The authors rue that many organisations are not sensitive to the need for change. “They think of change only when a piece of their cheese smells horrible, or when they see the deadly bear approaching them threatening their survival. They hire a consultant in a hurry – an academician who has never managed change.”

Managing change is like managing two opposite forces, viz. the desire for stability and the desire for change, like two crossbars each swinging in the opposite direction, describe Siddiqui and Khwaja. “The former provides comfort and complacence and the latter creates anxiety and fear. Obviously, most people choose the easy option and continue to follow the beaten track.”

According to the authors, the game of change warrants clarity in decision-making, a good deal of practice, rehearsal, courage, spontaneity, and above all a positive bent of mind. While those with strong willpower and a decisive mind find the moments of suspense to be exciting and challenging, the timid and the negativists find the same moments alarming and dreadful!

“Under normal conditions, the limiting forces and the growth support forces are in balance. Unless someone applies force to diminish one and enhance the other, they remain in perfect balance within the comfort zone of status quo.”