Author Description

Oil Change: Perspectives on Corporate Transformation is the second book in the new Oxford series The Learning History Library. Each book gets inside a company at a crucial time of change, offering a unique opportunity to see innovation from the inside out. Oil Change: Perspectives on Corporate Transformation is the story of major corporate change undertaken by OilCo, a pseudonym for a major international oil company, just after a time of layoffs and cutbacks. Key people within the company tell the story, using a technique developed at MIT's Center for Organizational Learning. One hundred and fifty employees were interviewed at all levels of the company, from hourly workers to the executive council. They worked in all primary OilCo businesses: exploration and production, refining and retail, chemical and oil consulting. During this time, all the firms values came into question, including its business practices, corporate governance structure, team management, and leadership style. Oil Change: Perspectives on Corporate Transformation gives students an inside look at what OilCo learned collectively.