Change Phases
(Kotter)

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Often, creating value requires significant change. John Kotter concluded in his book "A force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management" (1990) that there are eight reasons why many change processes do not succeed:

Eight reasons why many change processes don't succeed

• Allowing too much complacency.

• Failing to build a substantial coalition.

• Not understanding the need for a clear vision.

• Failing to clearly communicate the vision.

• Permitting roadblocks against the vision.

• Not planning for short term results and not realizing them.

• Declaring victory too soon.

• Fail to anchor changes in corporate culture.

The change phases model

To prevent making these mistakes, Kotter created the following Change Phases model. It consists also out of eight steps:

1. Establish a sense of urgency (more).
2. Create a coalition (more).
3. Develop a clear vision (more).
4. Share the vision (more).
5. Empower people to clear obstacles (more).
6. Secure short-term wins (more).
7. Consolidate and keep moving (more).
8. Anchor the change (more).

According to Kotter, it is crucial to follow the eight phases of change in the above exact sequence.

Book: John Kotter - A force for Change

Forum Forum discussions about Change Phases. Below you can ask a question about this topic, share your experiences, report a new development, or explain something. Start a new topic about Change Phases Share your knowledge here (or ask a question)   🔥 NEW The Roles of Managers in Organizational Change (Carnall) Effective change management goes beyond the mere implementation of change and involves leading, managing, directing the employees successfully through organizational change. Organizations may have a c... 26   10 comments How is the Change Presented and Communicated? Though I believe that with change management substance is important, I believe that form is also important. That which is first noticeable in the continuum of change is quite often form. With fo... 11   1 comments Add Unlearning to Kotter's Change Phase Model Even when a lot has been discussed about why change process don't succeed and various points have been outlined, but I feel that the power of unlearning has been left out in all these discussion so fa... 10   4 comments Using Kotter After Cameron and Quinn's Competing Values Framework At the moment I am describing the organisational situation using the competing values framework (Cameron and Quinn) and would like to know if anybody has remarks/suggestions on how to best translate t... 9   1 comments Our Iceberg is Melting A recent book by Kotter is: "Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions". In this light, quick read in the form of an allegory, Kotter explains his 8-step framework for effec... 8   2 comments Kotter Change Steps for Political Change Since I learned the 8 steps change approach of Kotter, I've started following them in my business initiatives and I noticed that although not easy to do, it leads to success for sure if they are faith... 8   2 comments Organizational Change: Why Establish a Sense of Urgency First? Let's focus on point number one of Kotter's Change Phases model. The statement/phrase, "Establish a sense of urgency", is not and should not be a directive to just stop whatever you are doing and... 7   Kotter Change Model in Public Sector As a 2yr MBA student and a middle manager within the fire service, I'm investigating an organisational change programme. I am interested to hear of public sector organisational change programmes... 6   3 comments

Best Practices The best, top-rated topics about Change Phases. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions. Kotter's New 8 Accelerators for Strategic Change KOTTER'S ORIGINAL 8-STEP METHOD John Kotter published his "Leading Change" article in the 1995 issue of HBR. He introduced a framework with 8 Change Phases which at the time resonated with many r... 56   33 comments Emotions During Organizational Change: the Change Curve Swiss-American psychiatrist Kübler-Ross in her 1969 book "On Death and Dying" described 5 stages of grief to describe the process patients with terminal illness go through as they (hopefully) come to ... 39   15 comments Why do so Many Change Processes Fail? Most often change processes do not succeed because of some ASSUMPTIONS we make before and during the change process. One such well-known assumption is that people hate change so they may re... 33   46 comments Neglecting the Change Phases I lead a change process where I was acutely aware of the fact that the initiation of change was based on a positive vision but nothing was broken, we had no "burning platform". I was not in the positi... 17   How to Establish a Sense of Urgency (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 17   Disadvantages of the Kotter Change Theory I would like to know If someone thinks there are disadvantages to using the Kotter Change Phases theory?... 15   11 comments How to Consolidate and Keep Moving (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 15   How to Develop a Clear Vision (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 15   How to Create a Coalition (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 15   Kotter's Dual Operating System John Kotter in his book Accelerate proposes a dual operating system: the hierarchy to take care of business and the network to respond quickly to change and opportunities. Both operating systems work ... 14   1 comments How to Share / Communicate the Vision (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 14   How to Anchor the Change (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 13   How to Clear Obstacles (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 11   How to Secure Short-term Wins (Kotter)? Ideas The 8-Step Change Model sets out the eight key phases of any major change effort, arguing that neglecting any of the steps can be enough for the whole initiative to fail. By paying close attention to ... 11   The Roles of Top and Middle Management in Change Top management must commit itself in words and deeds to accomplish the planned change. We must go more for substance rather than form. Engagement is necessary and the role of middle management is cruc... 11   6 comments How to Structure Large Scale Change Efforts Hello All: For a textbook chapter that I am authoring, I am compiling a list of different change effort structures that leaders adopt when organizing large scale efforts. I believe that there are four... 10   7 comments

