Deep change is an enlightening book that really makes one stop and look at where you are in life and if you are truly happy with yourself. This book has opened my eyes and made me realize I need to make some deep changes in my life in order to achieve happiness. I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to be a better person.

This book is an excellent book for generic change issues. Quinn covers a lot of issues that will help business execs in a variety of situations. Having been a small business owner for years, I saw a number of things that would have helped me in those days. For example, he talks about willingness to change. He couches this topic with the sentence that starts out with 'walk naked into...'! He knows how to hook a reader, yet doesn't throw in a myriad of illustrations (like some other authors in this field). I found myself wanting to immediately apply every chapter as I read it.

After years of small business activity, I find myself now leading a church in Illinois. An excellence course I am taking recommended this book. I can see a lot of applications for churches as well. However, I find that I disagree with his premise that you can change yourself. So many people I work with lack the ability to transform themselves, and I am unconvinced his 'alignment' idea is all that is needed.

For the Christian business leader or church member or pastor, the power to change must come from an encounter with God through prayer and scripture meditation. Instead of reinventing ourselves, we die daily to our old nature and put on the new man in Christ Jesus. This enables us to flexibly apply Quinn's excellent principles.

So I would only add some good old Christian theology to the power points in his message. Otherwise I think this is a great book and I heartily recommend it.

This book is an excellent book for generic change issues. Quinn covers a lot of issues that will help business execs in a variety of situations. Having been a small business owner for years, I saw a number of things that would have helped me in those days. For example, he talks about willingness to change. He couches this topic with the sentence that starts out with 'walk naked into...'! He knows how to hook a reader, yet doesn't throw in a myriad of illustrations (like some other authors in this field). I found myself wanting to immediately apply every chapter as I read it.

After years of small business activity, I find myself now leading a church in Illinois. An excellence course I am taking recommended this book. I can see a lot of applications for churches as well. However, I find that I disagree with his premise that you can change yourself. So many people I work with lack the ability to transform themselves, and I am unconvinced his 'alignment' idea is all that is needed.

For the Christian business leader or church member or pastor, the power to change must come from an encounter with God through prayer and scripture meditation. Instead of reinventing ourselves, we die daily to our old nature and put on the new man in Christ Jesus. This enables us to flexibly apply Quinn's excellent principles.

So I would only add some good old Christian theology to the power points in his message. Otherwise I think this is a great book and I heartily recommend it.

I had to read this book for my executive MBA program, and the class agreed that it was a very relevant and enlightening experience. I work for a large company that had a big merger pending, and I ordered copies for the senior managers that report to me. It is thought-provoking and helps one re-examine oneself with rich anectodes and vignettes that keep the book from descending into psycho-babble or abstract theory.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that is interested making difficult changes in their lives. The fact that Quinn addresses change in both a personal and professional environment makes this book a useful tool for self-enrichment or teams. There are thought-provoking discussion and/or self-reflection questions at the end of each chapter that allow the reader to take what the author has discussed and relate it to their own situation.

Quinn's purpose in writing Deep Change is to challenge the reader to recognize that everyone is a potential change agent, if they are willing to take the difficult, yet necessary steps to experience deep personal change. He lays a strong foundation by first differentiating between deep change and incremental change. There is little doubt that most change that takes place in the life of an individual is incremental. Because people are uncomfortable with major change they choose to move in small steps. The possible exception to the choice of incremental change occurs when a person is faced with a major crisis. For example, when a person experiences a heart attack, they are motivated to make deep lifestyle changes in habits such as smoking or dietary chooses. Or when a marriage is on the brink of divorce, marriage partners are motivated to make sweeping changes in how they communicate or handle conflict. However, beyond these periodic times of being motivated by crisis, people usually make changes slowly and incrementally, rather than making needed deep change.

The tendency towards incremental change over deep change is also true on an organizational level. Rarely do organizations, including the church, make deep major changes. While it may be argued that leadership needs to be mindful of bringing people along in the midst of change, there are certainly times that organizations need to experience deep change to survive. Quinn is correct in stating that without deep change, routine patterns move organizations increasingly toward decay and stagnation. This is true in the life of the church today. The church has grown comfortable with the patterns of ministry from years past and as a result has lost much of its influence in the changing culture.

