Six Change Approaches
(Kotter)

Dealing with resistance to change. Explanation of Six Change Approaches of Kotter and Schlesinger. ('79)

The Six (6) Change Approaches of Kotter and Schlesinger is a model to prevent, decrease or minimize resistance to change in organizations.

 

Reasons for resistance to change

According to Kotter and Schlesinger (1979), there are four reasons that certain people are resisting change:

  1. Parochial self-interest. Some people are more concerned with the implication of the change for themselves and how it may affect their own interests, rather than considering the effects for the success of the business.

  2. Misunderstanding. Communication problems; inadequate information.

  3. Low tolerance of change. Certain people are very keen on feeling secure and having stability in their work.

  4. Different assessments of the situation. Some employees may disagree with the reasons for the change and with the advantages and disadvantages of the change process.

Six approaches to deal with resistance to change

Kotter and Schlesinger have set out the following six (6) change approaches to deal with change resistance:

  1. Education and Communication. Where there is a lack of information or inaccurate information and analysis. One of the best ways to overcome resistance to change is: to inform and educate people about the change effort beforehand. Preceding communication and education helps employees see the logic in the change effort. This reduces unfounded and incorrect rumors concerning the effects of change in the organization.

  2. Participation and Involvement. Where the initiators do not have all the necessary information to design the change, and where others have considerable power to resist. When employees are involved in the change effort they are more likely to want change rather than resist it. This approach is likely to decrease resistance of those, who merely acquiesce in the change.

  3. Facilitation and Support. Where people are resisting change, because of adjustment problems. By being supportive of employees during difficult times, managers can prevent potential resistance. Managerial support helps employees to deal with their fear and anxiety during a transition period. The basis of resistance to change is likely to be: the perception that there will be some form of detrimental effect occasioned by the change in the organization. Typical for this approach are special training and counseling, outside normal office premises.

  4. Negotiation and Agreement. Where someone or some group may lose out because of a change, and where that individual or group has considerable power to resist. Managers can combat resistance by offering incentives to employees not to resist change. This can be done by allowing people who are resisting the change to veto certain elements of change that are threatening. Or the people who are resisting the change can be offered incentives to leave the company through early buyouts or through retirements. In order to avoid the experience of the change effort. This approach will be appropriate where those resisting change are in a position of power.

  5. Manipulation and Co-optation. Where other tactics will not work or are too expensive. Kotter and Schlesinger suggest that an effective manipulation technique is: to co-opt with people who are resisting the change. Co-optation involves bringing a person into a change management planning group for the sake of appearances rather than their substantive contribution. This often involves selecting leaders of the people who are resisting the change, to participate in the change effort. These leaders can be given a symbolic role in decision-making, without threatening the change effort. Note this: if these leaders feel that they are being tricked, they are likely to push resistance even further than if they were never included in the change effort leadership.

  6. Explicit and Implicit Coercion. Where speed is essential. And to be used only as last resort. Managers can explicitly or implicitly force employees into accepting change, by making clear that resistance to change can lead to: jobs losses, dismissals, employee transfers, or not promoting employees.

 

