An innovative communication method for making change happen in any organization

Getting Change Right presents a new view of leadership communication that says change doesn't flow top-down, bottom-up, or sideways, but inside-out. This is how change spreads through a complex system successfully-the other options are force or failure. Based on years of experience with organizations around the world, change expert Kahan presents a new model of communication, one that moves from a transactional view of information exchange to a collaborative construction of shared understanding. When the right people are having the right conversations and interactions, then they act in concert even though the situations they confront independently are impossible to predict or coordinate. This dynamic practitioner's guide to implementing change

Getting Change Right offers business insights and field-tested, practical techniques that can be put to work immediately.

SETH KAHAN is an international speaker, trainer, and consultant who has worked with CEOs and senior leaders responsible for large-scale change around the world. He is the author ofFast Company's expert blog "Leading Change" (SethFast.com), and a regular contributor to theWashington Post column "On Success" (SethPost.com). He is an Associate of the Taos Institute. Kahan received the designationVisionary by the Center for Association Leadership, and The Society for the Advancement of Consulting has recognized him as a Thought-leader and Exemplar in the field of Change Leadership.

List of Figures ix

Foreword, by Bill George xi

Introduction xv

1 Creating Rapid Widespread Engagement 1

Expert Input: Ken and Mary Gergen on Social Construction and Leading Change9

Expert Input: Steve Denning on Operating Without Budget or Authority26

2 Communicating So People Get It and Spread It 31

Expert Input: Rick Stone on the Power of Story43

3 Energizing Your Most Valuable Players 59

Expert Input: Jim Wolfensohn on Talking to Everyone60

4 Understanding the Territory of Change 87

Expert Input: Madelyn Blair on Storylistening for Reconnaissance92

5 Accelerating Change Through Performance Communities 107

Expert Input: Etienne Wenger on Communities of Practice115

6 Generating Dramatic Surges in Progress 129

Expert Input: Lesley Shneier on the World Banks Knowledge Fairs139

7 Breaking Through Logjams 155

Expert Input: Larry Forster on the Competency for Collaboration172

8 WorkLifeSuccess in the Midst of Change 175

Expert Input: John Kotter on the Greatest Positive Impact186

Appendix A:Sample Strategic Engagement Plan 195

Appendix B:JumpStart Storytelling 201

Notes 207

Acknowledgments 211

About the Author 213

Index 215