One of Quinn's foundational themes is that personal deep change must precede deep change within a system or organization. While most of the time organizational change is seen as a top-down process, Quinn argues that it can also happen from the bottom-up. He states that deep change requires a personal evaluation of the ideologies that under gird the organizational culture. This is a refreshing insight that has application to other relational contexts. As people desire to see change in the lives of others, whether in parenting, marriage or work relationships, they first need to examine what changes need to occur in themselves. It is true that we do not easily recognize the part that we play in the problem. This thought is consistent with the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:3, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

Another topic that is very applicable to numerous arenas of life is Quinn's discussion of the logic of task pursuit. Most people, under the pressure of task completion, have no opportunity to consider routine maintenance. This is true in the life of the individual on multiple levels. If a person does not take time to experience physical renewal through rest and exercise the body will experience exhaustion. This is certainly true with the spiritual life as well. People need to carve out time from the pursuit of tasks to spend time alone with God. The logic of task pursuit is also true in the life of the church. Each church needs to set aside time to revisit its mission and to ensure that the work of the church is in alignment with that mission.

Other helpful insights are found in Quinn's discussion on why organizational change doesn't take place. He states that the dominant coalition in an organization is seldom interested in making deep changes. Therefore, deep change is often driven from the outside. This has been true in the life of many organizations. Furthermore, there are pressures within most organizations to conform to the prevailing structure. Quinn does an excellent job of identifying the barriers of bureaucratic culture, embedded conflict, and personal time constraints. It is helpful to recognize that in most cases people do not need new skills and competencies, but instead they need a new perspective that allows them to act as empowered leaders in a changing organization. While this section on overcoming resistance to change was helpful, it would have been strengthened with practical examples of how individuals brought about significant change.

There is also much to appreciate with Quinn's emphasis on the transitions from the technical, the transactional, and the transformational paradigms. Quinn's description of each paradigm and the paradigm's representative would prove to be very beneficial to any organizational leader's attempt to understand those that they lead and the unique perspective they hold about the organization.

Finally the culmination of Quinn's emphasis on empowerment and ultimate transformation of an organization is what he refers to as the transformational cycle. The cycle is a helpful visual reminder that deep change does not come to a point of completion. It is a cycle that will itself become routine and stagnate if there is not a time of reinvention and realignment of self and the organization.

While written from a business perspective, Deep Change is applicable for anyone who desires to bring about change within an organization. The book is structured in an easy to follow format and includes reflection and discussion questions at the end of each chapter to provide further assistance to the reader in taking steps towards deep change, on both a personal and organizational level.

Quinn's purpose in writing Deep Change is to challenge the reader to recognize that everyone is a potential change agent, if they are willing to take the difficult, yet necessary steps to experience deep personal change. He lays a strong foundation by first differentiating between deep change and incremental change. There is little doubt that most change that takes place in the life of an individual is incremental. Because people are uncomfortable with major change they choose to move in small steps. The possible exception to the choice of incremental change occurs when a person is faced with a major crisis. For example, when a person experiences a heart attack, they are motivated to make deep lifestyle changes in habits such as smoking or dietary chooses. Or when a marriage is on the brink of divorce, marriage partners are motivated to make sweeping changes in how they communicate or handle conflict. However, beyond these periodic times of being motivated by crisis, people usually make changes slowly and incrementally, rather than making needed deep change.

The tendency towards incremental change over deep change is also true on an organizational level. Rarely do organizations, including the church, make deep major changes. While it may be argued that leadership needs to be mindful of bringing people along in the midst of change, there are certainly times that organizations need to experience deep change to survive. Quinn is correct in stating that without deep change, routine patterns move organizations increasingly toward decay and stagnation. This is true in the life of the church today. The church has grown comfortable with the patterns of ministry from years past and as a result has lost much of its influence in the changing culture.

One of Quinn's foundational themes is that personal deep change must precede deep change within a system or organization. While most of the time organizational change is seen as a top-down process, Quinn argues that it can also happen from the bottom-up. He states that deep change requires a personal evaluation of the ideologies that under gird the organizational culture. This is a refreshing insight that has application to other relational contexts. As people desire to see change in the lives of others, whether in parenting, marriage or work relationships, they first need to examine what changes need to occur in themselves. It is true that we do not easily recognize the part that we play in the problem. This thought is consistent with the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:3, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

Another topic that is very applicable to numerous arenas of life is Quinn's discussion of the logic of task pursuit. Most people, under the pressure of task completion, have no opportunity to consider routine maintenance. This is true in the life of the individual on multiple levels. If a person does not take time to experience physical renewal through rest and exercise the body will experience exhaustion. This is certainly true with the spiritual life as well. People need to carve out time from the pursuit of tasks to spend time alone with God. The logic of task pursuit is also true in the life of the church. Each church needs to set aside time to revisit its mission and to ensure that the work of the church is in alignment with that mission.

