The Problem with Change: And the Essential Nature of Human Performance

“Business worships disruption” to its own detriment, according to this refreshing treatise. Business consultant Goodall (coauthor of Nine Lies About Work), a former Cisco executive, argues that mistakenly conflating frequent internal changes with innovation hurts employee morale. In his view, mergers and other shake-ups often cause breakdowns in communication that leave workers uncertain about their employer’s future, producing unease and distracting from productive activity. Case studies illustrate other negative consequences of disruption, as when Goodall recounts how a South African banker quit his job because a company reorganization caused constant disputes between coworkers about “who was responsible for which pieces of work.” Outlining commonsense principles for reining in unnecessary overhauls, Goodall recommends that business leaders “raise the bar on what we consider sufficient cause to embark on a large change initiative” and consider such “programs and transactions the exception, not the rule.” It’s not always clear how directly the numerous animal studies cited relate to the business world (for instance, Goodall emphasizes the importance of employees feeling that they have agency over their work by describing a study in which dogs became distressed after failing to figure out how to avoid electric shocks). Nevertheless, the book’s heterodox thesis puts needless corporate reshuffling to shame. It’s an emphatic case for staying the course. Agent: Rafe Sagalyn, ICM Partners. (May)