Change is never a stepwise or easily prescribed process. Rather, it is messy and complicated, and its outcomes are easily swayed by a host of factors. In this context, leaders need to develop and utilize realistic frameworks for organizational change. They need to implement a holistic change model that defines and justifies the proposed change, and takes account of both the abilities of those who will be asked to lead and carry out the change, and the context in which the change is to occur.

To develop such a model, Herold and Fedor examined more than 300 changes and interviewed over 8,000 individuals who lived through them. They then reality-tested their model by bouncing their ideas off hundreds of managers who were living change on a day-to-day basis. Those ideas are collected in this practical book, which will be of use to anyone who is likely to lead change initiatives in almost any organizational environment—from executives, to consultants, to management students.