Other helpful insights are found in Quinn's discussion on why organizational change doesn't take place. He states that the dominant coalition in an organization is seldom interested in making deep changes. Therefore, deep change is often driven from the outside. This has been true in the life of many organizations. Furthermore, there are pressures within most organizations to conform to the prevailing structure. Quinn does an excellent job of identifying the barriers of bureaucratic culture, embedded conflict, and personal time constraints. It is helpful to recognize that in most cases people do not need new skills and competencies, but instead they need a new perspective that allows them to act as empowered leaders in a changing organization. While this section on overcoming resistance to change was helpful, it would have been strengthened with practical examples of how individuals brought about significant change.

There is also much to appreciate with Quinn's emphasis on the transitions from the technical, the transactional, and the transformational paradigms. Quinn's description of each paradigm and the paradigm's representative would prove to be very beneficial to any organizational leader's attempt to understand those that they lead and the unique perspective they hold about the organization.

Finally the culmination of Quinn's emphasis on empowerment and ultimate transformation of an organization is what he refers to as the transformational cycle. The cycle is a helpful visual reminder that deep change does not come to a point of completion. It is a cycle that will itself become routine and stagnate if there is not a time of reinvention and realignment of self and the organization.

While written from a business perspective, Deep Change is applicable for anyone who desires to bring about change within an organization. The book is structured in an easy to follow format and includes reflection and discussion questions at the end of each chapter to provide further assistance to the reader in taking steps towards deep change, on both a personal and organizational level.

Absolutely one of the best personal and leadership books I have ever used.
Very practical applications. Plan to use as a reference for my managerial library.

It is interesting that out of the many books that I have read this one does not hit me across the head. However with that said, I re-looked at the book before writing this note and I did mark a lot of text that I found highly useful. I particularly liked the solid recommendations for implementing personal and community change at the end of each chapter. Maybe the fact that the authors do not try wow you with their brilliance but provide solid and easy to follow recommendations is why this book is so valuable. The structure also lends itself to a study group within your management team helping to drive implementation of the principles introduced.

If you are more interested in solid principles to implement rather than the "my way is the best way" often presented, I highly recommend that this book be part of your arsenal to improve personal and community performance. A must for your library.

In this wonderful book, Quinn challenges us to confront our own hypocrisy and make a choice between deep change or slow death -- that is to say between commitment or disengagement. It's actually not an easy choice to make. Most of us have taken the easy path and chosen not to speak out when w've known what needed to be changed. Or, we've run from a difficult work situation, leaving the problems behind for someone else to clean up, not admitting our part in the failure or taking responsibility for changing ourselves.

Quinn instructs us by modeling the behavior we need to follow. Particularly striking, for me, is his personal account of finding himself crying while writing a short story called "The Prophecy." This is a version of the story his mother had told him about his father, who, knowing that he was soon going to die, and seeing his newborn son for the first time, had said, "I think our boy is going to make his mark on the world."

Quinn explains that this true story about his father was etched in his consciousness and had great meaning for him. "In retelling the story I was retelling one of my core myths...I had always heard the story from the perspective of the woman. Now I was telling it from the point of view of a 38-year old man who was dying. The man was asking himself what his life had meant. There was no money, no house, no insurance policy, no signs of worldly success, no legacy to mark his passage."

"Years later, facing a midlife crisis, I was asking myself the very same questions about the meaning of my own life. Without even realizing it, I was trying to deal with the issues of impact and legacy," says Quinn, reflecting on the emotional impact of the story. "As all this become clear, I began to clarify what I wanted to do differently in my life. At work, for example, I took on a different perspective. I became more focused on my research. In my teaching and consulting, I became more caring yet more demanding. The resulting impact, in terms of outcome, was dramatic. I had a new perspective, and my life was changed. I became more empowered and more empowering."

This empowerment is demonstrated by Quinn's role in one intervention he made at one troubled company. In this intervention, Quinn conducted interviews, identified the core issues, and put his insights into writing, calling the resulting document the "Inner Voice of the Organization." This document was structured around eight questions and eight answers -- each answer describing a key issue facing the company and illustrated by a concrete example. Each of the eight issues had previously been "undiscussable," and each issue represented a weakness or need within the company. Quinn listed these issues as follows:

1. "The company is characterized by loyalty and considerable unused human potential
2. The organization must make deep change in order to become more viable and thus to be able to survive in a rapidly evolving world
3. The company is hampered by an unconscious conspiracy of silence and an inability to confront issues and identify needed adjustments
4. "Groupthink" is widespread, and models for constructive conflict are lacking
5. Certain key figures have favored individual good and self-interest over the collective good, and they have been reinforced
6. Everyone would like to believe that certain transparent issues are successfully kept secret. Individuals try to save face by pretending that no one knows what everyone knows--and the process works as long as no one listens to the organization's inner voice
7. A cohesive leadership team is lacking
8. The company has no clear, believable, and motivating vision"

Quinn sent the document to the CEO. He explained that it would be a useful tool to introduce at the outset of the program -- and proposed breaking the participants into five subgroups to discuss the five most important undiscussable issues honestly. He expected the CEO to reject the plan. Instead the CEO made a few factual corrections and agreed to it.

