Change is one of the many requirements in any organization that is existing over a period of time and is planning to grow. Kotter’s change management model suggests eight major steps that will help the organizations to lead the change they are expecting to create.
As the change management theory has become more popular in the modern business world as a successful way of managing organizational change while maintaining and achieving growth and profitability. It is identified that change management helps to recognize the areas that need change, helps to implement the change and to continue the change in a productive manner for both organization and the employees.
For the success of change management programs in any organization, John Kotter has introduced an eight-step change model which is famously known as Kotter’s change management model.
Step 1 – Create Urgency
For any successful change, there should be a need to change. For the organization to implement a change, the whole organization should be in need of change. Identifying the need for change and creating an urgency will help the organization to generate the initial motivation to take the first few steps towards the change management process.
Urgency can be created by identifying the weaknesses of the organization, potential opportunities, and threats to the organization, and by obtaining feedback from the stakeholders of the business.
Step 2 – Form a powerful coalition
This is the stage that the management of the organization should convince the employees that the change is necessary for the survival of the organization or to take advantage of a potential opportunity of the organization. This stage is needed strong leadership in the organization or a person/s who can emphasize the need for working as a team to achieve maximum advantages from the change process.
This step can be achieved by identifying the real leaders in the organization and by creating a convinced mindset in the employees through the leadership.
Step 3 -Create a vision for change
According to Kotter’s Change management model, it is necessary to create a clear vision of the expectation from the change process. It will provide a clear idea to everyone about the reason for the change and the expectation from the change process in the organization. It will also act as a motivation for the organization to take necessary actions to achieve the set vision. This can be achieved by creating a set of realistic values and strategies that are central to the change process.
Step 4 – Communicate the vision
The fourth step of Kotter’s Change management Model explains that the created vision in the step should be openly and properly communicated to the employees of the organization. In that way, they are aware of the expectation of the company and it creates more clarity in the entire change process. Walking the employees through the vision and the strategies of the organization can act as a motivation for the employees as well.
Step 5- Remove obstacles
By this stage of Kotter’s change management model, the organization is having a clear idea about the expectation and the process of the change. This allows them to identify the obstacles in the change process and take necessary actions to minimize or eliminate the obstacles that can disturb the change process.
Step 6 – Create short-term wins
It is identified that the process of change is more effective when it is broken down into small segments. Creating short-term wins can provide the employees with an idea about moving forward in the change process and motivate them to achieve the next step efficiently. Apart from that, this will allow the change management team to measure the goal attainment of the change management process.
Step 7 – Build on the change
According to Kotter, many change management projects fail as they announce the goal achievement too early. Kotter’s Change management Model explains that, once the change process is implemented, it is important to analyze the results and identify the areas that need improvement. Apart from that, there should be a plan to continue the change. Fresh ideas should be accepted to keep the change process up to date.
Step 8 – Anchor the change in corporate culture
Once the change process is implemented in an organization, necessary actions should be taken to make the change permanent in the organizational environment. It is important to ensure that the change is seen in every aspect of the organization’s culture. Based on Kotter’s Change management model, the leaders in the organization should always support to continue the change and keep the employees motivated.