When People Throw Wrenches

Keep high-stakes change on track when human behavior throws a wrench into your plans

Change initiatives rarely fail because of strategy. They fail because of human behavior: what people do when they feel threatened or at risk of losing status, control, or relevance. In When People Throw Wrenches, award-winning author Phil Buckley shows how to anticipate and respond to these behaviors to ensure your initiative will succeed.

When people are threatened by change, they protect themselves and their own interests, even when it undermines an initiative’s success. Drawing on more than thirty-five years of experience managing large-scale change programs, Buckley helps you to spot self-interested behavior early, decode the emotional drivers that motivate self-protection or gain, and respond in ways that protect credibility, relationships, and results.

An essential resource for leaders, change practitioners, and project managers working on high-stakes change initiatives, When People Throw Wrenches equips you to respond decisively and maintain momentum toward success.