Most striking about this story, apart from the courage and honesty of the approach, is that it seems this identical list of eight issues could be applied to all companies, whether they're in trouble or not. It seems that the issues are universal, grounded in human nature, and that every company faces them to different degrees depending on their specific circumstances.

As Quinn puts it, there is often an "inner voice" in a company that everyone knows but dares not discuss. People know that if they do bring up these issues they will be marginalized and may be fired. It is a risky business to be a change agent, and Quinn does not underplay this. Speaking of one intervention at Ford, Quinn states that "Change means taking risks and facing the possibility of failure. Unfortunately, risk taking sometimes has a negative outcome...approximately 3 percent of participants reported being disciplined for taking initiative, and their anger was apparent. They told us, 'Your program is a fraud. The company doesn't want leaders; it wants conformists.'"

It doesn't take long for people in companies to learn that management cannot be trusted. In this light, it is amazing that around 12 percent in this same program at Ford were willing to engage in the riskiest form of change. The risk-takers were the people who reported higher scores on health, job satisfaction and personal relationships. Surprisingly, they were also usually the oldest participants. "We believe that they had reached a career plateau yet had maintained a positive outlook. They were loyal to Ford and eager to make a positive contribution. Their perception of the "risk-reward ratio" was different...They were willing to confront the pressures of conformity and pay the price of deep change."

So, even in the most jaded of organizations, there are always people able and willing to take a risk to improve the organization for themselves and others -- a finding which is as encouraging as it is surprising.

This is a compelling and useful book. It's written in a poetic way with a deep level of commitment and personal revelation. On the other hand, it's not for those looking for a quick fix. People who assume that the problem is with others and that they can be changed by instruction and coercion will not find it useful. Also, I found the exercises for reflection and discussion were valuable, but hard to use. What's needed, instead, I believe, is a daily practice regimen for personal reflection, and a more carefully designed, more usable set of exercises for use in management teams -- exercises that do not require all participants to have read the book.

However, these are minor criticisms. What differentiates this from the vast majority of other books by business school professors -- and what saves it from irrelevancy -- is the depth of the passion it conveys. Also, the real-life examples. Quinn epitomizes deep change.

If you are a change agent, or intend to become one you should read this book. It has the power to change your life. It could, in fact, be the only book you need. However, I think it will work best when read alongside others. I recommend starting with "Dance of Change," by Peter Senge and some of his colleagues from the Society for Organizational Learning. This will provide an additional perspective, including a wealth of examples of both successful and unsuccessful change efforts and a list of the key impediments to change, consolidating the message that many of the barriers to change are within ourselves.

If you read this book, you are sure to come away with a few ideas you can use or insights that will be of value. I, for one, will not easily forget that I do indeed need to make the choice every day between the slow death of apathy, and the deep change of personal growth. In the end -- hard as it may be -- the choice of reflection and deep change is the only one that makes sense.

Graham Lawes

This is probably the best book I have seen that tackles the theory behind how groups or corporations grow and change over time. I found it particularly helpful in seeing our church from an organic point of view. The writing is more metaphysical than I like at the beginning, but by working through it, I was better able to understand the remainder of the book.

I strongly recommend this book. I also recommend that you take the time to do the exercises at the end of each chapter. They are invaluable for self-analysis and application. They also help to make the chapters more understandable if you are struggling with something the writer says.

I probably learned more about leading an organization through change from this book than from any other source I have seen.

Excellent!

This is probably the best book I have seen that tackles the theory behind how groups or corporations grow and change over time. I found it particularly helpful in seeing our church from an organic point of view. The writing is more metaphysical than I like at the beginning, but by working through it, I was better able to understand the remainder of the book.

I strongly recommend this book. I also recommend that you take the time to do the exercises at the end of each chapter. They are invaluable for self-analysis and application. They also help to make the chapters more understandable if you are struggling with something the writer says.

I probably learned more about leading an organization through change from this book than from any other source I have seen.

Excellent!

This book is for readers who are ready to look inside themselves in order to change their organizations. It isn't a book for novices. You need a fair amount of business experience to have the perspective to understand author Robert E. Quinn's message. Likewise, you need to have enough invested in your current organization to care if it changes. Quinn offers some theoretical analysis, but leavens it with ample practical examples and exercises. If you have a job, rather than a career, or if you are committed to staying in a narrow, technical field or just waiting for your retirement, skip this book. However, if you're willing to engage in extended self-examination, we suggest this to you. However, be warned that that many of Quinn's drills are emotionally challenging, such as identifying how you resist change or pegging which elements of your organization are more committed to the status quo than to success. But, then, whoever said change was easy?

This book is for readers who are ready to look inside themselves in order to change their organizations. It isn't a book for novices. You need a fair amount of business experience to have the perspective to understand author Robert E. Quinn's message. Likewise, you need to have enough invested in your current organization to care if it changes. Quinn offers some theoretical analysis, but leavens it with ample practical examples and exercises. If you have a job, rather than a career, or if you are committed to staying in a narrow, technical field or just waiting for your retirement, skip this book. However, if you're willing to engage in extended self-examination, we suggest this to you. However, be warned that that many of Quinn's drills are emotionally challenging, such as identifying how you resist change or pegging which elements of your organization are more committed to the status quo than to success. But, then, whoever said change was easy?

I had read this book at the office (after reading the newer one Building the Bridge) and had to get my own copy. I've begun to do the exercises at the end of the chapter and find that it offers an opportunity for profound reflection on personal and workplace issues. This book has challenged me to read my own "integrity meter" and do the work to move in the right direction.

I had read this book at the office (after reading the newer one Building the Bridge) and had to get my own copy. I've begun to do the exercises at the end of the chapter and find that it offers an opportunity for profound reflection on personal and workplace issues. This book has challenged me to read my own "integrity meter" and do the work to move in the right direction.

This is one of perhaps four or five of the best books I own that deal with personal/business improvement and growth. It is obvious that Quinn has spent years developing his approach. His personal concern for helping organizations/businesses/individuals change is also evident. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fresh ideas and clear thinking.

This is one of perhaps four or five of the best books I own that deal with personal/business improvement and growth. It is obvious that Quinn has spent years developing his approach. His personal concern for helping organizations/businesses/individuals change is also evident. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fresh ideas and clear thinking.

Somehow in ordering the book on your system, I wound up ordering two books - one from Amazon and one from a "used" book supplier. I was able to resell the second book but very confused how I mistakenly ordered the two copies.

Any ideas how to prevent this in the future

Somehow in ordering the book on your system, I wound up ordering two books - one from Amazon and one from a "used" book supplier. I was able to resell the second book but very confused how I mistakenly ordered the two copies.

Any ideas how to prevent this in the future

Organizations and people adapt to their environments and change, or they die or they merely exist.(become the walking dead in Quinn's words) However, there are times when something more than evolution is needed and that revolution is called "deep change". Quinn outlines why so many people in so many organizations see the need for change, but the leaders just talk or say, "I told them to change" and the followers wonder why nothing ever happens. Quinn offers explanations for why the change frequently does not take place and then gives examples of how it can and has happened in other places.
He gives us hope that perhaps things can change. In any case he helps us to learn to be the transformational leader, if we look inside and if we are willing to face the pain of change.
Another reviewer pans Quinn for concentrating on the pain of change, but I have seen few people change without pain of some sort motivating them and even fewer organizations. I am a life coach and therapist and helping people change is my business, but there usually is a motivator for the change and with most people and organizations it is pain of some sort.
This book, while not a difficult read causes thought and is therefore a great read. Highly recommended. Thank you Dr. Quinn for being real with us.

Organizations and people adapt to their environments and change, or they die or they merely exist.(become the walking dead in Quinn's words) However, there are times when something more than evolution is needed and that revolution is called "deep change". Quinn outlines why so many people in so many organizations see the need for change, but the leaders just talk or say, "I told them to change" and the followers wonder why nothing ever happens. Quinn offers explanations for why the change frequently does not take place and then gives examples of how it can and has happened in other places.
He gives us hope that perhaps things can change. In any case he helps us to learn to be the transformational leader, if we look inside and if we are willing to face the pain of change.
Another reviewer pans Quinn for concentrating on the pain of change, but I have seen few people change without pain of some sort motivating them and even fewer organizations. I am a life coach and therapist and helping people change is my business, but there usually is a motivator for the change and with most people and organizations it is pain of some sort.
This book, while not a difficult read causes thought and is therefore a great read. Highly recommended. Thank you Dr. Quinn for being real with us.