Expert Tips Advanced insights about Change Phases. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Creating the Right Conditions Before Implementing the 8 Steps Things to do Before Starting a Major Change Initiative Kotter's 8-Step Change Process is clear, concise and simple to implement. It is a superb framework for change.Before im... Personal Networks of Successful Change Agents Leading Major and Minor Change Initiatives Organizational change is often difficult to achieve because it disturbs the hierarchical structures and the way to accom... Leadership Strategies for Change Initiate, implement, develop and sustain change In response to the high rate of change failure, Ken Blanchard and his team have developed the Blanchard Leading Through ... Why Employee Involvement (Phases 1-5) is so Important Acknowledging the Power of Employees The concept of bases of social power is very important for organizations in the context of change initiatives. The sour... Strategic Change is Acausal and Subject to Equifinality Understanding the True Complexity of Organizational Change The change phases concept by Kotter represents a traditional reflection on the problem of strategic change, the construc... Key Success Factors when you're Designing your Change Management Program Best Practices, Change Management, Organizational Change In their article "Making Change Happen, and Making It Stick" (published in the online edition of strategy+business, Dece... Innovating Under the Radar Avoiding 5 Obstacles to Major Innovation If somewhere below in a large corporation an innovator has a very bright, daring, promising but for some perhaps also th... Assessing the Risks of Change and the Organization’s Capacity for Change Leading Change In their book "Transforming Public and Nonprofit Organization – Stewardship for Leading Change", James Edwin Kee and Kat... Causes for Resistance Behavior Identify Forces Against Change Identifying the forces against change involves a two-step approach. First, the change agent needs to identify resistance... Unfreezing, Moving, Freezing Change Management Kotter's Change Phases are a further refinement of the 3 phases/stages of change identified by early 20th century psycho... Strategic Change: Why, What, When, Who and How Preparing Strategic Change If we need to change strategically, we need to think about why, what, when, who and how: - Why do we want to change? - ... A Closer Look at How Change and Innovation Decisions are Made Decision-making on Organizational Change, Innovation Decision-making, Contingent, Participative Decision-making Kim, T (2015) elaborates on decision making on "non-routines" or innovations. According to him, non-routines can be seen... The Role of the CEO in Strategic Change Initiation Communicating Strategic Change In management literature the role of the CEO in formulating and implementing strategic change has often been emphasized.... The 7C Framework for Successful Personal and Professional Change Personal Change, Professional Change, Personal Transition, Professional Transition, Embracing Change In the article 'Managing Yourself: How to Embrace Complex Change", Brimm (2015) provides a framework of seven C’s that c...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding Change Phases. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. Your Organization Needs to Change its Strategy Implementation Method Strategy Execution, Strategic Change, Change Management, Strategy Implementation Dr. John Kotter explains most clearly how the rate of change of events, technology, globalization, products and markets ... Effective Change Leadership and Management: Principles, Frameworks and Tools Change Management, Change Leadership Comprehensive presentation on leadership and management in a change context. 1. Introduction and Overview 2. What is t... The Nature and Complexity of Organizational Change Change Management, Organizational Change Presentation about organizational change. The presentation discusses and highlights the complexity and multi-dimensional... Change Management or Change Leadership? Understanding the Difference Between Change Management and Change Leadership This video explores and explains some differences between Change Management and Change Leadership: CHANGE MANAGEMENT ... Managing Organizational Change Change Management, Leading Change, Organizational Development This is a presentation about the ways to manage change. The presentation includes the following sections: 1. Introducti... What is Change Management? Initial Understanding of Change Management In this video Elissa Farrow from About Your Transition explains the relatively new concept of Organizational Change Mana... 22 Best Practices in Change Management Change Management, Organizational Change Presentation starts with short introduction of managing organizational change and then outlines 22 best practices in cha... Dealing with Roadblocks… Dealing with Resistance to Change, Change Management, Training, Workshop Dr. John Kotter gives remarkable advice on dealing with "No, No, People" (strong resisters in change initiatives). Acco... Tips for Successful Change Management Initial Understanding of How to Manage Change Successfully Gavin Wedell explains that to change one's organization, one must change one's inner being. In today's world market con...

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Compare with the Change Phases:  Six Change Approaches  |  Forget Borrow Learn  |  Organic Organization  |  Force Field Analysis  |  Appreciative Inquiry  |  Positive Deviance  |  Changing Organization Cultures  |  Culture Types  |  Core Group Theory  |  Planned Behavior  |  Business Process Reengineering  |  Kaizen  |  Change Management  |  DICE Framework  |  Change Model Beckhard  |  Dimensions of Change  |  Result Oriented Management  |  Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change

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