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Recent User Comments
Marie Shafe - USA Appreciative Inquiry Approach "What about including Appreciative Inquiry in the above models?"    1
Celia - US/UK Why *assume* they are wrong and we are right? "Too many of these explanations for why "they" are fearful, uninformed, unaware are simply an excuse for failing to consider all the implications of the change. If you do that - and you still consider you're right - at least you'll be able to explain the situation to others clearly and explicitly."    0
Victor Boateng - Ghana Resistance to Change Types "Resistance to change can be considered along various dimensions:
- Individual versus Collective resistance
- Passive versus Active resistance
- Direct versus Indirect resistance
- Minor versus Major resistance"		    2
Willy - China Expansion (Change) in Business Focus "Our company is undergoing a major change. We are expanding in a very fast pace and it is a great change! Due to expansion, we have recruited a lot of talented and good people who have the drive, passion for growth/change. The big issue is however that the old guards do not see eye to eye with the new guards which lead to lots of conflicts.
Basically, the old guards are resisting the change (from a hierarchical organizational structure to a matrix, in ways of working, etc.) due to all 4 of the reasons stated above!
The above 6 change approaches to deal with change resistance are very well written though it is easily said than done! This is especially so when we do not even have crystal clear roles, responsibilities and power! Nevertheless, we have to start somewhere, and I will start using the above 6 change approaches to create the change..."		    3
Sergiy Kadulin - Ukraine Approach #7 to Deal with Resistance "I would add 7th approach. This is facilitation to inner, spiritual development of all those involved into change. Wise people do not resist change, but are open to it. Inner spiritual path, growth to self-awareness and being One brings this wisdom and fuels huge energy to cope with change."    1
Best User Comments
dan - australia thank you "Hey mate thanks soo much for this information, it helped alot with my assignment = thank you ="    46
K. Nawawinata - Indonesia Change Ability is a Core Competence "The ability of an organization to change quickly and successfully (skillfully combining above and other change approaches) can be viewed as a core competence, which can be continually upgraded and developed in advance of competitors."    6
Milko - Bolivia First Values and Culture "I believe that the change must be made by participation and involvement but first we have to work on organization values and culture because we have to prepare the field, any other way can´t be followed."    6
 - Iran Combining multiple Change Approaches? "It is a prerequisite to the selection of the appropriate change approach to understand the change management iceberg model of Kruger and the above attitudes and behavior of people towards the change plan in the organization.
Can't we say then, that different approaches should be applied to different (groups of) people in the organization?"		    4
 - Iran Win-win Strategy "To deal with resistance to change, a win-win approach which assures mutual benefits for the parties engaged in and affected by change is a necessity."    3
Wilna - South Africa Trust, change and management "Trust creates trust, mistrust creates mistrust! Managers should create trust in order to be trusted by others. A barrier towards mistrust is a lack of knowledge and the understanding of concepts which leads to the ineffective implementation thereof. Only then the working environment will be friendly for change."    3
Owitti - Kenya Post election violence "Extremely useful information. I used it to advice people on post election violence and on how they can manage change."    3
Steve Balogun - Nigeria Mention Change in Introduction Training "It is advisable to emphazise the subject of change (management) during the introduction training of new employees."    2
Abida - ScotLand HNC (HR) "Question? Need to make use of suitable models to evaluate power, interests, influences and expectations of the principal stakeholders?"    2
 - USA Resistance to Change not Just Self-Interest "The first factor in resistance, self interest, may be something less "toxic" and that is complacency. At first an individual isn't resistant to change, per se, but that it simply doesn't occur to them. Comfort and complacency abound. Resistance occurs when it is perceived that the change agent is trying to take something away. More than resistance ensues, battle breaks out."    1

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Compare with the Six (6) Change Approaches: Change Phases  |  Contingency Theory  |  Changing Organization Cultures  |  Leadership Styles  |  Core Group Theory  |  Bases of Social Power  |  Organic Organization  |  Planned Behavior  |  Business Process Reengineering  |  Kaizen  |  People CMM  |  Change Management  |  Dimensions of Change  |  4 Dimensions of Relational Work  |  Levels of Culture  |  Office of Strategy Management  |  Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change

 

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  ●  (Germany) Change to Matrix Structure "Besides the change management approach there might be another important aspect: to move into a matrix needs attention to make the specifics of the matrix understood by everyone, top management included. It´s a crucial factor, as it means change in roles, tasks, responsibilities of management and normally needs fundamental cultural change as well."

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  ● Harpreet (India) Thanks "If people like would continue to insert these kinds of informational topics on internet than it may help students like me a lot."
  ● Rabindra (USA) Resistance to change "Hey I used this topic for my assignment for MBA course - Transformational Leadership. This is a good article."
  ● Sukhada (India) Organization Development "Very useful for the faculties. Helpful to give students deeper insights about the subject."
  ● Tricia (Trinidad) Organizational Behaviour "Hi, this information explains it all for me. Keep up the good work."
  ● Lechmann (Brazil) Master degree "Hello! This information is very important to me. I use it in my paper work. Thank you."
  ● Becky (USA) Organizational Mgt "Thank you. I prefer your interpretation over my resource information online for school. Very nice. I will use this."
  ● Kunlexy (Kenya) Change management "This is a good work you have here. It really helps to understand the main ideas of change management and how to deal with it. It is really helpful. Thanks."
  ● Wale (Machester) You are right "I really support kunlexy's comment on this topic. I think it has been so helpful for me particularly and my fellow other students here."
  ● Bashir (Kenya) change management "Good ideas, six approaches make sense from my experience. Thanks for the insight."
  ● F. N. Bhutta (Pakistan) Change Agents "Hi, this is very useful for my project on change management. It gives insight in change and change agents. THANKS A LOT"
  ● Chijioke (Scotland) Change Approaches "Explicitly wonderful and simply educating."
  ● skcprajapati (India) Change Management ""Hi , I think that this 6 point make the change management approach more simple and helpful in understanding the subject ."

