Do you see yourself as a change agent?
As a change agent, you want to turn ideals into reality. But change is a complex, often messy process. When, where, and how can you play a constructive role? Understanding the process of change and adhering to a process model goes a long way toward making your efforts successful.
Or Why a revised edition now?
by Ronald G. Havelock, Ph.D. | October 2025
We are in a time of upheaval. What can we do?
From the present chaos there will come another “reconstruction.” It will happen at many levels. Some of this rebuilding will happen rationally and fairly, as Lincoln once hoped, some will not. Are we...
The revised third edition of The Change Agent's Guide is a practical full-color guide that empowers change agents and propels meaningful, successful organizational change.
The Change Agent’s Guide divides the super-complicated process of change management into seven stages and points to the many possible “change agent” roles that can contribute to successful outcomes.
In this newly revised third edition of The Change Agent’s Guide, authors Dr. Ronald G. Havelock and Dr. Steve Zlotolow expand on their earlier work, drawing on the experience of change practitioners to provide actionable guidance on the art of navigating organizational change. In addition to practical guidance for each stage, the book explores key concepts that cut across all stages and provides an in-depth exploration of roles on the change team, how to recruit and support both informal and formal change team members and how to understand your mandate as a change agent.
Wherever you are on your change journey, it's important to keep the big picture in mind. Here are five key steps to help you do that.
Change is everywhere and is always happening. So what do we mean by change ? And who is a change agent? To tackle a planned change project, it's helpfult to understand what we know about how change happens in human-centered systems, how and why process models for change can help and how to use a process model effectiveely to move fast without skipping important steps.
The Guide defines the seven stages of the change process using an active
verb for each stage. The name encompasses a core idea, which suggests the primary considerations and activity for the stage. The core ideas in
sequence are Care, Relate, Examine, Acquire, Try, Extend, and Renew.
Each of the seven stages represents an arena in which a special type of change agent might flourish. You cannot be all things to all people, and in a very real sense, fully guiding or managing all aspects of a change process is an all-things-to-all-people sort of job. By looking at role types, you can hink about how to stretch your skills, add to your knowledge, and seek out collaborators who have complementary skills.
Bringing about positive change is a complicated business. Whoever you are and whatever your intentions, it is still a complicated business. Substantial change in any social organization or in any collection of people who imagine themselves as an organized unit is a complicated business. In detail, there are thousands of things to keep in mind. The Change Agent's Guide is designed to be a practical companion and aide in navigating the change maze to achieve positive and lasting impact. To supplement the book and provide additional inspiration, check out additional resources.
When you have a checklist, your success rate goes up. This is true in all kinds of contexts from medicine to aviation to education. The more complexity in the environment, the more checklists matter. Using The Change Agent's Guide as your master checklist for managing change can help ensure your success.
The Change Agent's Guide is available in Hardcover, Paperback and Kindle eBook editions. Designed with full color illustrations in all editions, plus color tabs and a full index in the print edition, the guide is an easy to reference companion for your change journey.
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