Clearly, there are vast differences in the types of change that organizations face and make. Some change is incremental, other change is substantial, and some is even transformational. Some change is strategic, while other change is operational or tactical. The need to change can be brought about by external factors (e.g., changes in customer preferences, changes in technology that make the company's existing products/services obsolete, changes in the regulatory environment, etc.), internal factors (e.g., the company's own growth, changes in technology, retiring leaders, etc.), or a combination of factors. While there are significant differences in the types of change that an organization might face, much of the existing literature about organizational change treats it homogeneously, as though “change is change is change.” Given this approach and definition (that “all change is created equal”), strategies for managing change frequently focus on one versus many phenomena.

Regardless of the source or causes of change, all organizations are regularly faced with the need to do just that: change. The process of leading change successfully is not a trivial issue, however. It is fraught with difficulties, and sometimes the results are unsuccessful even for relatively small incremental changes.

The purpose of this book is to bring about a better understanding of the nature of change – offering a practical but theoretically sound guide to strategic and organizational change. It is intended for practicing leaders and managers as well as scholars.