How to Become an Agent of Organizational Change
The Eight-Step Process for Developing an Organizational Change Strategy
Dr. John Kotter provides an 8-step process for developing organizational change strategy. Below I provide an outline for this widely accepted approach and elaborate on the meaning of each step. It is important to note that organizational change does not occur overnight and more often than not requires years of commitment before institutionalized change is realized. For the sake of discussion we will refer to the organizational change as the “opportunity for change”.
Increase Urgency
In order for people to have the level of motivation necessary for change to succeed, they need to see a sense of urgency. They need to know that the opportunity for change is needed now (Davidpol, 2018). A sense of urgency is established by developing an immediate plan for integration. This is achieved by documenting an entry point and promoting your opportunity for change implementation through internal and external stakeholders.
Build the Guiding Team
Develop a team of leaders that represent the entire organization. This team should have the expertise and influence necessary to bring credibility to the change (Davidpol, 2018). A powerful coalition is formed by sharing (internal and external stakeholders) your opportunity for change and encouraging participation. In doing so, those involved with the organization will become engaged (excited) with the objective. This excitement is the propellant which will further carry the message of the change and plant the seeds of influence. It is imperative that upper level leaders and management remain engaged. They need to be brought into and remain with the fold. If the upper echelon of leaders within the organization stands behind the message a sense of credibility is perceived by those exercising it.
Get the Right Vision
The vision and strategy behind your opportunity for change should be well focused, realistic, attainable, desirable and easy to communicate to others (Davidpol, 2018). A vision is created through the identification of an end goal. By identifying this end goal, it is possible to begin shaping and documenting the thoughts that will be used to deliver the message. Creating the vision is achieved through a mapping exercise. The mapping exercise begins with a general goal but as it is worked out a clearer understanding of its architecture is realized. Once this has occurred the details of the vision are depicted in greater detail so they can be presented in a manner that boasts careful thinking and specific intentions.
Communicate for Buy-In
Make it your goal to get buy-in from the audience. Encourage a dialogue that is easy to understand, clear and easy to share (Davidpol, 2018). The vision is communicated by speaking with internal and external stakeholders at all levels. Communication embodies the message that your plan ushers in a new era of organizational ideology for the company.
Empower Action
Determine what barriers are in place (e.g. organizational structure, employee skill-sets, individual resistance to change, etc.) and work to remove barriers as far in advance as possible (Davidpol, 2018). Empowering others to act on the vision is achieved by encouraging them to be a part of it. It is very important to create a sense of ownership among the individuals that are being targeted to embrace the opportunity for change. Ownership provides people with a sense of value and aids in eliminating the perception that the new approach is being forced upon them. By taking ownership of opportunity for change and its promotion within the organization employees feel pride in knowing that they are a key component in the benefits to be gained through its success. Likewise, there is value to placing individuals in a position where if they do not live up to a level of excellence the potential lack of success falls on their shoulders. This is an underlying motivator.
Create Short-Term Wins
Short-term wins on the way to long-term change help overcome resistance and build momentum (Davidpol, 2018). Planning for and creating short term wins is accomplished by developing a winning strategy. The objective of this strategy should be to identify specific individuals and groups existing both internally and externally who influence the success of the opportunity for change. Their response to the plan will determine the long term outcome. It is imperative to bring them into the fold and provide them with a sense of ownership. They need to feel like they are as much (if not more) apart of the effort to promote this change than the executive leadership carrying the torch.
Don’t Let Up
Resistance to change re-emerges later in the process. Continue to move the change forward by keeping the urgency high, encouraging employee empowerment and greater focus on the strategic vision by leadership (Davidpol, 2018). Consolidating improvements and producing more change is achieved by consistently refining the approach and seeking inputs from users. In doing so there is incredible opportunity to take their feedback and use it constructively. One example of this is the generation of tools. Such an approach improves both the execution and management of opportunity for change. Automation is used for tedious processes to free up resources that are better allocated to other areas within the organization. Tools also help to keep track of data that is generated during the analysis process. Databases are established to categorize information and establish hierarchical traceability so that insight is better understood and leveraged throughout the process.
Make it Stick
New employees should see the change as an existing part of the culture. Existing employees should see it as a benefit over the previous way of being (Davidpol, 2018). Institutionalization is achieved by instantiating the opportunity for change per the plan and it is critical to the success of the plan to follow the previously identified steps.
The Full Send
So there you have it! Keep in mind — this doesn’t pertain only to organizational change for companies. Kotter’s eight-step approach can also be extended to bringing new products and/or product features to market. Be creative. If you have a great idea remain vigilant and remember, persistence is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey!
References
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading Change. Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business Review Press.
Davidpol. (2018, June 15). Kotter 8 Step Process Leading Change Cheat Sheet. Retrieved from Cheatography: https://www.cheatography.com/davidpol/cheat-sheets/kotter-8-step-process-leading-change/
