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Collaboration is a principle of creative integration which avoids either/or situation in which domination by one side occurs and unnecessary compromise in which neither side wins. Although collaboration seems to be a sound management tool, it has several surprising aspects which a manager must be aware of. One, application is difficult since it involves breaking out of the either/or and compromise habit. Two, it necessitates a communication process at all levels, verbal, non-verbal, experiential and emotional. Three, it may mean consorting with the enemy, which can turn out to be more effective than with friends. Four, senior managers may hinder rather than facilitate it. Five, the best may be so subtle it is not perceived as collaborative. Six, doing it with the government can be fun. Seven, it has a saturation point., Before going full steam ahead with collaboration - or any new and promising management idea - take a look at what's really involved. As with every fad that in fact [...]

Change efforts within organizations are doomed to fail if they do not succeed in changing the perceptions about the organization by its members. Since organizations are made up of people, there can be no sustainable change if the psychology of these people remains the same. It is this psychology or the 'feel' of the organization to the employees that drives their thoughts and behavior. To achieve total organizational change (TOC), the climate and culture of the organization as they are perceived by its members must be altered. There is no one type of climate or culture that can guarantee successful change. Climates and cultures of all sorts can work as long as they are appropriate to the circumstances of the different organizations. Several models and methods for implementing TOC are discussed., To make change stick, first look at the thousands of everyday policies and practices that create the 'feel' of the organization. It happens all too often. A company introduces changes [...]

The Access Leverage Points (ALPs) model of organizational change management is intended to help change agents effectively execute complex changes by identifying the different ALPs within the culture where change is supposed to take place. These ALPs are the important cultural elements that can either contribute to or undermine the implementation of change programs. Therefore, understanding these ALPs can help change agents develop intervention strategies for facilitating change. The ALPs model of change management involves three steps: the development of a detailed metaphor that will represent the target culture, the identification of the ALPs within the culture, and the development of intervention strategies for managing these ALPs. This approach can be used at the national, organizational, departmental or work group level., Using a metaphor to clarify culture can help a change agent identify the 'leverage points' for a successful transition. As difficult as the term organizational culture may be to define, [...]