In many ways, I agree with the authors observations of organizational life. I once thought like the author: change is hard, change is painful, change is hell.

The author says that first you must experience great pain to call forth the courage to change. The only real change is deep change, and deep change is itself painful. You must take the Hero's Journey to become a transformational leader. When you undergo the deep change, you become aligned with your values and the world. You then make deep and transformational change in your organization, because it's the right thing to do, and your moral authority attracts others to join you. Sadly, most of the big names in Organizational Development think change is nearly impossible.

Fortunately, I've come to appreciate that interpersonal and organizational change happens as a result of skill. It's not mystical or spiritual. It's a skill like skiing (but quite a bit more difficult).

Most of Quinn's clients seem to ignore his advice (to do deep change).

As a potential buyer of this book, do you think you will learn to love skiing and have a blast doing it, if the instructor thinks you have to first suffer greatly, then break your legs, before you can transform yourself into the being of a master skier?

If you want to learn how to do change work, don't read business books. Read modern therapy and human potential books. When you understand the workings of the human mind and therapeutic change techniques, you understand how to change yourself and influence those around you. The more you practice the better you become.

If you want to make skiing mystical, philisophical, and some painful right of passage, go for it. My preference is make if fun and a great ride.

Good intentions, nice metaphors and stories, but off the mark for the reader who wants to do (without the pain).

In many ways, I agree with the authors observations of organizational life. I once thought like the author: change is hard, change is painful, change is hell.

The author says that first you must experience great pain to call forth the courage to change. The only real change is deep change, and deep change is itself painful. You must take the Hero's Journey to become a transformational leader. When you undergo the deep change, you become aligned with your values and the world. You then make deep and transformational change in your organization, because it's the right thing to do, and your moral authority attracts others to join you. Sadly, most of the big names in Organizational Development think change is nearly impossible.

Fortunately, I've come to appreciate that interpersonal and organizational change happens as a result of skill. It's not mystical or spiritual. It's a skill like skiing (but quite a bit more difficult).

Most of Quinn's clients seem to ignore his advice (to do deep change).

As a potential buyer of this book, do you think you will learn to love skiing and have a blast doing it, if the instructor thinks you have to first suffer greatly, then break your legs, before you can transform yourself into the being of a master skier?

If you want to learn how to do change work, don't read business books. Read modern therapy and human potential books. When you understand the workings of the human mind and therapeutic change techniques, you understand how to change yourself and influence those around you. The more you practice the better you become.

If you want to make skiing mystical, philisophical, and some painful right of passage, go for it. My preference is make if fun and a great ride.

Good intentions, nice metaphors and stories, but off the mark for the reader who wants to do (without the pain).

While this book has been around for a while, it is a good treament of a valuable concept. How we interact with our colleagues depends in many respects on how we and they see the world. Deep Change gives a simple, yet effective framework for that understanding and builds from there. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses this book in one of their leadership courses, and I imagine numerous private organizations also use it.

While this book has been around for a while, it is a good treament of a valuable concept. How we interact with our colleagues depends in many respects on how we and they see the world. Deep Change gives a simple, yet effective framework for that understanding and builds from there. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses this book in one of their leadership courses, and I imagine numerous private organizations also use it.

.....that one "total jerk" at every organization never gets fired. It also does a very good gob describing success based failures and how one person can make a change.

Some of it was a little unrealistic. That is, advice that we should be willing to do what it takes, even if it means losing are job. Something easy to advise when sitting in a tenured faculty position. Also, it appears that the author went kindergarten to PhD and although has done much consulting, has never worked in the real world.

Overall - worth reading.

.....that one "total jerk" at every organization never gets fired. It also does a very good gob describing success based failures and how one person can make a change.

Some of it was a little unrealistic. That is, advice that we should be willing to do what it takes, even if it means losing are job. Something easy to advise when sitting in a tenured faculty position. Also, it appears that the author went kindergarten to PhD and although has done much consulting, has never worked in the real world.

Overall - worth reading.

I have wasted a ton of money on management books -- which are now gathering dust in the bookshelves. Most were written by academics who provide the most obvious answers to complex organizational issues.

Robert Quinn -- while an academic -- never leaves my desk at work. In Deep Change, Becoming a Master Manager and Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture, Quinn shows a deep understanding of organizational life and the fact that systems do not transform without our own individual transformation. But, he doesn't stop there. His work provides concrete tools to guide your individual transformation and your company's culture.

