Pick any industry,and chances are that it looks very different nowthan it did a decade ago．And the companies within that industrv have experienced their own unique upheavals．For example，IBM was adrift and slowly sinking before it was rescued and refitted under new leadership and a core of energetic and determined employees．Microsoft transformed itself from a soft：ware companyto an integrator of computer－Internet solutions．General Electric endured several successive waves of change over the past few decades．And Enron rose like a rocket on its innovative approach to energy trading before overreaching management blew it to bits．These companies represent only a few episodes in the saga of corporate transformation．

CHANGE IS AN ESSENTIAL MANDATE for every organization．The highfailure rate of corporate change initiatives underscores the difficulty of thischallenge．But for companies-and leaders-who manage change successfully,the rewards are substantial．Human resource professionals are uniquely positioned tochampion change in their organizations．This book offers strategies and tools that willenable HR professionals to work side by side with other senior executives to：

Assess various approaches to change and set the best strategy

Prepare the organization and employees for change

Communicate information efficiently and effectively

Reduce employee stress

Use consultants wisely

INTRODUCTION

1 The Ever-Changing Workplace

 Understanding HR's Role in Organizational Change

The Forces of Change

New Capabilities for Organizations

A Strategic Approach tO Change Management

HR's Dual Role in Organizational Change

SummingUp

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

2 Dimensions of Change

 Examining Types andApproaches

Types of Change Programs

Three Tactics for Timing Change

Two Different Approaches to Change

Summing Up

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

3 Is Your Organization Change-Ready?

 Preparing for Companywide Change

Respected and Effective Leaders

Appropriate Reward Systems

A Nonhierarchical Organization

Shaping a Change-Ready Organization

SummingUp

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

4 Are You and Your Employees Change-Ready?

 Preparingfor Individual Change

Characteristics of Change－Ready Individuals

The Importance ofMotivation

HR Professionals：Key Motivational Players

Summing Up

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

5 Eight Steps to Change

 A Systematic Approach

The Eight Steps

Step 1：Establish a Sense ofUrgency

Step 2：Create a Guiding Coalition

Step 3：Develop a Compelling Vision

Step 4：Communicate the Vision

Step 5：Empower Others tO Act on the Vision

Step 6：Generate Short-Term Wins

Step 7：Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change

Step 8：Anchor New Approaches in the Company's Culture

Leaders and Managers：Roles for HR Professionals

SummingUp

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questidns

6 Implementation

  Putting Your Change Plans in Motion

Enlist the Support and Involvement of Key People

Craft an Implementation Plan

Communicate Relentlessly

Support Your Implementation Plan with Consistent

Behaviors and Messages

Develop Enabling Structures

Create Results-Driven Change

Celebrate Milestones

Use Consultants Wisely

Summing Up

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

7 How Employees Respond to Change

A Continuum ofStyles

Common Responses to Change

The Resisters

The Change Agents

SummingUp

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

8 Helping Employees Adapt to Change

Strategies to Reduce Stress

Loss and Anxiety

Reacting to Change：Four Stages

The Conventional Advice

What Individuals Can Do for Themselves

Helping Managers Assist Their Employees During Change

Rethinking Resisters

How HR Professionals Can Cope with Change—Related

Stress

Summing Up

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

9 Toward Continuous Change

Staying Competitive Through Change

Continuous Incremental Change

Can People Handle It?

HR's Role in Driving Ongoing Change

SummingUp

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

10 Common Change-Management Challenges

for HR Professionals

Handling Them Effectively and Successfully

Downsizing Initiatives

Companywide Restructurings

Corporate Acquisitions and Mergers

Selection and Assimilation of New Leaders

Restructuring of the HI<Function

New Approaches to Key HR Programs

Summing Up

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

11 HR as Change Rent

An Unprecedented Opportunity-and Responsibility

Strategic Partners in Action

Where to Go from Here?

Checklist for Leading a Successful Change Initiative

Summing Up

Leveraging Chapter Insights：Critical Questions

Appendix A

Implementation Tools

Appendix B

Choosing Change-Management Consultants and

Outplacement Firms

Notes

Fo rFurther Reading 

Index

About the Series Adviser

About the Subject Adviser

About the Writers

About the Societyfor Human Resource Management

Acknowledgrments