Amazon
Robert Quinn's Change the World offers profound yet practical guidance for those who truly want to improve their surroundings. Quinn, a University of Michigan professor and author of five books on change and organizational performance, bases Changeon eight "seed thoughts" drawn from the philosophies of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. After relevant quotations from each, he cites contemporary real-life examples to show how these principles--Envision the Productive Community, First Look Within, Embrace the Hypocritical Self, Transcend Fear, Embody a Vision of the Common Good, Disturb the System, Surrender to the Emergent Process, and Entice Through Moral Power--can really be used. "All our lives we have been explicitly and implicitly taught to see human influence as an exercise in domination," Quinn writes. By learning instead to practice a new type of "transformational behavior," he suggests, even "ordinary people" can have "extraordinary impact." The section on asserting moral authority, for example, segues from his own fifth-grade coaching experiences to those of basketball superstar Larry Bird to details on building a bond between "change agents and change targets" that effects desirable modifications. Recommended for anyone open to new ideas on motivation and stimulating change. --Howard Rothman


From Booklist
A University of Michigan professor and author (Deep Change, among others) has the audacity to state that previous strategies for change are ineffective, positing a fourth--called ACT, or Advanced Change Theory--that includes and transcends the rest. It is hard to argue with someone who, through a combination of dense psychotherapeutic text and lively examples, debates his own theory and its eight steps. In fact, Quinn starts with a holy triumvirate of heroes who, in themselves, are difficult to naysay--Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King--and then are quoted at the beginning of each chapter. Yet, despite few graphics and Germanic sentences, his message is clear: to become a change agent, you must first change yourself and then immerse yourself in the common good, disturb the system, and "set the truth free." Not intended as a popular read but rather as a provocative challenge to nonleaders and leaders alike. Barbara Jacobs
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Review
"Quinn's book is one of the most significant books on personal and organizational transformation I have read in some time. Why? Because it is totally original, powerful, written with almost absurd lucidity, and transports you from muscular theory to a theory of action. A unique and seminal contribution."—Warren Bennis, professor, University of Southern California, and co-author, Co-Leaders and Organizing Genius

"With humility and a heart so clear that his inspiring message can be internalized, Robert Quinn has written the decade's finest book on change management. It calls you and me-as ordinary people-to embrace greatness. It asks us to be fully alive. It brings us, simultaneously, to our knees and then to our profound power to change the world."—David L. Cooperrider, professor, Case Western Reserve University, and author, Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change

"Bold and brilliant, this book is a masterpiece for anyone who truly wants to achieve extraordinary results in their life. It dispels the traditional myths of leadership and reveals the truth about making a difference in this world."—Richard J. DeVries, community president, Citizens Bank

"This is a remarkable book. Faithful to its audacious title, it explores both 'change' and 'the world' in ways that engage us on every level of our lives."—Parker J. Palmer, author Let Your Life Speak and The Courage to Teach


David L. Cooperrider, professor, Case Western Reserve University, and author, Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change
"With humility and a heart so clear that his inspiring message can be internalized, Robert Quinn has written the decade's finest book on change management. It calls you and me-as ordinary people-to embrace greatness. It asks us to be fully alive. It brings us, simultaneously, to our knees and then to our profound power to change the world."



"Bold and brilliant, this book is a masterpiece for anyone who truly wants to achieve extraordinary results in their life. It dispels the traditional myths of leadership and reveals the truth about making a difference in this world."



"This is a remarkable book. Faithful to its audacious title, it explores both 'change' and 'the world' in ways that engage us on every level of our lives."


Book Description
In this empowering book, Robert E. Quinn, author of the highly successful and influential Deep Change, gives readers the courage to use personal transformation to positively impact their home life, work life, and communities -- to be what he refers to as "inner-directed and outer-focused." We are all potential change agents, but most of us are trapped by belief that we as individuals cannot make a difference. Informed by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. -- three of the most successful change agents ever -- Quinn outlines eight steps each of us can take to move ourselves and others to the highest levels of excellence. Following his advice, each of us can access and apply the power that lies within us in ways that will change our world for the better.


Book Info
Presents eight principles that can be followed to make individual and organizational change happen. Introduces each principle with inspiring quotations from Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.- three historical leaders who successfully used personal change to change the world. DLC: Organizational change.


From the Inside Flap
The idea that inner change makes outer change possible has always been part of spiritual and psychological teachings. But, until now, it's an idea that hasn't usually been addressed in leadership and management training. With Change the World! Quinn turns this idea into an action guide for organization leaders, managers, parents, and everyone else who wants to make a difference. Change the World presents eight principles that each of us can follow to make individual and organizational change happen: envision the productive community; first look within; embrace the hypocritical self; transcend fear; embody a vision of the common good; disturb the system; surrender to the emergent process; and entice through moral power. These are principles inspired by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.— three historical leaders who successfully used personal change to change the world. Quinn introduces each principle with inspiring quotations from those three leaders. He then uses stories from everyday life to demonstrate how ordinary people can learn to apply themselves in extraordinary ways. Every thought-provoking chapter is imbued with ideas and information that can help us step out of our old roles, approach the world with a sense of enlightenment and adventure, and live a more empowered and empowering life. Faced with the complexities of today's world, it's all too easy to view ourselves as passive observers or powerless victims. We want to change our realities, but lack the motivation to do so. Change the World shows us how to use personal transformation to positively impact our families, organizations, businesses, and the world at large.


From the Back Cover
The idea that inner change makes outer change possible has always been part of spiritual and psychological teachings. But, until now, it's an idea that hasn't usually been addressed in leadership and management training. With Change the World! Quinn turns this idea into an action guide for organization leaders, managers, parents, and everyone else who wants to make a difference.

Change the World presents eight principles that each of us can follow to make individual and organizational change happen: envision the productive community; first look within; embrace the hypocritical self; transcend fear; embody a vision of the common good; disturb the system; surrender to the emergent process; and entice through moral power. These are principles inspired by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.— three historical leaders who successfully used personal change to change the world.

Quinn introduces each principle with inspiring quotations from those three leaders. He then uses stories from everyday life to demonstrate how ordinary people can learn to apply themselves in extraordinary ways. Every thought-provoking chapter is imbued with ideas and information that can help us step out of our old roles, approach the world with a sense of enlightenment and adventure, and live a more empowered and empowering life.

Faced with the complexities of today's world, it's all too easy to view ourselves as passive observers or powerless victims. We want to change our realities, but lack the motivation to do so. Change the World shows us how to use personal transformation to positively impact our families, organizations, businesses, and the world at large.


About the Author
ROBERT E. QUINN is the M. E. Tracy Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the University of Michigan Business School and the author of Deep Change (Jossey-Bass, 1996).

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In this empowering book, Robert E. Quinn, author of the highly successful and influential

Deep Change, gives readers the courage to use personal transformation to positively impact their home life, work life, and communities-to be what he refers to as "inner-directed and outer-focused." We are all potential change agents, but most of us are trapped by belief that we as individuals cannot make a difference. Informed by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.--three of the most successful change agents ever--Quinn outlines eight steps each of us can take to move ourselves and others to the highest levels of excellence. Following his advice, each of us can access and apply the power that lies within us in ways that will change our world for the better.