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John Kotter’s 8-Step Change Process

A Fast Guide from The Leadership Hub

Professor John Kotter was named by BusinessWeek magazine, in a poll of

US managers, as ‘The Number 1 leadership and change guru’.

His 8-Step Change Process is widely used for transformational top-down

change initiatives by large organizations.

“In the most successful change efforts, leaders move through eight
complicated stages,” says Professor Kotter, “in which they

1. create a sense of urgency

2. put together a strong enough team to direct the process
3. create an appropriate vision
4. communicate that vision broadly
5. empower employees to act on the vision
6. produce sufficient short-term results to give their efforts credibility and
to disempower the cynics
7. build momentum and use that momentum to tackle tougher change
problems and
8. anchor the new behaviour in the organisational culture

“Each of these actions takes time. Step 1. alone, pushing up the level of
urgency, may take months in a complacent organisation of any size.
Formulating an appropriate vision or strategy may be done in weeks. But, it
often requires 12 or even 24 months.

“People do create the appearance of successful change, both more quickly

and more easily (through an acquisition, for example). But appearances
deceive.”

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Here’s a graphical representation of Kotter’s 8-step change model, with notes

on each step. If you subscribe to Kotter’s model, it may be useful to print off
and share with your people to help them lead major change with you
Articulate a powerful rationale
and business case for change
1.
Continually articulate the Establish a
connections between
sense of
the new way of working 2. Assemble a team with
and corporate success. 8. urgency enough power & influence
Weave new corporate Form a in the organisation to lead
Institutionalise
style / culture into
leadership development changes
powerful the change effort

and succession planning coalition

Create a
Use credibility to Kotter Õs 8 compelling vision
change policies & 7. 3.
procedures that Steps for of the future to
Consolidate Create a guide the
don Õt fit vision.
Recruit and improvements Managing vision
direction of the
change
promote Change
employees who
can implement
vision
Use every possible
6. vehicle to
4.
Plan for and communicate the
Communicate vision. Role -model
Create short - the vision
new behaviours
Plan visible quick -wins.
Implement and recognise term wins 5.
and reward employees Empower
involved
others Remove obstacles to the change. Change
systems, or structures that undermine the
vision

So, how do I use this model to lead change ?

Each stage of John Kotter’s 8-Step Model is explained a little more fully, with
some examples, on his website called The Heart of Change. Click on the site
link, http://www.theheartofchange.com . Then, once in the site, click on ‘The 8
Steps’. There are other useful examples from the book of the same name on
the site, and a change insight tool you might find useful.

Further Kotter resources: Kotter’s Harvard Business Review Article Leading

Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Click on the link here
http://snipurl.com/whychangefails if you wish to download. Harvard charge a
few dollars for this. The article goes into the 8 Stages.

SOURCE: This Hub Fast Guide was put together for The Leadership Hub
Community www.TheLeadershipHub.com by Hub members Phil Dourado
www.PhilDourado.com and Joe Espana www.performance-equations.co.uk