Hey guys, it's been a while hasn't it.
There was just something that I thought I shouldd share with you:
I was studying a couple of days ago when I came across a Business theory to do with change. I thought it might have some relevance to someone, I knoww it does to me. Behind the business jargon, there are some really important messages.
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John Paul Kotter is a professor at Havard Business School, who is widely regarded as the world's foremost authority on leadership and change. Kotter says "The change process goes through a series of phases that, in total, usually require a considerable length of time. Skipping steps creates only the illusion of speed and never produces satisfactory results."
Kotter summarises these eight phases as follows:
1. Establish a sense of urgency
Talk of change typically begins with some people noticing a vulnerability in the organisation. The threat of losing ground in some way sparks people into action, and they in turn try to communicate that sense of urgency to others.
2. Form a powerful guiding coalition
Change efforts often start with just one or two people. and should grow continually to include more and more who believe the changes are necessary. The need in this phase is to gather a large enough initial core of believers.
3. Create a vision
Successful transformation rests on "a picture of the future that is relatively easy to communicate and appeals to customers, shareholders, debt holders and employees. A vision helps clarify the direction in which an organisation needs to move".
"A useful rule of thumb: if you can't communicate the vision to someone in five minutes or less and get a reaction that signifies both understanding and interest, you are not yet done with this phase of the transformation process".
4. Communicate that vision
Kotter suggests the leadership should estimate how much communication of the vision is needed, and then multiply that by a factor of ten.
"Deeds" along with "words" are powerful communicators of the new ways.
The guiding principle is simple: use every existing communication channel and opportunity.
5. Empower others to act on the vision
Allow people to start living out the new ways and to make changes in their areas of involvement. Allocate budget money to the new inititative.
Remove any obstacles there may be to getting on with the change. You can't get rid of all the obstacles, but the biggest ones need to be dealt with.
6. Plan for and create short-term wins
Since real transformation takes time, the loss of momentum and the onset of disappointment are real factors. In successful transformation, leaders actively plan and achieve some short term gains which people will be able to see and celebrate.
7. Consolidate improvements and keep the momentum for change moving
As Kotter warns, "Do not declare victory too soon". Until changes sink deeply into an organisation's culture new approaches are fragile and subject to regression.
8. Institutionalise the new approaches
In the final analysis, change sticks when it becomes "the way things are done around here", when it seeps into the bloodstream of the corporate body.
