Change can be one of the hardest things for people to deal with, yet they often have to do it without consultation or much time to get used to new ideas. This is particularly true in business where the pace of change over the past decade has been frantic.

There is no reason to believe that the pace will ever slow down and the globalisation of communications networks in particular means response times are being continually cut shorter and shorter. Businesses have to react almost immediately to changing scenarios and they will only survive today if they have the capacity to be flexible.

The pressures on those who have to manage situations of change can be intense and this prompted management consultants, Hilary Maher and Pauline Hall, who specialise in the area of change, to write a manager's guide to planning and leading change projects. Agents of Change is published by Oak Tree Press at £16.95 and it takes a practical look at some of the key issues involved in change management.

The book looks at identifying and defining the scope of change, planning the change process, delegation, motivating people and managing them through the change period.

In even the best prepared organisations change is rarely a hassle-free experience, so the authors also look at coping with situations of conflict and resistance. The main text is supported by a series of very interesting "real life" interviews about the change process conducted with a variety of managers and organisations.