Change process - Kotter · The most well-established – and commonly used – model for managing change is John Kotter’s 8-step approach. Originally developed for business, we’ve

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Why is your change process failing?

For those of us in the charity, public and arts and culture sectors, it’s now generally recognised

that to stay relevant, to improve results, and to adapt to funding pressures, we have to change

what we do, how we are working and how we are structured. Managing change has become a

normal part of how we work.

But change is difficult to get right. The processes suffer when people don’t understand the need

for change, when the change seems to take forever, and when it’s not clear what people are

expected to do differently.

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This article introduces =mc’s adaptation of Kotter’s change model, redeveloped especially for the ethical sector. Discover the benefits of using this approach, and the pitfalls of not.

The Management Centre (=mc) is a management consultancy working internationally to transform the performance of ethically driven organisations - charities, public bodies, INGOs, and cultural organisations.© The Management Centre 2016

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Page �2The Management Centre (=mc) is a management consultancy working internationally to transform the performance of ethically driven organisations - charities, public bodies, INGOs, and cultural organisations.© The Management Centre 2016

Worst of all, is when a change initiative fails – a restructure doesn’t have the intended impact,

and another one is needed 12 months later. More likely than not change fatigue sets in – why

should we expend our energy and time when it hasn’t worked in the past? – and without serious

damage limitation, the latest initiative may stand even less chance of success.

To avoid change fatigue, we need to get change right. And spot quickly if the change process is

failing, so that we can get it back on track.

How do you compare to the change guru? The most well-established – and commonly used – model for managing change is John Kotter’s

8-step approach. Originally developed for business, we’ve adapted it to make it more useful for

the ethical sector. If your change process is stalling it is useful to go back to Kotter’s model and

use it to identify where exactly the problem lies.

Step 1: Establish a sense of urgency The first step is to ensure that people understand why the change is necessary now. Change

needs effort, and people won’t do it if they can’t see anything wrong with the status quo. Have

you clearly explained what is driving the change? Is it a crisis, a potential risk, a current

opportunity or a positive future? Why is it not ok to stay as you are – what’s the urgency?

Step 2: Create the guiding coalition To navigate the organisation through change you need a group with the authority to steer the

journey and make decisions. Do you have a guiding coalition made up of a mix of internal and

external stakeholders? Are they clear about their authority and how they make decisions? Who is

operationalising the change? A change manager? A change team? Do these two groups

understand their responsibilities and accountabilities?

Step 3: Develop a change vision and strategyWhatever your original impetus for change, you need to develop a positive and engaging vision

of what the future will look like afterwards. Have you done that? And has your change team

established the specific actions that will help the organisation to achieve the change outcome?



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Step 4: Communicate the change visionTo engage people in your change you need to communicate the change vision. Have you told

people where you want to get to and how you’ll get there? Has this communication been

constant and consistent and the message clearly understood?

Step 5: Empower broad-based action For the change to happen you need to show people how they fit in and what they can contribute.

As well as helping the change, it also increases motivation when people feel able to contribute

ideas and energy. What actions are you asking people to take?

Step 6: Generate short-term winsPeople involved in the change can lose heart, especially if the change takes a while. Do people

understand and accept that the process can be long and difficult? Nevertheless they will need to

feel they’re making progress. Have you spotted in advance some successes en route to the

overall goal that will show small wins occurring? These successes needn’t be huge but they do

need to be shared and understood. For example, when a key action is completed, a significant

decision is made, essential feedback from a key stakeholder comes in, etc.

Step 7: Consolidate gains and produce more changeWith enough of these short-term wins your change process now has that key ingredient –

momentum. As momentum increases the more wins you can have, providing people notice them

and are able to build on them. Are you actively and systematically sharing and building on that

momentum and using it to leverage greater progress?

Step 8: Anchor new approaches in the organisational cultureIt’s not enough to change structures, processes, activities or even people. To create permanent

change you need to make sure people don’t revert back to the way it was. Do you have symbolic

and practical ways to ensure that the change you want is so deeply embedded in the

organisation that there is no chance of things rolling back?



Run a diagnostic If your change process is failing, identify what you are seeing around you, and then diagnose

what is causing the failure. The following can help.

If you are seeing…



• People aren’t expending energy or thought on the change process.

• You've lost the sense of urgency.

Apathy

• Re-examine your drivers for change – are they right?

• Explain them in ways people understand

• Get widespread agreement on the need to change

You need to…

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Have you…• Underestimated the difficulty of driving

people from their comfort zones?

