Built to Change: How to Achieve Sustained Organizational Effectiveness - Hardcover

BUILT TO CHANGE

ORGANIZATIONS ARE BUILT TO PERFORM, not to change. But in today's highly competitive business environment, organizations must be ready to change and change frequently. Organizations cannot sustain excellent performance unless they embrace change.

In this groundbreaking book, organizational effectiveness experts Edward Lawler and Christopher Worley show how organizations can be "built to change" so they can last and succeed in today's global economy. Instead of striving to create a highly reliable Swiss watch that consistently produces the same behavior, they argue organizations need to be designed in ways that stimulate and facilitate change.

Built to Change focuses on identifying practices and designs that organizations can adopt so that they are able to change. As Lawler and Worley point out, organizations that foster continuous change

Built to Change is filled with illustrative examples from companies—Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Limited Brands, and Toyota—that have been able to change time and again to meet changing business demands. The book outlines what it takes to become an organization that continuously and rapidly changes. It includes information about creating strategies, structures, reward systems, communication processes, and human resource management practices that are designed to facilitate the ability of an organization to change.

Built to Change includes an online instructor's guide.

PRAISE FOR BUILT TO CHANGE

"Lawler and Worley have done it. Built to Change captures the change challenge faced by most executives and offers practical tools that not only dissect change but provide hope that the constancy of change need not be feared but relished. They explain how to anticipate leadership challenges and make them manageable. This gift is why Lawler continues to reign in this profession as the thought leader for ideas with impact."
—Dave Ulrich, professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and partner, The RBL Group

"Built to Change is a dramatic departure from the tired approach of looking back at successful companies and identifying elements of excellence. Lawler and Worley have broken new ground in helping companies to look forward and understand the requirements for success in a constantly changing world."
—David A. Nadler, chairman, Mercer Delta Consulting, LLC

"The absence of change is just another description for death in business as in life. Ed Lawler and Chris Worley seize on this point to provide an insightful look into what makes a business not only survive but thrive in today's global marketplace. The book is concise, comprehensive, and a must-read for anyone responsible for ensuring the success of a company, large or small."
—Patrick L. Johnson, president and CEO, Pro-Dex, Inc.

"This is an important book for organizations positioning themselves for future success. It provides insight about the issues companies need to consider to ensure success."
—Ben R. Leedle Jr., CEO, American Healthways