Book Review 2025.18: The Seven Arts of Change, (2010), Hardbound 177 pages, November 10, 2025
In my four-decade corporate experience and five-decade personal adult life, I have been intrigued by why change initiatives are unsuccessful. Despite clear and pressing need, and significant investments the desired change does not happen. Browsing through this book in the shop, I saw glimpses in it that had the potential to answer this lingering question prompting me to buy it. Having read it, I can say I am not disappointed.
The profound depth in this book is articulated in simple language reflecting the multifaceted personality of its author, David Shaner. A professor of Asian studies and philosophy, his varied experience includes being a teacher at Harvard University, a seventh-degree black belt in Ki–Aikido, a member of Olympic Valley USA Ski team, a Fulbright Fellow in India who worked with the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1980s, a deputy sheriff of his town and a corporate consultant to large corporations, successful athletes and music artists. This rich experience has resulted in a book that is simple, insightful and practical for corporate change management, which also has valuable lessons for personal use.
This short book organized in seven chapters is preceded by a profound and informative introduction that provides much of the answer to why change initiatives fail. The seven chapters that follow provide a blueprint for implementing change initiatives in any organization. The simplicity and clarity of thoughts do not mean that it is easy to implement. But it shows us why change initiatives fail if we do not follow all the required process set out in this book. This clarity provides food for thought in preparing for any change initiative for both personal change and organisational change.
On reflection the ideas in this book are obvious and logical. To sum up, the key reason why change initiatives fail is that the preparation required for implementing change is inadequate. Change can be implemented only through people and hence the need for change and the nature of it needs to be understood across the organisation for change initiatives to succeed. The seven steps prescribed in this book is valuable as most organisations that initiate change do it, but maybe with less thought and less preparation and less focus on the cultural change required for the change initiatives to succeed.
My key learnings from this book include: 1. Change is in the nature of conflict management. The conflict between new behaviour and old behaviour needs to be consciously managed. 2. Providing boardroom awareness to the team of the need for change and progress reporting during the change journey is key to sustaining change management. 3. Accountability is to others while responsibility is to self. For effective change management ensure team members take responsibility for the change by showing them what they gain from the change. 4. Every meeting should be for one of the three purpose – educational, motivational or empowering. This clarity sustains change management. 5. Every business is both a supplier and a customer. While these facts looks obvious, this book made me realise it.
This book is for all corporate leaders of big and small companies interested in change management. I recommend this book to all young executive who are interested in their personal growth.
Happy reading as we face the challenging adventure of life to find solutions or discover ways to find solutions.
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