>…it also worth mentioning Michael Beer with his ideas on change implementation in the corporate environment. Take a look at: “Why Change Programs Don’t Produce Change”, HBR by Beer, Eisenstat and Spector. Or “The Critical Path to Corporate Renewal”.

Thanks for the pointers.

I particularly like this summary which I came across, of the contents of “The Critical Path to Corporate Renewal”:

The human sources of competitive advantage – coordination, commitment, and competence – cannot be enhanced through programs. Successful corporate renewal occurs only when plants, divisions, and departments involve employees. That must be done through a carefully designed series of steps – the critical path – led by unit general managers. Companies that have followed this strategy have flatter and less hierarchical organizations, employees who take initiative to reduce costs and improve quality, and enhanced teamwork at all levels.

Also this (from the HBR site):

Faced with changing markets and tougher competition, more companies realize that they must transform how they function. Although senior managers understand the necessity of change, they often misunderstand what it takes to bring it about. They assume that corporate renewal is the product of companywide change programs–and that to transform employee behavior, they must alter a company’s formal structure. Change programs are, in fact, the greatest obstacles to successful revitalization, and formal structure is the last thing a company should change, not the first.

It’s food for thought!

// dw2-0