book
about change at a deep and very substantive level. Moss Kanter is an academic
in the best sense of the word, combining thoroughness and detail with
a compelling thesis and plenty of examples and stories -- all wrapped up
in a very readable style.
Transitions, William Bridges
-- Addison-Wesley, 1980.
"The Guru" -- It is difficult to say enough good things about Bridges'
work. Whereas other writers focused on the larger global and economic
forces at play, mentioning people primarily in the "functional" terms
of their emerging roles and needed skills, Bridges asked: "Yes, but what's
going on inside of that person." The erstwhile professor of literature
was well versed in the inner workings of literary characters, and what
they had to go through in their life "transitions." From this background,
he developed what he called a "psychology of transitions." He was probably
also conversant with the "hero's journey" of mythology, which is sometimes
summed up in the words "Separation, Initiation, Return" and came up with
the now well known model: Endings, Transitions, Beginnings. Ultimately,
we believe that the core of change is attending to the resistance,
reactions and transitions of individual people. Bridges book gave this dimension
definition and form. It's a "must" read -- and as current today as ever.