Introducing reform, nurturing innovation, and otherwise effecting change in organizations are commonly discussed challenges in management circles. Bookshelves abound with theoretical analyses, how-to guides, and personal success stories by famous corporate leaders, public officials, even athletic coaches, expounding on how to lead from the top. But what about those midlevel managers who find themselves tasked with trying to reshape, reorient, or create the capabilities of an organization? What about leading change "from the middle" is different and unique compared to leading change from the top? There has been no framework to guide managers faced with that unique and vexing set of challenges --until now.
Using authority alone is out of the question --midlevel managers do not have authority over all the relevant people and units. Relying on empowerment and engagement won't work either, because so many of the folks that need to be empowered actually answer to someone else. The "manager in the middle" may not be in a position to command actions and investments from other areas across the organization. He or she must look up, down, and in every direction in search of collaboration.
In "Leading Change from the Middle" Jackson Nickerson --manager, professor, writer, and organizational consultant --introduces a new way to think about leading change from the middle. His framework employs a unique toolkit and approach to leading organizational change --an approach that has been tested with executive MBAs, government executives, and professional managers in real organizations. In presenting this material in a concise, accessible, and applicable format that translates theory to practice, Nickerson provides an important service for leaders trying to build extraordinary capabilities for their organizations --from the middle.
"Jackson Nickerson has created a framework in "Leading Change from the Middle "that should be put on a wall poster for every manager in government. This is a change management guide that would have been very helpful to me in implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Government Performance and Results Act."--G. Edward Deseve, former Special Adviser to President Barack Obama and Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Bill Clinton
" "Leading Change from the Middle" offers an innovative paradigm for leading change through the use of tailored communications with all stakeholders important to the success of a project or an organization."--Jim Weddle, Managing Partner, Edward Jones
"Jackson Nickerson has developed a simple, easy-to-use approach to solving one of the most vexing problems facing organizations today--how to implement change. Many organizations are so hemmed in by policies, politics, procedures, processes, and the past that making even the smallest changes take monumental efforts. By identifying key stakeholders, their interests, and specific ways to avoid adverse emotional responses to proposed changes, Nickerson has provided the tools--and the hope--that managers need to implement real change in their organizations. This is a must-read for any manager stuck in the "Never Never Land" of organizations seemingly unable to change."--Jay Barney, Presidential Professor and Chair of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah
