Change the World: How Ordinary People Can Accomplish Extraordinary Things

The idea that inner change makes outer change possible has always been part of spiritual and psychological teachings. But, until now, it's an idea that hasn't usually been addressed in leadership and management training. With Change the World! Quinn turns this idea into an action guide for organization leaders, managers, parents, and everyone else who wants to make a difference.
Change the World presents eight principles that each of us can follow to make individual and organizational change happen: envision the productive community; first look within; embrace the hypocritical self; transcend fear; embody a vision of the common good; disturb the system; surrender to the emergent process; and entice through moral power. These are principles inspired by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.— three historical leaders who successfully used personal change to change the world.
Quinn introduces each principle with inspiring quotations from those three leaders. He then uses stories from everyday life to demonstrate how ordinary people can learn to apply themselves in extraordinary ways. Every thought-provoking chapter is imbued with ideas and information that can help us step out of our old roles, approach the world with a sense of enlightenment and adventure, and live a more empowered and empowering life.
Faced with the complexities of today's world, it's all too easy to view ourselves as passive observers or powerless victims. We want to change our realities, but lack the motivation to do so. Change the World shows us how to use personal transformation to positively impact our families, organizations, businesses, and the world at large.

The idea that inner change makes outer change possible has always been part of spiritual and psychological teachings. But, until now, it's an idea that hasn't usually been addressed in leadership and management training. With Change the World! Quinn turns this idea into an action guide for organization leaders, managers, parents, and everyone else who wants to make a difference. Change the World presents eight principles that each of us can follow to make individual and organizational change happen: envision the productive community; first look within; embrace the hypocritical self; transcend fear; embody a vision of the common good; disturb the system; surrender to the emergent process; and entice through moral power. These are principles inspired by the teachings of Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.— three historical leaders who successfully used personal change to change the world. Quinn introduces each principle with inspiring quotations from those three leaders. He then uses stories from everyday life to demonstrate how ordinary people can learn to apply themselves in extraordinary ways. Every thought-provoking chapter is imbued with ideas and information that can help us step out of our old roles, approach the world with a sense of enlightenment and adventure, and live a more empowered and empowering life. Faced with the complexities of today's world, it's all too easy to view ourselves as passive observers or powerless victims. We want to change our realities, but lack the motivation to do so. Change the World shows us how to use personal transformation to positively impact our families, organizations, businesses, and the world at large.

ROBERT E. QUINN is the M. E. Tracy Distinguished Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management at the University of Michigan Business School and the author of Deep Change (Jossey-Bass, 1996).