• Posed the reasons for the change as too long term or vague?

• Identified the wrong reasons for change?



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• There's no leadership or ownership of the change.

• Your guiding coalition and change team isn't working.

Anarchy

Have you…• Not established commitment to teamwork at the senior level?

• Not agreed how decisions will be made and when?

• Not resourced the change team to move forward?

You need to…• Ensure the guiding coalition agree how to work

outside the normal hierarchy.

• Create a change team with the skills, competencies and resources to deliver results.

• There's no direction, just false starts

• Your vision and strategy isn't clear.

Aimless

Have you…• Presented a vision that's too complicated or vague?

• Not linked the reasons for the change with the vision and what you plan to do?

You need to…• Check the vision creates a reaction, and focuses

effort.

• Develop credible strategies for realising the vision.

• Ensure the rationale for the change is well understood.



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• People are uncertain and worried

• There's something wrong with your communication.

Anxiety

Have you…• Not communicated your vision and strategy in ways people see as important

to them?

• Allowed senior people to behave in ways that undermine the vision or strategy? People believe what they see, not hear.

• Allowed gossip to fill any gaps of information?

You need to…• Use every channel to communicate the change vision

and the strategies for achieving it.

• Share what has been decided, what is still to be done, and when this will happen.

• People aren't contributing to the change or are resisting it.

• You're not enabling others to act.

Anger

Have you…• Not convinced powerful people who are resisting the change

effort? Or not reduced their influence on others?

• Not been clear what you want people to do?

• Not welcomed new ideas?

You need to…• Change sytems and structures that are holding back

the strategy implementation.

• Encourage others to take action, to innovate and to suggest ideas.






• People were engaged but now support is weakening.

• You're not creating short term wins.

Atrophy

Have you…• Left short term successes to chance, rather than planning for them?

• Missed opportunities to celebrate small wins early enough?

You need to…• Define and engineer visible successes.

• Recognise and reward people contributing to the change.

• Use and share the mentality that it's a marathon not a sprint.

• After a few small wins the change has got stuck.

• You haven't consolidated improvements to produce more change.

Adrift

Have you…• Declared success too soon, allowing people to put their efforts

elsewhere?

• Forgotten to check that the change is addressing the reasons for change, and delivering the vision?

You need to…• Celebrate the accumulation of steps achieved so far.

• Focus people on what needs to happen next.

• Reinvigorate the process by sharing the impact it is having.

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• People seem to have forgotten about the change and are slipping back to old habits.

• You haven't embedded the change in the culture.

Amnesia

Have you…• Allowed people to slip back into old ways of working?

• Seen the change as a time limited project rather than embedding it within your organisation and aligning it with your organisational values?

You need to…• Share the connections between the new behaviours,

your values and organisational success.

• Create development opportunities consistent with the new approach

And finally, if you’re seeing…

continues over the page…



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Diagnosing missing steps in the Change Process

Establish urgency

Create guiding coalition

Develop vision/strategy

Communicate the change vision

Enable action

Generate & celebrate quick wins

Consolidate gains/more change

Anchor new approaches RESULT

Apathy

Anarchy

Aimless

Anxiety

Anger

Atrophy

Adrift

Amnesia

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Leading and managing change is hard There is no getting away from it. However well we think it through and plan it out, change

means going into the unknown. And that means we can’t predict everything from the outset.

The most effective change leaders anticipate problems, spot them early and address them

quickly. This article is designed to help you do that.

Next steps Whether you are planning a change or in the middle of a change process and feeling a bit stuck,

we can help.

We have two training programmes aimed at different people in the organisation. Leading and

Managing Change introduces managers to a range of tools and approaches to plan an effective

change and keep it on track. Change & Me looks at personal responses to change and is

designed to help staff to both understand and manage their own response to change, and to

identify areas where they can take control.

We can also help to design and plan a change process ensuring that it keys in to the vision and

mission of your organisation, and providing practical support to keep it on track.

For more information or to talk to a consultant, contact Clare Segal, Director at

[email protected].



http://www.managementcentre.co.uk/training-programmes-detail/leading-and-managing-change

http://www.managementcentre.co.uk/training-programmes-detail/change-and-me

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.managementcentre.co.uk/training-programmes-detail/leading-and-managing-change

http://www.managementcentre.co.uk/training-programmes-detail/change-and-me

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Change process - Kotter · The most well-established – and commonly used – model for managing change is John Kotter’s 8-step approach. Originally developed for business, we’ve