Managing the Aftermath of Radical Corporate Change: Reengineering, Restructuring, and Reinvention

The radical restructuring of organizations can have momentous effects and not all of them are good. In fact, many are actually bad and may cause serious harm. How management can remedy these ill effects systematically and restore stability to their traumatized organizations is the theme of Dr. Geisler’s compelling new book. How do we clean up the mess from poorly conceived, badly implemented, and ultimately unsuccessful restructurings? How can managers, who have been caught up in these changes and who are as disrupted by them as anyone, regain their own equilibrium and help the healing and reconstructive process take hold? Geisler’s answers to these questions are essential reading for corporate executives in all types of organizations (public and private both), and for academics and students.

Dr. Geisler lists the problems associated with radical change and describes the futility of total corporate transformations in general. In addition, he develops a staged process by which managers can counteract the side effects of radical change programs. By showing that the beneficial effects of radical corporate change are usually transient, Dr. Geisler’s process is a key ingredient in any effort designed for the long-term survival of the firm and the preservation of its strategic goals and methods. Thus, not only does Geisler provide a sound, well-reasoned criticism of corporate restructuring, but he offers something that few if any other books can offer: a workable means to cope constructively with the effects of its many failures.

ELIEZER GEISLER is Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stuart School of Business at the Illinois Insitute of Technology. A past chair of the College of Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship of INFORMS, Dr. Geisler is associate editor of the IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management and was the editor of the Special Issues Series on managing technology in health care for the International Journal of Technology Management. He is founder and editor of the forthcoming Journal of Management of Medical Technology. Dr. Geisler is author of two previous books and more than 60 articles in academic journals.