Mastering the Science of Organizational Change

As the business context evolves more rapidly, driven by accelerating technological, political, and social change, an increasing strategic priority for business leaders is how to enact large-scale organizational change. Even companies that are current industry leaders are vulnerable to disruption. Company leaders need to watch over their shoulder for – and transform the company in anticipation of – the next disruption.

Mastering the Science of Organizational Change summarizes the work of the BCG Henderson Institute and its fellows and ambassadors over several years to develop a more scientific approach to change. Hundreds of companies are analyzed in the book's discussion on how to beat the odds in large-scale change management using an evidence-based approach – a large-scale analysis of what approaches actually work in which circumstances.

Part 1 of the book reviews the imperatives for self-disruption. The second part elaborates on how to manage the process of change. Finally, Part 3 discusses how organizations can take change to the next level.

Martin Reeves is a managing director and senior partner in BCG's San Francisco office, and the Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, BCG's vehicle for exploring ideas from beyond the world of business, which have implications for business strategy management. Martin's forthcoming series of books Inspiring the Next Game (De Gruyter, 2021) is a set of perspectives on emerging themes in business covering topics such as science of change, winning the '20s, and leadership and his forthcoming book, The Imagination Machine (HBR Press, 2021 June) explores how to systematically harness imagination to generate new ideas and transform your business. He is also the co-author of Your Strategy Needs a Strategy (HBR Press, 2015). Martin joined BCG in London in 1989 and later moved to Tokyo, where he was responsible for BCG's business with Western clients. His consulting career has focused on strategy with equal emphasis on idea origination and development, and application by consulting with clients on their strategy challenges. Martin holds a triple first-class MA in natural sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management. To learn more about Martin's latest research, connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter @MartinKReeves, and subscribe to BHI's newsletter by emailing bhi@bcg.com.
Kevin Whitaker is the analytics manager at the BCG Henderson Institute, where he co-leads a research team of consultants and data scientists to develop perspectives on the future of business strategy for BCG's think tank. He has a degree in economics from Princeton University. Kevin's writing has been published in Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Fortune, the World Economic Forum, and the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and he is the co-editor of the forthcoming book series Inspiring the Next Game (De Gruyter, 2021), a set of perspectives on emerging themes in business. His research analyzes topics such as which companies have the most potential to succeed in the future, how businesses can succeed during crises, and how AI is changing strategy and organizations. Kevin grew up in upstate New York and now lives in the NYC area. He can be reached through LinkedIn.