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  ● Alicia (Perú) Change Ability, a Core Competence "Indeed, adaptation to change is one of the most important skills, especially now that technology and information have become key assets."
  ● Prakash Rao (India) Change ability as a core competence "Change is the only thing which is permanent. To be able to change is a must for any organization or for any individual. Ability to change is indeed a core competency. Else like dinosaurs you will be extinct."
  ● Guy-Patrick GOMEZ (Ivory Coast) Sustainable Competitive Edge "Combining Learning Organizations with good change approaches may lead to a sustainable competitive edge, in so far as the learning and changing processes focus both on people development. HR is the only investment with unlimited ROI."
  ●  (nl) Change ability as a core competence "Real change can only be realised if all individual people take part in it. To enable an organisation to change, individuals need to act flexible. They need to let go their personal interests ans feel the only interest is the ogrganisation's continuity. To help individuals in this process, an organisation needs to offer the right perspectives for their personel. Not on an incidental basis, but as a continuous capability. This can be achieved bij continuously and broadly developing all personnel. Only MD programs will not be sufficient."
  ● Dr. Ken Sylvester (USA) Change Efforts stall "I have been in business for 35 years. The only successful change that I have participated occurred when the "financial bottom line" threatened the failure of the organization - or, has occurred in small incremental steps over a long period of time. Other than these two scenarios, change has been considered interesting but not necessary - therefore, it stalls, fails, or has less than expected success during the implementation phase. Most of what I have read is abstract theory, not useful as regards what actually happens."
  ● Nako Stefanov (Bulgaria) Change ability as a Core Competence "The ability of an organization to change quickly today in times of turbulence is not a kind of competence, which is possible to evaluate always in positive way. Why so? Because there are two types of changes. The first type is so called reactive change, which means that as a reaction to some happenings we are acting. The management of this first type of changes I am calling management of aftermaths, because this is acting in reactive way. The best way of acting is of course to act, based on proactive approach. This means not to wait something to happen, but on the base of monitoring, analyzing, evaluating and forecasting always to go ahead, to be in advance. This I am calling management of improvements. This must be matter of core competence in the organization."
  ●  (Netherlands) Change ability as a Core Competence "I see a strong and direct relation between implementing strategy and change ability. Implementing strategy is the foremost important factor for success, therefore change ability as a Core Competence (of a company, as an important part of a companys DNA) is."
  ●  (nigeria) six change approaches "It is necessary to know under which situation each approach will be effective.This has been aptly described."
  ● Elias (Tanzania) management "I am very much pleased with the education that you are provioding"
  ● Dan Corbett (Canada) Change by Appreciative Inquiry "In my career, I have been involved in different approaches to implementing change. I am now a believer in Appreciative Inquiry as a powerful change process.
The fundamental premise of Appreciative Inquiry is that human systems move in the direction of what is being focused on either operationally or strategically. If the focus is “problem solving” then that is the direction the organization takes. If it is infinite possibilities, then that becomes the focus.
Another premise is strengths based change - by focusing on the positive core of the organization and building on that positive core the strengths begin to take hold of the organization such that weaknesses become diminished."

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  ● Denise Marchese (USA) Six Change Approaches (Kotter) "Of the six Education and Communication and Participation and Involvement are key to buy-in. Coercion may be effective short term buy may lead to low morale and retention issues."
  ●  (UK) Combining Multiple Change Approaches "I do not agree that different approaches should be applied in the same organization. This would cost the organization an arm and a leg. The iceberg itself says that the opponents should be approached differently from the supporters. If Dr Honarpisah means this by different approach it is already included. But usually a combined approach means asking for different resources as well. An approach should not use different techniques."
  ● Elliott (UK) Managing Change "Not someone else who thinks that change management is all about attitudes and behaviors. One would not attempt to change the culture of a Chinese or Japanese company so why do we think we can do this in the west? There are six basic dimensions of change of which culture and climate are only one dimension underpinned by process."
  ●  (Brazil) Talk about improvement or take the resistence out "If the change culture can not be accepted by everyone, to work in the some way, no organization can really live like this from now on. So the point is: or the people have the positive position or have to be put out. If you can not, then you have to get out!"
  ● Peter A Hunter (United Kingdom) Change "There are two managers. Theory X who drives performance and drives change, and by driving them causes them to fail. The Theory Y manager supports, recognizes and succeeds. No contest."
  ● Pia (Sweden) Of course change is possible "Changing attitudes happens in less than a second. Behaviour takes longer but of course change is possible. Japaneese and Chinese companies also change, it's a myth that they don't. Using a mix of approaches is neccessary since there are always early adopters who are positive to any change, and there are people who are afraid of change no matter what. That will always be the case and although I think that Education and Communication alongisde with Participation and Involvement is the preferred way to go, there are times when other more brutal and forceful approaches are needed."
  ● ram (India) Enable People to cope with Change "Change needs to be understood and appropriately managed in such a way that people can cope with it. Change can be unsettling and managers have to logically deal with introducing change."
  ● Nyatse,DanAsabe Alu (Nigeria) Change is possible "The reason why most employees reject change is in the manner of implementation. Change is possible if properly communicated. Theory 'X' does not go down well when it comes to change."

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  ● Bana (Syria) Management of Change "I believe companies shouldn't expect that its employees will accept any kind of change whenever it tells them. On the contrary, companies should train them about managing change as soon as they start working."

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