Drawing on content from Harvard Business School and the Society for Human Resource Management, this text offers human resource professionals a practical compilation of current information on change management. Coverage includes the accelerating forces of change faced by businesses today and the new role HR can play, change programs initiated by organizations, companywide and individual "change-readiness," a systematic eight-step approach for a successful change initiative, implementation of change management, employee responses and how HR personnel can help employees adapt to change, continuous change, unique challenges to HR personnel, and HR as change agent. Two appendices contain worksheets and checklists, and a primer on choosing change-management consultants and outplacement firms. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)