Getting Your Shift Together: Making Sense of Organizational Culture and Change

Having endured three acquisitions with one company, two down-sizings with another, being subjected to two subsequent layoffs with two companies, and forming my own consulting business, I found "Getting Your Shift Together" a very accurate outline of what is missed during critical times of change. It is refreshing in that it clearly identifies not only what is overlooked but also why we so often ignore what is squarely in front of us. While the book is actually a quick read, I read it slowly (some text repeatedly), often finding myself pondering its insightful truths. Getting an accurate picture of an organization's culture is critical to its longevity. Reading this book should be anyone's first step in gaining such a focus. The book gives the reader pause as it clearly shows how and why we hide from the truths that surround us. I reflected back to the line in "A Few Good Men" when Jack Nicholson says to Tom Cruise, "You can't handle the truth!" While truth may be hard to handle, in business we can't survive the lies and denial! Honesty rings through this book, moving the reader to examine his/her own world. What are the reigning values? Where is the trust? What's next? Take the Culture Health IndexTM and find out what your organization's culture really looks like. Be advised - this is not for the faint of heart, but it's also for anyone who still harbors any hope for surviving an upcoming change (and emerging as a leader) in his or her organization. "Getting Your Shift Together" is one of the best books I've read in a long, long time.

The writers (Lizz & PJ of EMERGE) have taken an unknown, amorphous concept and developed it into the leading organizational management tool and process, Cultural Due Diligence (tm). This book explains the Cultural Due Diligence (tm) process, its importance to all business organizations and its implementation and review. Lizz & PJ of EMERGE are well-known for their seminars on Cultural Due Diligence(tm) and the book is a wonderful desk reference. It has also been picked up by several universities as required reading in business curriculum.

My favorite part is the point that when change initiatives fail, things never go back to the way they were before. This book makes you think about your blind spots, and how to not let them get in the way of making change work. The authors come off credible, with a "in the trenches" perspective. A good reality check.

This book contains a great analysis of American business today. In an everchanging and fastpaced work environment focused on the bottom line, Pellett and Bouchard suggest that it is an organization's culture which will have the biggest impact to profitability and success. In a well written and easy style their narrative captured my attention with real-life anecdotes and solutions to business problems and challenges. Their cultural due diligence model is one that should be embraced by all companies wanting to improve productivity, quality, customer satisfaction and profits. Read it and give it to every CEO, Board Member and VP you know!