THE PROBLEM WITH CHANGE

A senior executive reflects on the importance of stability in the workplace.

Goodall, a former executive at Cisco and Deloitte and co-author of Nine Lies About Work, is sick of the workplace upheaval he calls “life in the blender.” As he notes, “life inside many companies today feels like an endless procession of upheavals, each unleashing another torrent of change and rearrangement and reconstruction, each once again reshuffling all the pieces into some supposedly more desirable configuration.” Rather than improving company culture, this constant flux makes companies less humane—and therefore more difficult—places to work. “Work today uproots us, in many cases needlessly, and in many more cases carelessly,” writes the author. “We are suffering from the human version of transplant shock.” Drawing on two decades of personal experience and a plethora of research, he argues for a series of practices companies can use to support stability. These include implementing and valuing rituals like weekly check-ins, seeking out opportunities to make space for spontaneous input, encouraging bonding through work in small groups, creating an organizational identity through shared secrets, and fostering personal autonomy as a way of building resilience. Throughout, Goodall insists on prioritizing predictability and human connection over buzzwords like “innovation.” Indeed, he devotes an entire chapter to the importance of eschewing corporate jargon for verbal clarity. Goodall’s insistence on humanity is a refreshing alternative to the current trend of treating corporations—rather than workers—as people, and his emphasis on collaboration over competition is a significant departure from mainstream business-speak. However, techniques such as “space-making” have been practices in activist communities for years, which the author does not acknowledge. Overall, though, the book’s clear language, deep research, and clarity of concepts make it a useful read for managers and employees alike.

A sturdy, well-informed treatise about trading change for care in the workplace.