Strategic Organizational Change

Rating:
Summary: Great for European practitioners too!
Review: "Strategic Organizational Change" by Dr. Michael Beitler is great for managers and consultants in Europe (as well as American or Asian managers and consultants). Dr. Beitler's advice and guidelines work well for me in Frankfurt, Germany. (It is not an "American Management Book" only.) It's a great book!

Rating:
Summary: Great Practitioner Guide
Review: As a manager in a large organization, I was able to immediately apply many of Dr. Beitler's ideas. While I am sure the citations (the book is well-researched) are valuable for academics, I found his checklists, step-by-step procedures for interventions, and his "Practice Log" entries to be very useful in my work.

Beitler's systematic approach makes his book a great reference book for years to come. I am looking forward to attending one of his workshops.

David Jacobs

Rating:
Summary: Great Contribution to the Field!
Review: I have known Mike since his days as a graduate school student. I have never seen a student more concerned (often obsessed) about the application of the concepts, theories, and ideas we discussed.

Obviously, Mike still has his passion for practical application. He does a fine job covering (and properly citing) the works of Schein, Kotter, Cameron & Quinn, et al.

Two chapters I found particularly well done were chapters three and four, in which he discussed the distinction between leading change interventions as a manager and facilitating change interventions as a consultant.

Mike's step-by-step approach for strategic, structural, cultural, and human process interventions is an outstanding contribution to the field of Organizational Change.

I am recommending this book to my clients and students. Good work Mike!

Dr. Burke

Rating:
Summary: A GOOD BASIC RESOURCE THAT COVERS A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS.
Review: The purpose of this book is to provide consultants, managers, and students with a strategy-driven approach to the real-life practice of organizational change (OC). Stern's Management Review Online finds that Beitler covers a very broad range of topics including the foundations of OC practice, process consulting, data gathering, feedback, diagnosis, and action planning. Six chapters are devoted to interventions of all types. There is no subject index, which is needed. The book does not break new ground, but it is a solid, basic resource and introduction to the subject. Overall, it's a brief, highly accessible tour de force of organizational change. Recommended.