Major organisational change sucks up time, energy and emotion. It threatens morale and all too often fails to deliver promised benefits. However, the world of work is shifting at such a mind-boggling rate that we have little choice but to continually change or risk being left behind. Information technology continues to shrink the world and revolutionise the way organisations operate. In January 2008, there were 875 million internet shoppers worldwide; in 1993 there were none. Success is no longer a matter of being the fastest or the fittest, but rather is about being the most adaptable. Any enterprise that can introduce new ideas and new approaches frequently and effortlessly has a huge advantage. It is the role of a modern leader to make this possible.

Whereas organisations may have little choice but to change, people do. Large-scale change requires people to invest a great deal of energy and emotion in getting to grips with new methods and in living with extended periods of uncertainty.