Outstanding work; pleasure to read! Thank you!

I have wasted a ton of money on management books -- which are now gathering dust in the bookshelves. Most were written by academics who provide the most obvious answers to complex organizational issues.

Robert Quinn -- while an academic -- never leaves my desk at work. In Deep Change, Becoming a Master Manager and Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture, Quinn shows a deep understanding of organizational life and the fact that systems do not transform without our own individual transformation. But, he doesn't stop there. His work provides concrete tools to guide your individual transformation and your company's culture.

Outstanding work; pleasure to read! Thank you!

I have sifted through many works of many authors; notably Senge's Fifth Discipline and Dance of Change, Covey's 7 Habits, and John Kotter's Leading Change; each providing valuable gifts in my own journey toward leadership of change in the healthcare organization I work in. As a physician, I am naturally a bit skeptical of 'managerial speak' and recognize how the professional culture of medicine recoils at the invasion of our professional language by 'corporate-speak.'
The profound challenges and dilemmas faced by the healthcare industry at this moment kept my nose in these books, searching, searching, searching for ways to bring clarity to the chaos of a once stable and rewarding profession.
As I took on a new post as "Director of Patient Safety" I found myself wading through even murkier waters than I had found within the context of my profession.
And then I came upon this book.
Stories, parables, myths: a language that transcends all 'cultures'. Ahhhhhhhhh, such a refreshing, concise, simple and brilliant work!
Simple yet far from easy.
There is nothing easy about this work.
To change what is "out there" I must look inward and face my own myths, dragons, fears, and shortcomings.
The only way to change the world is to change myself.

I can already feel the change within myself. Remarkable, remarkable.

I recommend it unconditionally to any and all that feel trapped, frustrated, or impeded in any way in their life's journey.

Thank you Mr. Quinn.

I have sifted through many works of many authors; notably Senge's Fifth Discipline and Dance of Change, Covey's 7 Habits, and John Kotter's Leading Change; each providing valuable gifts in my own journey toward leadership of change in the healthcare organization I work in. As a physician, I am naturally a bit skeptical of 'managerial speak' and recognize how the professional culture of medicine recoils at the invasion of our professional language by 'corporate-speak.'
The profound challenges and dilemmas faced by the healthcare industry at this moment kept my nose in these books, searching, searching, searching for ways to bring clarity to the chaos of a once stable and rewarding profession.
As I took on a new post as "Director of Patient Safety" I found myself wading through even murkier waters than I had found within the context of my profession.
And then I came upon this book.
Stories, parables, myths: a language that transcends all 'cultures'. Ahhhhhhhhh, such a refreshing, concise, simple and brilliant work!
Simple yet far from easy.
There is nothing easy about this work.
To change what is "out there" I must look inward and face my own myths, dragons, fears, and shortcomings.
The only way to change the world is to change myself.

I can already feel the change within myself. Remarkable, remarkable.

I recommend it unconditionally to any and all that feel trapped, frustrated, or impeded in any way in their life's journey.

Thank you Mr. Quinn.

This book offers great insights into change and cognitive mapping, and it offers great teaching stories, for example:

"Karl Weick tells a story about a military unit that was operating under difficult circumstances in the Alps during Word War II. The commanding officer had sent a reconnaissance squad to scout out the surrounding area. A day passed, and the squad had not returned. It was feared that it was lost. Three days later, to everyone's relief, the squad returned. It had become lost and very discouraged when one of the men remembered that he had a map in his pack. This discovery brought a surge of hope and renewed energy. The squad leader took the map and led the squad safely back. The story was recounted to the relieved commanding officer, who summoned the squad leader to his tent and commended him for his fine work. It was not until later that the commanding officer noticed the map and realized that it was not a map of the Alps at all but one of the Pyrenees.

"Weick points out that a good outcome can result from a flawed map. In this case, the map was a symbol that raised hope and energy. It allowed the squad leader to organize his men and get them to believe in a common strategy of action. The fact that the squad was again moving allowed the men to begin to calculate and think about where they were going. Even though their basic assumptions were wrong, the process of acting and calculating allowed them to learn and resolve their problem.

"Deep change works in a similar way. Once we have our sense of direction, we need to get organized, pack our gear, get motivated, and move on out. This process introduces new information and allows us to make choices and progress and grow our way forward. The process also transmits signals to others, and they are attracted by courage and motivation."

If you are interested in change, you must read this book.

By chance rather than by choice, I read this book before reading others previously or subsequently written by Quinn. Deep Change provides an appropriate introduction to any one of them. I value his books so highly because they make substantial contributions to our understanding of HOW to achieve and then sustain meaningful change, both in our personal lives and in our organizations.

