Change, whilst necessary to move forward, can be hard to implement and hard for others to accept.
Often change is announced and others are just expected to accept it.
As a leader of change management it is important you have a clear process to follow to ensure you have buy in and the change is implemented correctly and moves to the new norm.
Kotter’s 8 Step Model is one process you can use to ensure change goes smoothly.
Let’s look at each step in more detail:
Step 1: Create a sense of urgency
For change to happen others need to feel the sense of urgency for the change and the reasons it is needed for organisational growth.
Step 2: Build a guiding Coalition
This step is focused on building a team with the correct skills to lead and implement the change. You should identify your top leaders and key stakeholders and work on building the right teams to continue to build urgency around the need for change.
Step 3: Create a vision for change
Having a Clear vision helps others fully understand your goals and why you are asking for the change. When people can see what you are trying to achieve, they will be more on board. Create a strategy showing what you see in the future for your business as a result of the change.
Step 4: Communicate the vision
Don’t just talk about your vision during meetings, talk about it every chance you get and use it within your daily tasks to make decisions and solve problems – this will keep it fresh in everyone’s mind
Step 5: Remove obstacles
Obstacles can occur frequently therefore it’s important to continuously check for barriers to be able to move forward with change. This could be resistance to change from employees or structures that are getting in the way – make sure to identify and take action quickly.
Step 6: Generate wins
Generate short-term wins by giving your staff a taste of success throughout the change process, this will help to motivate them to stay on track and put in the effort. Without quick wins you may hurt the process, if they aren’t seeing any progress. Don’t wait until the end to congratulate people and celebrate success.
Step 7: Build on the change
Many change projects fail because success is declared too early through quick wins and whilst quick wins should be celebrated, we need to ensure change is used as an opportunity to build on what went right and what can be improved. Set goals and measure changes to continue building on what you have achieved, and review on a regular basis.
Step 8: Make the change stick
To make any change stick you must make continuous efforts to ensure that it is used and seen in all aspects of your organisation. Make sure new behaviours continue until they are strong enough to replace old habits. Think about including them in KPI’s and performance management moving forward.
Following Kotter’s 8 Step Process is a great methodology to ensure change is implemented and continues into business as normal.
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You can also view our YouTube video on Kotter’s 8 Steps here:
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