Teaching the Elephant to Dance

Author:  James A. Belasco
Publisher:  Crown Pub     
ISBN-10:  0517574780     
ISBN-13:  9780517574782
Publication Year:  1990 

From the Publisher:

“We’ve always done it this way.”

This is a warning sign, a symptom of impending doom for an organization.

After consulting with, studying, and managing a wide range of businesses and organizations, James Belasco has learned that far too many American companies , like powerful elephants, are shackled by the chains of conditioning and inertia.  It is this lack of ingenuity that causes “business as usual” responses and is ultimately the prescription for disaster in the challenging business world of the 1990’s.

            Today, more than ever before, the most important function of any manager is planning and implementing change in his or her organization.  Those businesses that survive will be fleet of foot, not slow to change.  Teaching the Elephant to Dance is a practical, hands-on guide to creating the right kind of change in any organization, large or small, corporate or governmental, manufacturing or service based.

            This book shows how managers decide on a new direction for an organization, communicate a clear and definitive vision of what kind of change is required and how it relates to the organization’s purpose, overcome resistance to change - and, most important of all, empower employees to use their own creativity, skill, and pride to make change really happen.

            It can be done.  Belasco gives over a hundred detailed examples of enterprises, ranging from Sears, Xerox, Kodak, and IBM to universities and government agencies that have remained on top or have come back from impending disaster by using techniques and strategies outlined in this book.  His provocative questions, step-by-step prescriptions for managing change, and clear, jargon-free directions make this book the survival manual for the 1990’s.

Table of Contents

1. Teaching the Elephant to Dance
2. Getting Ready to Change
3. Anticipate the Obstacles
4. Create Tomorrow
5. Focus Resources
6. Vision Makes the Difference
7. Actions Set the Pace
8. Expect It or Forget It
9. People are the Key
10. Culture Is It
11. Empower Individual Change Agents
12. Change Happens–The Elephant Learns

 Additional Information

For more information, one can visit the web site http://www.belasco.com/elephant.htm.  The first chapter is available for free on-line.