CHANGE

The textbook on change has been written by John Kotter. It is really the bible on change, and regardless of criticisms contained in these blogs on change it is really the place to start.

As Tofler predicted in the sixties, the speed of change will accelerate. Business and organizations are being forced to change and adapt at an alarming rate. Alarming because they are forced into new change programs as soon as or before the first one has been completed.

Kotter’s ‘Leading Change’ recommends an eight stage process. I’ll introduce you to the complete eight stages and over the next few weeks will look at each of these eight stages in turn:

At the outset I would like to point out two warnings. The first relates to the need to align Kotter's process with the emerging field of ‘values-based’ leadership. The first time I introduced Kotter's methods of creating urgency ( stage 1 ) to a group of CEOs, they were not slow to point out the impractical cynicism of manipulating a crisis.

The second health warning concerns the increasing frequency that organizations are forced to change. Kotter's process could be more explicit on how to manage more than one change program at the same time, and how to deal with possible conflicting priorities  of different programs. I will attempt to draw your attention to the difficulties of change,  but  here are the  eight stages

The Eight-Stage Process of Creating Major Change

1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency
ÿ Examining the market and competitive realities
ÿ Identifying and discussing crises, potential crises, or major opportunities

2. Creating the Guiding Coalition
ÿ Putting together a group with enough power to lead the change
ÿ Getting the group to work together like a team

3. Developing a Vision and Strategy
ÿ Creating a vision to help direct the change effort
ÿ Developing strategies for achieving that vision

4. Communicating the Change Vision
ÿ Using every vehicle possible to constantly communicate the new vision and strategies
ÿ Having the guiding coalition role model the behaviour expected of employees

5. Empowering Broad-Based Action
ÿ Getting rid of obstacles
ÿ Changing systems or structures that undermine the change vision
ÿ Encouraging risk taking and non-traditional ideas, activities, and actions

6. Generating Short -Term Wins
ÿ Planning for visible improvements in performance, or “wins”
ÿ Creating those wins
ÿ Visibly recognising and rewarding people who made the wins possible

7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change
ÿ Using increased credibility to change all systems, structures, and policies that don’t fit together and don’t fit the transformation vision
ÿ Hiring, promoting, and developing people who can implement the change vision
ÿ Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change agents

8. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture
ÿ Creating better performance through customer- and productivity-oriented behaviour, more and better leadership, and more effective management
ÿ Articulating the connections between new behaviours and organisational success
ÿ Developing means to ensure leadership development and succession

From: John P. Kotter; Leading Change, Harvard Business School Press

Many CEOs up and down the UK keep this brief extract from the book in the top drawer of their desks.