HR Power Hour

Ashley Goodall - The problem with change

May 18, 2024 David Ciullo and Tawny Alvarez

For decades, change—and its more sleekly packaged version, “disruption”—have been seen as essential tools for the growth of any business.

That’s a huge problem, argues Ashley Goodall in his ground-breaking new book. While shaking things up is the first thing a new leader is expected to do, and while generations of executives have been taught that change is an unalloyed good, the reality on the ground is very different.

Change isn’t always good, and it often fails to achieve what we expect it to (resulting in yet more change)—and a big part of the reason for this is that change makes it harder or people to do their jobs.