Citation
Flamholtz, E. (2009), "Leading Strategic Change: Bridging Theory and Practice", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 17 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2009.04417gae.002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Leading Strategic Change: Bridging Theory and Practice
Article Type: Suggested reading From: Human Resource Management International Digest, Volume 17, Issue 7
Eric Flamholtz and Yvonne RandallCambridge University Press, 2008
Leading Strategic Change primarily targets practitioners, but is also intended to bridge theory and practice. Flamholtz and Randall present a number of straightforward and easy-to-apply change-management models. The authors highlight academic research, which backs up their work, but practitioners are likely to draw their own conclusions on the plausibility of the models and find the space given over to research justification distracting.
The book includes nine case studies. These cover a good mixture of organizations and change-management types, but could have been more tightly edited. The other chapters would have been more readable if had they been written from the point of view of what the reader would benefit from knowing. The chapters end in different formats; a clear structure to the conclusions, and perhaps a set of clear and quick-to-read summaries, would have been valuable.
The presentation is rather staid, perhaps reflecting the ambiguity of purpose between guide for practitioners and academic text. More use of box inserts to highlight significant sections, and the provision of clear checklists and bullet points, would have helped. However, the references for further reading – with separate practitioner and academic-orientated lists – work well.
At a price of £25, would I buy it? If it was for an organizational project, and the organization was paying for the text, yes I would!
Reviewed by Anne Clare Gillon, Business School, University of the West of Scotland, UK.
A longer version of this review was originally published in Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 30 No. 4, 2009.