25 chapter 1 • AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SIX BATTERIES OF CHANGE New insights on change management Our change model offers new insights on how to manage change in rapidly evolv- ing times. This is how our model differs from other change models: Change involves marshaling energy throughout the organization Transforming organizations is about creating energy in your organization so that it becomes a better organization, able to produce better results for your custom- ers. You create energy by charging the six batteries of change. Change is multidimensional It’s important to develop a comprehensive view of the energy status of your com- pany. The six batteries, with their different focus points, help you to get a more detailed and nuanced view of your level of organizational energy. Some concern the rational aspects and have an impact on the formal side (‘the hardware’) of the or- ganization. Others touch on the informal and deal with the software of the organ- ization. Some of the batteries are charged at the top; others deal with operational issues and are charged by lower-level employees at the bottom of the organization. Change is integrative The batteries are connected and interdependent. They are mutually supportive or destructive: the energy or lack of energy in one battery affects other batteries. For example, if you launch new performance initiatives and set up an appropri- ate management infrastructure, you will only generate great results if you also possess a healthy culture. It’s not sufficient to focus all your efforts on charging one change battery. Working for two years on a strategic masterplan won’t work if you’re not starting to translate it into concrete projects, or if the strategy is not supported by every member of the top team. Effective change requires charging a series of connected batteries. Change is not one-size-fits-all We don’t believe in managing change with a predetermined step-by-step model. There is no standard approach to tackling change. Organizations differ in how their change batteries are charged. Companies have a legacy; they all have their own change history. Managers need to know which batteries generate energy and