THEORY 58

KOTTER’S EIGHT-STEP APPROACH TO CHANGE

Use this to appreciate that building the proper foundations for change is essential. Don’t go off half-cocked.

John Kotter argued that 70% of all major change programmes failed due to a lack of careful planning. He devised an eight-step process for dealing with this.

Establish a sense of urgency

Kotter stresses that hard work, careful planning and building the proper foundations for change are essential to improve the chances of an effective change management programme.

HOW TO USE IT

  • Talk to everyone affected by the change about the implications of failing to take advantage of opportunities or deal with threats faced by the organisation (see Theories 60 and 67).
  • The support of senior management is essential to any change (see Theory 60). Identify who they are and get them onside.
  • You will have to articulate your vision (see Theories 17–19) to a lot of people at different levels in the organisation. You must be able to express it in a single sentence. Remember, it’s the vision not the detail you are selling.
  • Don’t be fazed if not everyone thinks the vision is for them. Address people’s concerns and anxieties through good communication and training. Try everything you can to get them on board but if all of your efforts fail then you may have to exclude them from the process.
  • Look for a few inexpensive, sure-fire quick wins. Reward people who help you get these wins but be careful of claiming successful change too early. To misquote Churchill, quick wins are not the beginning of the end but merely the end of the beginning.
  • When you do succeed, celebrate the achievement and make sure that everyone’s contribution is suitably recognised.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

  • Does my plan for change take into account all eight stages?
  • How am I going to publicise quick wins?
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