A Reading List for Change

Here are some great books that set out models for how to make change happen. You may also want to scroll down to "What actually happened". This contains books with real change stories - some of which apply the theiories and models.

Books on theory are great: I love them. But for valuable tips and tricks, along with the inspiration to know you can get through it, nothing beats a few well-chosen case studies. Here are my favourites.

... so you'll need some great resources!

These are, initially, some of my favourite books on Positive Psychology. I hope to add (and read) other recommendations you give, in my guestbook below.

Stress and Strain
In science, a stress is an external force, which causes a deformation - the strain. In people, Mike believes, it is not the external force (the stress) that does the damage: it is the way we respond to it.

Change can be stressful: before you can thrive in times of change, you must first survive the stress... or strain!

I've no idea what to call this section. So here is what it is:
These are small books. They tell a story. The characters are cutesy. They have a valuable message at the heart. They are easily dismissed. They are worth reading. But they will not be enough for you to understand all you need to know.

Here's a true story. At least I believe it is true, but as I only heard it second hand ...

A manager was charged with leading change. People were resisting. So what did she do?

She bought them all a copy of "Who Moved my Cheese" and left copies on their desks.

Don't do that!
If you are in that position, go buy a copy of Rick Maurer's book and read it yourself. Twice. Then buy some more books and talk to some experienced people.

In times of change, established behaviours can either get amplified, or change around surprisingly. I have found a good basic understanding of Transactional Analysis (TA) has given me a lot of insight into what is going on.

Not only that, but TA wil help you diagnose underlying patterns and, perhaps most valuable, it will give you an indication of how to change your behaiviour to get the best from other people.

... but what a great toolset.

No, you won't find a silver bullet in here, but neither is it all rubbish. Pick and choose from the very many tools available in NLP, to find those that do work for you.

NLP is all about personal change, and let's remember that organisational change is little more than the sum of lots of individual changes.