1 1 8 Book reviews

convenience of format, an index and the saving of labour in searching back numbers. For those who do not regularly read the journal, the book offers high quality, fairly recent articles, written by highcalibre authors, that they might otherwise never have seen and which should provoke thought about the management of strategy and change.

I liked the title for purely selfish reasons, as yet another in the rising numbers of books and papers which incorporate the term strategic change. All of them are very good news as far as the Journal of Strategic Change is concerned, and reinforce my belief that we have the name right!

D. E. Hussey

Cases in Strategic Management. 2nd ed. Edited by Colin Clarke- Hill and Keith Glaister, Pitman Publishing, London, 1995, 526pp. ISBN 0 273 60380 9, A21.95, paperback.

I feel that I should begin this review by admitting openly that I am a fan of strategic management teaching, using the case study method, particularly on MBA programmes. Providing the case instructor is well informed on the text and objectives of the case and is sensitive to the needs and abilities of the audience, then case studies can be an excellent learning vehicle.

Case studies afford students and managers the facility of concentrating on the specifics of an organization and its operating context whilst considering the use and application of the appropriate strategic management theory and techniques. The study of corporate strategy is almost invariably to be found on most business school MBA and undergraduate programmes because of the commonly accepted thesis that those organizations that practise and deploy strategic thinking out-perform those that do not.

However, strategic management theory could be seen to be becoming rather obtuse and managerially indigestible with its vocabulary becoming ever more self-indulgent. Teachers, managers and students are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the ‘three- four-five’ approach to strategic analysis and its lack of specific organizational relevance (three generic strategies; four BCG product categories and five industry forces).

Case study teaching helps correct this perspective and the second edition of the book by Colin Clarke-Hill and Keith Glaister makes for refreshing and interesting reading. The book includes 24 cases in total taken from a variety of sectors, notably retailing, not-for-profit organizations, services, consumer and industrial products and trans- port and distribution. There are also three excellent opening chap ters on strategy, the case method and financial analysis. Additionally, there is a comprehensive and well-organized instructor’s manual providing an excellent frame of reference, guidance and analysis.

Strategic Change, ApriL 1996

Book reviews I I9

As someone who used and enjoyed the first edition of this book, I am delighted to see and review the publication of the second edition. I hope it continues to do well and would recommend its acquisition by anyone wanting to construct an integrated and contemporary programme in corporate strategy.

Graham Beaver MBA Programme Director,

Nottingham Business School, UK

How to Manage Organisational Change. D. E. Hussey, Kogan Page, 1995. ISBN 0-74941725-0. 94 pp. S6.99, paperback.

This is another in the Better Management Skills series that Kogan Page have published and it fits in very well under that banner. It is about better management skills in the crucial area of change. The approach is clear and practical with a comprehensive checklist on managing change. David Hussey looks at causes of change in organizations and makes a clear distinction between incremental and fundamental change and the different strategies that can be adopted to deal with them. One excellent feature of this book is the short case studies that he examines - the Child Support Agency and BP for example and how they managed (or did not) manage the changes that they underwent. I especially liked the help from Jane Austen!

Further chapters look at resistance to change and the psychological contract. The point is made that people are adaptable and that change can be welcomed because of the excitement it brings. However, its impact on people must be understood and any perceived threats to them dealt with in order to introduce change most effectively. There is a clear framework for understanding the integrated organization developed by the author which managers will find very useful in this process of clarifying change.

Most of the book is taken up with applying a series of steps to lead and manage fundamental change-the EASIER way to lead change. Practical ways of using these steps including envisioning, activating and supporting are given as well as a section on failure of implementation which will ring true to many. There is also a special chapter on the management elements of the EASIER approach and the book concludes with a series of checklists and questions on choosing the path to change. As indicated, this is an excellent guide to managing change which summarizes a number of complex issues very well and in a practical helpful way.

Ralph Lewis

Strategic Change, April 1996 CCC 1086-171 8 /96/020117-03 0 1996 by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.