How to change a large organisation

We often make terrible mistakes when attempting to bring about significant changes in large organisations because history has not prepared us for transformational challenges, according to John Kotter in his highly regarded book Leading Change, which has now been the leading authority on the subject for 12 years. Kotter recommends an 8-step change process, with the first step being establishing a sense of urgency. People will not be willing to undergo the pain of change unless they appreciate that the pain of not changing will be greater.

The second step is creating a “guiding coalition”. The third step is developing a vision and strategy. People need to understand where the change is leading them. The fourth step is communicating the change vision. This has to be repeated continually. The fifth step is empowering broad-based action. Systems need to be altered to encourage fulfilment of the change vision. The sixth step is generating short-term wins. It is important to have early favourable results to win over the skeptics. The seventh step is consolidating gains and producing more change. The eighth step is anchoring new approaches in the culture. Too often the change process is regarded as “completed” too early, and the organisation lapses back to its pre-change malaise.

There are very few business books which are as well written and useful as this one. From my own experience in organisational change, I can attest to the usefulness of each of the eight steps advocated by Kotter. I found the book very easy to read, with numerous helpful examples, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is a leader in an organisation.