The Leader’s Change Handbook: An Essential Guide to Setting Direction and Taking Action

January 1, 1999

By: Gretchen M. Spreitzer, Jay A. Conger, Edward E. Lawler III, Warren Bennis

Recently, the nation’s top business researchers and practitioners gathered on the University of Southern California campus. They came together at the invitation of USC’s Leadership Institute and the Center for Effective Organizations, two of the country’s premier think tanks on leadership and change. Their mission: to collaborate on a book that would present the most advanced ideas about the role of leaders as they attempt to radically transform their organizations.

This elite group of thinkers, influential authors, and business gurus shared their experiences, asked the tough questions, and conspired to create the most up-to-date and authoritative work in the field. The result is The Leader’s Change Handbook.

Full of fascinating case studies, action strategies, and unbeatable advice, The Leader’s Change Handbook contains the best new thinking from each of its distinguished contributors on the twin challenges leaders face as they try to create leaner, more responsive organizations while empowering their workforces. This compilation of essays is a unique synthesis of wisdom and insight presented by a coterie of business luminaries—David Nadler, Richard Pascale, Bob Quinn, Christopher Bartlett, Ron Heifetz, and Susan Mohrman among them—working toward a common vision.

Taken individually, each chapter offers specific solutions for executives, managers, consultants, and human resource professionals struggling to implement change within their organizations. Taken together, they form a comprehensive handbook that outlines the key elements of effective change management, expands the traditional notions of leadership, and anticipates the future of organizational transformation.