Mark,
If I read your response to Rose's query right, it's a bit hard not to be
"taken aback" to some degree by your remarks.
Let me take the first set of comments on. Speaking for this list,, I have
not personally experienced any list member attempting to "sell buckets and
mops". This does not mean that members of this community are not engaged
in private practice for profit. It also does not mean that most of us
don't have our own preferred set of "tools" which we either borrowed,
adapted, or "invented." My experience has generally been one of open
sharing of information versus active marketing.
As far as Rose and her organization, I have been employed with a number of
companies over the past 10 years which have been slow to change, or were
insulated from the environment /market for a number of reasons. This can
have to do with profitability, regulation, structure, governance and a
number of other factors. We are not all employed in sectors undergoing
sweeping and gut-wrenching change. I cannot pass judgment on her
particular circumstances. There is no particular right or wrong to it.
For me the issue is her immediate need, not what she or her leadership did
or didn't do. As she is supporting the change, it is my hope that she and
others will step back, learn from the experiences and attempt to
proactively look forward to the next set of changes.
Rose, my recommendations would echo suggestions made previously on this
list. As far as individual change, I like William Bridges "stuff" the
best ("Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes", and "Surviving
Corporate Trasition: Rational Management in a World of Mergers, Layoffs,
Strart-up's..."). I am also personally inclined toward "Managing Personal
Change" by Scott and Jaffe. To be proactive about your next set of
changes, you couldn't go wrong with "Managing at the Speed of Change... by
Daryl Conner, "The Fifth Discipline... by Peter Senge" and/or "Creating"
by Robert Fritz. "Healing the Wounds: Overcoming the Trauma of Layoffs
and Revitalizing Downsized Organizations" by David Noer may also be
appropriate depending on your circumstances.
David
David Underwood
Director Organization Development
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
dunderwo@wiley.com
--"Underwood, David" <DUNDERWO@wiley.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>