The Dance of Change

Peter M. Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, George Roth, Rick Ross

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Since Peter Senge published his groundbreaking book The Fifth Discipline, he and his associates have frequently been asked by the business community: "How do we go beyond the first steps of corporate change? How do we sustain momentum?" They know that companies and organizations cannot thrive today without learning to adapt their attitudes and practices. But companies that establish change initiatives discover, after initial success, that even the most promising efforts to transform or revitalize organizations--despite interest, resources, and compelling business results--can fail to sustain themselves over time. That's because organizations have complex, well-developed immune systems, aimed at preserving the status quo.

Now, drawing upon new theories about leadership and the long-term success of change initiatives, and based upon twenty-five years of experience building learning organizations, the authors of The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook show how to accelerate success and avoid the obstacles that can stall momentum. The Dance of Change, written for managers and executives at every level of an organization, reveals how business leaders can work together to anticipate the challenges that profound change will ultimately force the organization to face. Then, in a down-to-earth and compellingly clear format, readers will learn how to build the personal and organizational capabilities needed to meet those challenges.

These challenges are not imposed from the outside; they are the product of assumptions and practices that people take for granted--an inherent, natural part of the processes of change. And they can stop innovation cold, unless managers at all levels learn to anticipate them and recognize the hidden rewards in each challenge, and the potential to spur further growth. Within the frequently encountered challenge of "Not Enough Time," for example--the lack of control over time available for innovation and learning initiatives--lies a valuable opportunity to reframe the way people organize their workplaces.

This book identifies universal challenges that organizations ultimately find themselves confronting, including the challenge of "Fear and Anxiety"; the need to diffuse learning across organizational boundaries; the ways in which assumptions built in to corporate measurement systems can handcuff learning initiatives; and the almost unavoidable misunderstandings between "true believers" and nonbelievers in a company.

Filled with individual and team exercises, in-depth accounts of sustaining learning initiatives by managers and leaders in the field, and well-tested practical advice, The Dance of Change provides an insider's perspective on implementing learning and change initiatives at such corporations as British Petroleum, Chrysler, Dupont, Ford, General Electric, Harley-Davidson, Hewlett-Packard, Mitsubishi Electric, Royal Dutch/Shell, Shell Oil Company, Toyota, the United States Army, and Xerox. It offers crucial advice for line-level managers, executive leaders, internal networkers, educators, and others who are struggling to put change initiatives into practice.


Reviews

"DO NOT READ THIS BOOK FROM COVER TO COVER. Just dip in anywhere and you'll be surprised and challenged. This is an original and refreshing take on organization change, at times quirky, at other times perplexing, but always on every page an idea that stops you in your tracks and makes you rethink everything you thought you knew about the subject. "

—Warren Bennis, University Professor, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California; co-author of Co-Leaders

"More practical ideas on how to drive positive change in your organization than you will find between any other two covers anywhere. The Dance of Change is a cornucopia of advice for making your organization a truly worthy place to work."

—Gary Hamel, coauthor, Competing for the Future

"The Dance of Change is an extraordinary book. Dancing with Peter Senge and company inspires us to learn new steps and gain new insights. The format and presentation of this provocative and accessible guide to change are as dazzling as its content."

—Frances Hesselbein, Chairman, Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management

The Dance of Change is certainly going to take more than a minute to read. Peter has done it again. This is an excellent book for anyone who is seriously interested in sustaining change in large organizations. Read it and use it!

—Ken Blanchard

Peter Senge is a senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the chairman of the Society for Organizational Learning, and the author of the bestseller The Fifth Discipline, named by the Harvard Business Review as one of the five "key business books" of the past two decades. He is a recognized pioneer, theorist, and writer in the field of management innovation. Charlotte Roberts is a speaker, writer, and consultant to executives, with expertise in creating learning cultures in business and community organizations. Richard Ross is a speaker, trainer, and organizational consultant who works with numerous Fortune 500 and international corporations. Bryan Smith is a vice president of Arthur D. Little, Inc. and a director of Innovations Associates; his work focuses on strategy implementation, corporate governance, and sustainable development. George Roth is an MIT researcher, lecturer, and Executive Director of the Ford/MIT collaboration. Editorial Director Art Kleiner is a faculty member at New York University and the author of The Age of Heretics, a finalist for the Edgar Booz Award for most innovative business book of 1996.

		xi
	I: Orientation
	II: Generating Profound Change
		xi
	The Challenges of Initiating
	III: Not Enough Time
	IV: No Help (Coaching and Support)
	V: Not Relevant
	VI: Walking the Talk
		xi
	The Challenge of Sustaining Transformation
	VII: Fear and Anxiety
	VIII: Assessment and Measurement
	IX: True Believers and Nonbelievers
		xi
	The Challenges of Redesigning and Rethinking
	X: Governancev
	XI: Diffusion
	XII: Strategy and Purpose
	Endnotes
		xi
	Index
	Owner Registration Form

The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook: Strategies and Tools for Building a Learning Organization
The Change Monster: The Human Forces That Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Change