{"id":9349,"date":"2020-08-26T13:05:00","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T13:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/?p=9349"},"modified":"2023-05-02T15:49:32","modified_gmt":"2023-05-02T15:49:32","slug":"kotter-change-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkme.com\/blog\/kotter-change-model\/","title":{"rendered":"The 8-Step Kotter Change Model: A Key to Successful Transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 8-step Kotter change model refers to a change management framework developed by Dr. John Kotter, one of the world\u2019s foremost experts on organizational change management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Prosci\u2019s ADKAR model<\/a>, Kotter\u2019s 8-step model has been used by industries around the world to power change, overcome obstacles, and improve the outcomes of business transformation programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at this model in depth and explore how it can be leveraged to drive change in your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 8-step Kotter Change Model: A breakdown<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Organizational change<\/a> has become necessary for many companies in today\u2019s fast-moving economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Factors such as digital disruption, shifts in the competitive landscape, and evolving customer expectations often compel businesses to invest in business change programs. Yet mana<\/a>g<\/a>ing that change is rarely easy<\/a>, and poor management can lead to equally poor outcomes, high costs, employee resistance<\/a>, and other problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Models such as the John Kotter\u2019s change model are designed to avoid or mitigate such issues, by focusing on change at the level of the employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Medium<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Employees are the ones actually implementing change programs, after all. Success depends on their abilities, their engagement, and their support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are eight steps that managers can use to earn that support and propel change forward:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Create a sense of urgency<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To engage employees and earn their support, they must actually feel its importance, both with their hearts as well as their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By concentrating on a \u201cwindow of opportunity\u201d that will close soon, it will be easier to align and direct employees toward a common goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Build a guiding coalition<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A cross-functional team drawn from different levels of the organization will offer new perspectives and ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their guidance will be instrumental in leading the change, so it is important to choose a team that is committed to the current change program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Form a strategic vision and initiatives<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Among other things, a strategic vision should be communicable, desirable, flexible, and imaginable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qualities such as those reinforce the idea presented in the first step \u2013 to motivate people, it is important to appeal to their hearts as well as their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Credit: Medium<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

4. Enlist a volunteer army<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A large number of employees will be needed to implement large-scale change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The term \u201cvolunteer\u201d is key here. Employees should be given a choice in the matter and, when they are compelled by a strong enough vision, they will actually want <\/em>to drive change, rather than feel like they have<\/em> to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Enable action by removing barriers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Existing barriers, such as old business processes or habits, can easily impede progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it may seem self-evident, progress cannot be made until these are identified and proactively removed. If they are not deliberately tackled, they may become problematic later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Generate short-term wins<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Data should be collected that demonstrates accomplishments, big or small, then those results should be communicated to teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meaningful wins will be those that people care about, and tangible wins can be replicated and scaled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Sustain acceleration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Progress should be pushed after the first win, since lost momentum can be difficult to regain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By continuing to remind teams of the urgency and expanding the volunteer army, managers can ensure that the program does not stall or slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Institute change<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

New systems and processes are as easy to lose as a project\u2019s momentum, which is why they must be reinforced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after the project\u2019s completion date, it is important to revisit changes and ensure that they are repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takeaways and lessons from the Kotter Model<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Credit: AZ Quotes<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Kotter model not only offers an understandable and practical framework for managing change, it also reveals very useful business principles that can be applied during change efforts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emotions are as important \u2013 if not more important \u2013 than logic.<\/strong> Repeatedly, the Kotter model emphasizes the need to engage heads as well as hearts. A sense of urgency, for instance, grips people at an emotional level, which is much more likely to compel action than merely an intellectual understanding of the project\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Management and leadership are both crucial to success.<\/strong> Leadership<\/a> and management are both pivotal for an initiative to make progress. As the steps above demonstrated, change coordinators must design a project, while also closely managing and monitoring its activities. But progress will not be made unless someone also actively leads the program by, for example, creating a strong vision and pushing programs forward if they threaten to stall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persistent, sustained effort is a must.<\/strong> Organizational change must be continually driven forward by committed leaders and team members. Steps such as generating short-term wins and sustaining acceleration (7 and 8), show the need for unflagging effort in order to see a project through to completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These lessons are vitally important for the success of any change program, and they highlight perhaps the most central area to focus on in change management: people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This remains true even in today\u2019s digital world, where adaptability and the ability to change are often a prerequisite for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the Kotter Model to drive change in the digital world<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The above steps were taken from Kotter\u2019s 2014 version of his earlier model, Leading Change.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though both the earlier version and the latest version of his model are equally useful, he points out that they are useful in different contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For companies that want to lead accelerated<\/em> change programs, the model covered here is the most relevant. The steps are designed to be run concurrently and can be implemented quickly in a variety of business contexts, from traditional hierarchies to the digital workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, despite the model\u2019s strengths, it may need to be augmented in order to drive digital change projects, such as digital transformation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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#Digitaltransformation<\/a> begins with #digital<\/a> #disruption<\/a>, where the nature of individual #employee<\/a> roles change to accommodate new #technology<\/a>. This new technology must be fully adopted by employees despite resistance to #change<\/a>. https:\/\/t.co\/M3K1tsxLne<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ojiw4XVi9K<\/a><\/p>— WalkMe (@WalkMeInc) June 16, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote>