80 The Journal of College Orientation and Transition

BOOK REVIEW Daniel P. Nadler, Senior Associate Editor

Leading in a Culture of Change
By Michael G. Fullan
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, 2001, 162 pp. plus index, $25 hardcover

Reviewed by Dr. Myron L. Pope
Assistant Professor, Adult and Higher Education Program
University of Oklahoma

For administrators in higher education at all levels, and especially in student affairs,
change is an ever-present concern and challenge.  This change presents itself in many
forms including funding concerns, shifts in student demographics, and frequent 
developments in technology.  In order to survive in this culture of change, administrators
must have the skills necessary to lead effectively.  Michael Fullan’s Leading in a Culture
of Change attempts to provide a framework through which anyone, whether they are just
beginning their role as a leader (as an orientation director) or if they are a seasoned
leader, can follow and utilize to influence the change process.

Fullan, who is dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University
of Toronto, provides a framework of five theoretical underpinnings that guide his support
of the process necessary to counter the chaos that occurs during change.  Based on his
international status as an educational reformer and expert on organization change and
leadership, Fullan articulated that if leaders pursue moral purpose, understand the change
process, develop relationships, foster knowledge building, and strive for coherence, their
overall effectiveness as a leader can be increased.  He offered seven chapters in the book
as the guidance to achieving this goal.  Throughout these chapters, he included case 
studies from business and education that have utilized these theoretical concepts and 
succeeded in promoting leadership at all levels of the organization, and most 
importantly, successfully dealing with complex change.

Chapter 1-”A Remarkable Convergence,” explained the purpose of this book, 
emphasizing that it is not a book on leaders who have the answers or who are 
charismatic.  Thus, he does not focus on the characteristics of some known leader who
has been successful in transforming some organization or who has provided the answer
to complex problems encountered in these organizations.  To the contrary, Fullan wanted
the reader to understand that anyone can be a leader if they focus on mobilizing people
as a group to solve problems.  After he strongly stated that change cannot be managed 
or controlled, he introduced the five components of change and provided an introductory
framework (to be elaborated on individually in subsequent chapter) of how these 
components of leadership are important in causing people to become committed to the
cause.  He emphasized at the end of the chapter that even though these components are
important, leaders also must utilize energy, enthusiasm, and hopefulness to be effective



81Fall 2002  •  Volume 10, Number 1

in this culture of change.
Chapter 2: “Moral Purpose,” addressed the notion that leaders must act with “the

intention of making a positive difference in the lives of employees, customers, and 
society as a whole” (p. 3).   Through two examples, one a education and the second a
business, Fullan concluded that organizations that have promoted a strong sense of 
purpose and have adapted to their environments experienced longevity compared to
those that neglected humanity and diversity and focused on economic prosperity.  He
further concluded that leaders in a culture of change must embrace the theory of 
sustainability, which constituted that environmental soundness, social justice, and 
economic viability exist in order for the company to succeed.

Chapter 3: “Understanding Change,” explained the various types of change initially,
but resolved that in order to understand the change process, the leader must realize that
there are six elements of the process, including: (1) The goal is not to innovate the most;
(2) It is not enough to have the best ideas; (3) Appreciate the implementation dip; (4)
Redefine resistance; (5) Reculturing is the name of the game; and (6) Never a checklist,
always complexity.  Before elaborating on these, he discussed six leadership styles:
coercive, authoritative, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and coaching.  The 
pacesetting and coercive leadership styles were identified as counterproductive in 
terms of climate and performance.  The latter part of the chapter provided details of
understanding the change process by thoroughly entertaining the significance of each 
of the six elements of the process.

Chapter 4: “Relationships, Relationships, Relationships,” assessed the necessity 
of relationships during leadership in a culture of change.  Fullan asserted that effective
leaders must be consummate relationship builders with groups both internal and external
to the organization, especially those individuals different than themselves.  He also 
noted that a critical aspect of being an effective leader is listening to and respecting the
opinions of naysayers.  He warned that not listening to these individuals will lead to
eventual grief because of the lack of consensus building.

Chapter 5: “Knowledge Building,” focused on the importance of leaders generating
and promoting knowledge inside and outside of the organization.  He argued that 
turning information into knowledge is a social process, and provided examples of how
corporations and schools have attempted to translate “explicit knowledge (words and
numbers that can be communicated in the form of data and information)” into “tacit
knowledge (skills, beliefs, and understanding that are below the level of awareness)” 
(p. 80).  He noted that it should not be a top-down process, but one in which everyone
involved in the organization has an opportunity to share personal knowledge by allowing
others to listen and react to their ideas.

Chapter 6: “Coherence Making,” asserted that dynamic complex systems are 
chaotic.  However, it is important for leaders to realize that this is a reality and recognize
the value of this chaos.  Consequently, as this is recognized, leaders must work to
achieve coherence in the system.  Fullan emphasized that leaders must realize that these
systems will not operate in a linear manner and that they should not focus too much on
maintaining coherence.  Thus, it is important to create disturbances that promote the
desired outcome or coherence.  Organizations become more powerful and coherent by



82 The Journal of College Orientation and Transition

working through difficult problems.
Chapter 7: “The Hare and the Tortoise,” emphasized the concepts of “slow 

knowing,”  “learning in context,” and the need for leaders throughout the organization as 
important lessons for developing leaders in a culture of change.  Slow knowing focused 
on the notion that effective leaders listen attentively and make decisions after thoroughly 
analyzing situations.  They are aware also that if after initiating the five aforementioned 
leadership capacities and nothing happens, they should be patient.  Additionally, learning 
in context is important in the leadership of organizations because it customizes the 
situation for those participating, and it involves the group in a social manner.  Finally, 
Fullan emphasized that leadership should be encouraged at all levels within the 
organization.  Thus, the organization does not depend on one “heroic leader” to solve 
its problems, but instead the entire organization of individuals should be committed to 
contributing to and leading the organization.

Fullan’s focus on the individual promoting leadership throughout the organization as 
opposed to the individual reading the book and gaining a few select characteristics to 
personally become an effective leader is a different approach to leadership development. 
Other authors have tended to take the former approach to leadership development. 
However, as Fullan pointed out, this is counterproductive to his theory of the steps 
necessary to lead in a culture of change.  His emphasis on moral purpose and relationship 
building are two areas that are important in consensus building, something that many 
leadership theories fail to take into consideration, and something key to those working in 
orientation programming.  By gaining constituents’ interest in a common cause and 
developing healthy relationships with them, individuals are more able to effectively lead 
in a culture of change.  This book is an excellent asset to all in higher education who are 
new to leadership or are veterans in leading their organization in a culture of change.