Change Management: Altering Mindsets in a Global Context

THIS BOOK was originally conceived as the second edition of our previous book Managing Organisational Change, written in the aftermath of liberalisation initiated by the Indian government in 1991 and published in 1998. Based on primary data from about fifty Indian organisations in a variety of industries, it examined the challenges of growth in an emerging, liberalised competitive environment. We viewed organisational change as comprising three generic processes of growth, transformation and decline. We suggested that these three processes differ from one another in certain crucial respects and, therefore, required different approaches to manage the same. We argued that it was important for managers to know which generic process they are managing in order to be effective. We presented a model of the levers of change that provided an integrated approach to the management of change. Our generic model specifically focused on eight tangible levers of change: values-based leadership, strategy, structure, human resource practices, technology, marketing, quality, and costs. While the model was illustrated with examples from the best of Indian and international practices, the book emphasized both what organisations need to change and how they should go about it. It suggested that the effective management of change involves managing intangibles, particularly positive values such as selflessness, justice, compassion, tolerance, respect and integrity.