Rules of the Game: Lessons from the Field of Community Change

Concise, empowering, and inspirational, this introduction to promoting change offers practical knowledge, and features more than 150 guidelines brought to life with down-to-earth, often humorous language. Replete with the wisdom of more than four decades of experience in the field, Mark S. Homan demystifies the community change process by providing nuts-and-bolts rules for success, including eight essential steps for building an organized change effort. Homan’s outline for community change is invaluable in any setting, from grassroots organizations to governments or community agencies. Writing in a conversational, informal style, Homan leads readers through the basic things they need to know about themselves, about others, and about the change process itself. As they put these ideas into action, they will identify skills, attitudes, and choices important to their success as a change agent in the community.

Mark S. Homan, now retired, taught n the undergradute level for over 30 years. In addition to these duties, Mark has served as adjunct faculty and guest lecturer for colleges, universities, and training consortia in the United States, Russia, and Sweden. A strong advocate of community empowerment, Mark has worked with diverse populations in urban, rural, and First Nation communities on a broad range of issues and has developed and directed several human services programs. He is the past chair of the international Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA), a founding member of community organizations and agencies, and has served in executive leadership roles on numerous community boards and councils. He has delivered many national, regional, and local workshops and presentations on various aspects of community building and organized power. The recipient of numerous awards for teaching excellence and for work with communities, Mark is also the author of Promoting Community Change: Making It Happen in the Real World, 6th edition, which is used both as a textbook and as a practical guide for community change agents.