Mine would be like that:

1: … being in the middle of my first time working as an physiotherapist, loving it much and knowing at the same time that i will have a second baby and quit work again…

2: …trying to jump between work, playing with my Band, being a mother, going to the gynecologist and having some free time in between to meet some friends which i have not seen for long time…

3: … most time sick but anyway with a self sewed costume for Fenia at the carnival, she was sooooo sweet as a little ladybug…

4: …quit the concert date with my band because of pregnancy problems but had time to tape some nice things with a friend. Last days of my work and packing up my stuff in Graz to move to Obdach! Big deal for us to decide to leave the city where i lived for about 10years…

5: …being part of Demonstrations in Graz while leaving this city. I started a physical therapy because of many pregnancy problems and working hard at the flat in Graz and at the house in Obdach to prepare our move. Definitely running out of power… …Invited to an wedding-eve Party I am dancing till 3 in the morning in Postgarage, feeling free and nice although 7 month pregnant. Also invited to a very intense wedding which turned out to be a marathon for my condition…

6: …quit flat in Graz, living in our new home in just one room while having building lot everywhere. Invited to an other wedding and a birthday party which turned out to be nice and stressless. Fenia got sick from injection and i got sick again with back pain and could not move for 3 days…

8: One night in castle of Rötelstein, another one in Graz at friends place and the trip begins; we are going to Schweden to the wedding of our beloved friends R&E which was unbelievable cool and exhausting…all in one! Fenia was most time lovesome and i felt well too…

9: …stress pure again, Michael got his heart operation in Graz, Fenias 2nd birthday- party was happening and tree days later my son Juri was born , two weeks to early, in a complicated way with lot of pain and fear… but he was pretty and totally well!!!

10: …childbed with depressions because i really try to have time for both kids. Fenia is well but sleeping bad, breastfeeding Juri in the night keeps me away from sleep too. My Mother and Father found time to visit us, our relationship turned to “nice but we do not speak about what happened in the last two years”…

11: …we are visiting friends here and there, proudly showing around our son and fighting with several diseases, all the time someone seems to be sick! Why? Decided to send Fenia to kindergarden in January…

12: …my birthday was the greatest relaxing time I had this year, one night in “Hotel Süd” and I felt like new born. Bad luck Fenia is sick now, Juri is going to be sick too, I did not get much sleep for three days and had to stay at home for New Year´s Day…

That was an incredible intense year!

My wishes for 2012 are:

Quiet times, no stress, just being with the family and friends, stay healthy and sleep, sleep, sleep…

This is not a review of your book. I wanted to add MY understanding of a change management program according to MY experiences. I’ve changed the picture of the article from the cover of your book to something more… generic ;)

This is how I begin the text: “This is how I began the paper, by defining what change means to me.” Me, me, me ;)

Most of my working life I’ve been founding and working in organizations where there is more hunger for change and innovation than tradition. As I write in the text, I believe that there is a great advantage in this way of working – in comparison to big old tired organizations: “Perhaps because the contrast is very strong in comparison to most old, rigid, slow organisations that don’t even shiver at the sight of change – because they cannot even recognize it anymore.”

Thanks for taking your time to read the text!

All the best from Graz,
Evelina

I’ve just finished marking your paper and having accidentally found it up on the web in what seems to be some sort of review of “The Corporate Culture Handbook”. I feel obliged to respond:

- of course a change programme should address the fundamentals of change; read pages 282 -291 on how change looks different to different people and how to address this challenge
- Ref. Fig 31 to understand consolidation and readjustment (to new change) phase that enables organisation and workforce to evolve with the environment
- change on the individual level is address in phase 1 experiential learning activities and phase two self-directed learning (p.238-239)
- re. your dismissal for maintaining the status quo in favour of encouraging a hunger for change, these two dynamics are the dual forces of change that must co-exist in a system (p. 46 – 48). In a healthy system, both tradition and innovative will strive towards equalibrium.

Hope this adds a bit of clarity and perspective.

Regards,

Prof. Gabrielle O’Donovan