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March 2017 Vol. 54 No. 7

ReOrg provides a ready-made, five-step plan with templates and checklists sequenced to shorten the average 18 months to complete a reorg—rarely successful. The authors describe the McKinsey survey, which found that 80-plus percent fail to deliver the value in the time planned and 10 percent cause real damage to the company. They can be damned miserable experiences for employees. They provoke uncertainty about the future, and cause greater stress and anxiety than layoffs, leading in about 60 percent of cases to reduced productivity. The 2010 global survey of 1,800 executives of multiple industries in public and private companies undergoing a reorg included information from a revised survey conducted in 2014 with 1,200 respondents. Results are briefly discussed in narrative form rather than than using tables or graphs. ReOrg uses convincing narratives for the five-steps to avoid failure. Survey results are peppered with quotes from noteworthy figures such as Elon Musk to add more credence. Sage advice is included, such as communication with employees, unions, or workforce councils, regulators, and boards.

--S. G. Marvin, West Chester University

Summing Up: Recommended. General readers.