A Course in Paradoxical ThinkingWhy Transformations Cannot Be Managed and So Must Be Managed

250 Seiten (Printausgabe)

Erscheinungsjahr 2026

Inhaltsverzeichnis

19,90 €

Transformation is a key term these days, whether in politics or in business. All the more so because the vast majority of transformation initiatives fail to achieve their stated goals. And yet, this is rarely due to a lack of understanding. We usually know that something needs to change, and what that something is. Nevertheless, in the end, we rarely achieve what we set out to accomplish, despite the best intentions and the considerable efforts of those involved.
This book is an attempt to take this curious phenomenon seriously and, from there, to rethink our understanding of what makes transformation successful. The subtitle poses the question and provides the answer to the book’s central insight: why transformations cannot be managed, and why that is precisely why they must be pursued, just not in the way you might expect.

to be published in March 2026.

Pressestimmen

»This book, grounded in real world experiences of major transformative projects, urges practitioners not to take an overly simplistic view of such changes, or seek to impose order upon them that is not consistent with their complexity. Rather, the book draws on theoretical and philosophical perspectives on the paradoxes, dilemmas and challenges that major transformation brings and how staying with those challenges can be fruitful.« (Dr. Dr. Paula Jarzabkowski, Professor of Strategic Management, University of Queensland, and City St George’s, University of London)