New Tools to Overcome the Human Barriers to Change

Leaders know that their job is to transform their organizations to keep pace with technology and an ever-changing business environment. They also know that they are bound to fail in doing so. But this discouraging prospect is not because they won't be able to solve a technological or strategic problem. Leaders will fail because of intractable human responses associated with change--responses such as fear, ingrained habits, politics, incrementalism, and lack of imagination. These stumbling blocks always arise when we humans are faced with change, but what if we had a way to transcend them?

This book reveals a radical new method for doing just that.

Written by the executive who designed and implemented it, the neuroscientist who helped make it work, and the academic who explains why it works and how to do it, Leading Transformation introduces an innovative yet proven process for creating breakthrough change.

Divided into three steps--envisioning the possible, breaking down resistance, and prototyping the future--this process uses cutting-edge tools such as science fiction, cartoons, rap music, artifact trails, and neuroprototypes to overcome people's inability to imagine or react to what doesn't yet exist, override powerful habits and routines that prevent them from changing, and create compelling narratives about the organization's future and how to get there.

Showing how these tools have been used successfully by companies such as Lowe's, Walmart, Pepsi, IKEA, Google, Microsoft, and others, the process revealed in this book gives leaders the means to transcend the human barriers that block change and lead their organizations confidently into the future.

About the Author

Nathan Furr is a professor of strategy and innovation at INSEAD in Paris and a recognized expert in the fields of innovation and technology strategy. His bestselling book, The Innovator's Method (Harvard Business Review Press, September 2014), won multiple awards in the business press. Kyle Nel is the CEO and cofounder of Uncommon Partners, a consulting and training firm based on the methods in the book. He is formerly the founder and Executive Director of Lowe's Innovation Labs, part of Lowe's Companies, Inc. Thomas Zoega Ramsoy is one of the leading experts on applied neuroscience and consumer neuroscience. He is the founder and CEO of Neurons Inc, a global innovation and tech company that helps companies, organizations, and universities put neuroscience tools and insights into practice.

Reviews

Named one of the "Top Ten Technology Books of 2018" by Peter High, Forbes.com

"Leading Transformation offers an alternative approach for organizations undergoing major change...Furr, Nel, and Ramsoy offer a fascinating perspective on something we all face daily." -- TD magazine (Association for Talent Development)

Advance Praise for Leading Transformation:

Clayton M. Christensen, Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; bestselling author, The Innovator's Dilemma--
"Many leaders struggle to lead disruptive change. Leading Transformation provides new tools to overcome the old hurdles to success."

Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University; bestselling author, Good Boss, Bad Boss and Scaling Up Excellence--
"Leading Transformation is the most original and thought-provoking book I've ever read on how to design and inspire organizational change. It shows how using proven tools from places I never expected--science fiction, comics, and rap music, for example--can fuel remarkable cultural and technological transformations. This is the rare business book that is fun to read, will make you think differently, and teach you new skills."

Ralph Hamers, CEO, ING Group--
"Transformation starts with a visionary and compelling story. The authors perfectly explain why this is true."

Scott D. Anthony, Senior Partner, Innosight; author, Dual Transformation and The Little Black Book of Innovation--
"Leading Transformation is an absolute must-read. Science fiction, cartoons, neuroprototypes, and artifact trails are sure to become standard components of the strategist's toolkit."

Rob Nail, CEO and Associate Founder, Singularity University--
"The many examples of how to leverage behavioral economics and applied neuroscience make this book one of the most important guides for navigating the accelerating changes affecting businesses today."

Peter Sims, founder and CEO, Parliament, Inc.; author, Little Bets--
"A provocative and compelling book that convinced me the secret to behavior change often starts with counterintuitive storytelling."

Peter Diamandis, founder and Chairman, XPRIZE Foundation; cofounder and Executive Chairman, Singularity University--
"There has never been a more important time for organizations to prepare for the future, and this book is an indispensable guide for how to do it."

Book Information
ISBN 9781633696549
Author Nathan Furr
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Harvard Business Review Press
Publisher Harvard Business Review Press