Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 3

‹ Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 2

In this, the last part of a series of posts on Kotter’s 8-step model of change, I look at the last two steps: Don’t let up and make it stick.

Eight Steps of Change

Implementing and sustaining change

Somewhere in the waves of change, you will have to attack the sturdy silos and difficult politics or you won’t create a twenty-first century organisation. – Kotter and Cohen

In part 2 we learned that short-term wins are critical to successful change because they offer credibility, resources and momentum. Step 7 is about maintaining that momentum – not letting up – so the early changes are built on. Finally, we learn how to make change stick by nurturing a new culture by developing positive behaviour and shared values through a series of successful changes.

Don’t let up – Kotter and Cohen present a number of case studies to illustrate how we can sustain change. Some are straightforward – but often overlooked – whilst others are highly creative and lead to a radical transformation of the business. The idea is to continue with wave after wave of change and not to stop until the vision is a reality.

Overcoming Obstacles

The main message from don’t let up is to create structures and situations that empower people to take risks and deal with problems without fear of reprisal. Removing structural obstacles is important: giving people enough power and leeway to innovate and solve those intractable problems often found in large organisations. Successful change confronts embedded bureaucratic and political behaviours.

We need to get rid of work that wears us down and work that has no relevance today. We need to free up time. Typically, people assigned to change efforts have to continue doing their day job. This is not the best approach; we should let someone else do the day job for a while and delegate upwards as well as down. The workforce is easily tired of change when the sense of urgency is lost. People convince themselves that the change is complete and no more needs to be done. However, this need not happen. A recurring theme from Kotter’s 8-step model is to show ‘em, show ‘em, show ‘em! Change efforts succeed because people connect with the vision. They see how change addresses problems. Using visual cues – quick wins, a light-hearted video or show, whatever – gives credence to what is often a vague, visionary idea.

In successful change efforts, the vision and strategies are not locked in a room… – Kotter and Cohen

Make it stick – In a change effort, culture comes last, not first.This is the controversial and key point about the last step. Change has to be embedded in the very culture of the organisation if it is to stick.

Cover of "The Heart of Change"

Change doesn’t stop at step 7. New ways of working must continue successfully for some time before culture truly changes. And culture cannot change until those new ways of operating are implemented. Making it stick is about:

• Achieving tangible results quickly and ensuring change is embedded
• Tying results to new behaviours; showing people what the organisations really cares about
• Reinforcing the new culture through training and coaching; telling vivid stories about the organisation, what it does, and why it is successful
• Giving people who act according to new norms influential and visible positions
• Not giving up until you get the needed behaviour and results

I trust you found my series on Kotter’s 8-step model of change beneficial. This model is about changing behaviour by making people feel differently about change. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone leading change who wants to motivate people and overcome obstacles to achieve great results. Remember: we see, we feel, we change.

Example is not the main thing influencing others. It is the only thing. – Albert Schweitzer

‹ Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 2

Images: Kotter, John P. and Cohen, Dan S. The Heart of Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002,  Official U.S. Navy Imagery/ Flickr, and Amazon.

Related articles

• Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 1 (martinwebster.eu)
• Kotter’s 8 Steps of Change, part 2 (martinwebster.eu)
• 5 Models for Leading Change | Leading Project Teams (martinwebster.eu)
• Dealing With Change (rdkahn.com)
• Why Is Change So Hard? (newcommbiz.com)