According to Quinn, "Incremental change is usually the result of a rational analysis and planning process. There is a desired goal with a specific set of steps for reaching it. Incremental change is usually limited in scope and often reversible. If the change does not work out, we can always return to the bold way. Incremental change usually does not disrupt our past patterns -- it is an extension of the past. Most important, during incremental change, we feel we are in control." Does all this sound familiar? Has Quinn described accurately how change occurs within your organization?

Now consider a second brief excerpt: "This book explores a much more difficult change process, the process of deep change. Deep change differs from incremental change in that it requires new ways of thinking and behaving. It is change that is major in scope, discontinuous with the past and generally irreversible. The deep change effort distorts existing patterns of action and involves taking risks. Deep change means surrendering control." Decades ago, David Riesman made the helpful distinction between "inner-directed" and "other-directed" people. The same can also be said of organizations (communities of people) when determining the nature, extent, and location of control. Quinn believes that "one person can change the larger system or organization in which he or she exists." If I understand Quinn correctly, his central assertion is this: If and only if enough individuals achieve deep change individually can their shared organization then achieve deep change.

This is a very dangerous concept. Unlike incremental change, deep change poses a very serious threat to the status quo of an organization and, especially, to those who (you can be certain) will steadfastly defend it. There will also be perils for those who seek to achieve deep change in their individual lives. Cherished assumptions, premises, values, and beliefs will all be called into question and many of them will be found inadequate, if not false. As Quinn describes it, those undergoing deep change will feel as if they are "walking naked into the land of uncertainty." He acknowledges "This is usually a terrifying choice, often involving a ` dark night of the soul.'" In Riesman's view, that person becomes inner-directed. For Quinn, that person is "internally driven...more capable of leading under conditions of continuous change...more organic."

What is the alternative? Quinn's answer: "slow death." I am reminded of a relevant insight expressed by Ernest Becker in The Denial of Death. He acknowledges that no one can deny physical death but there is another death which anyone can deny: the death which occurs when we become wholly preoccupied with fulfilling others' expectations of us. A slow death indeed. If you wish to achieve deep change in your life, and are now involved in an organization which can only tolerate incremental change (if any change at all), I urge you to find another organization.

My job as an associate pastor in a large church has me coordinating a number of support groups. These groups include Divorce Recovery, Grief Support for Death of a Loved One, Alcohol and Drug Addictions, Weight Control, and more. I believe this book may hold some of the key to success in helping people move through change.

I also believe that Robert Quinn is correct when he maintains that people and organization have but two main choices...

1. Slow death, or 2. Deep change

Quinn maintains that today it is impossible to remain the same because everything around us is changing, and therefore we must change.

Early in his book, on page 6, he says, "It is now widely recognized that to remain competitive in today's global enviroment organizations must frequently make deep change. What is not so widely recognized is that organizational members must also make deep change."

He continues by saying, "...an organic organization is one that is responsive, acts quickly and in coordinated way, and can adjust and learn and grow." "...only organic individuals can create an organic organization."

Ghandi would be proud. This book if for all the bosses that rant and rave about how everyone else needs to change. The author of this book says that organizational change begins with the "man in the mirror," and that time is of the essence.

The book is easy to read, lots of white space for you to spit or cry when the author leads you down one more set of reasons why we must all take up profound personal change at some time in our life. If not, he argues, we face a slow psychological death. The author also helps us recognize that we're really laughing at ourselves when we read Dilbert in the morning funnies.

The author is a well-respected academic, which makes his message even more impressive (and he gives several examples of leading change in higher education). For those of you still yearning for the joys of graduate school, fear not, he doesn't miss the chance for some self-promotion of his prior research on organizational values. It adds some rigor to his ideas.

Generation Xers are not likely to find this book very helpful, it reaches out much more effectively to those 40-somethings still searching for a singular formula for life and leadership. Each chapter ends with 1-2 pages of self-reflective questions. There are 2 or 3 gut grabbers, but by and large you'll still need to keep your therapy appointment to figure out how to use Quinn's ideas in your daily life.

A wonderful by-product of reading this book is the chance to steal his wonderful quotes and pick up some new phrases (e.g., "getting lost with confidence"). He also describes several exercises that can be used (there's a great case study about a couple where only one person is a non-smoker) and he outlines an interesting leadership development program from the University of Michigan.

Overall, this book requires little investment and really gets you thinking. If your life as a successful leader isn't helping you be all the you can be, then put this one in your shopping cart!