KOTTERS 8 STEPS LEADING CHANGE - INTRODUCTION

John P. Kotter 8 stage process for creating major change is one of the most widely recognized models for change management. John P. Kotter is a retired Harvard Business School professor of leadership. Kotter is also a co-founder of Kotter International based in Seattle and Boston. Kotter's article about the eight stage process for leading change was originally published in the spring of 1995 in the Harvard Business Review. This article previewed Kotter's 1996 book leading change.

Professor Kotter has proven over his years of research that following the eight-step process for leading change will help organizations succeed in an ever-changing world. In general, the model consists of three main phases. These phases cover eight individual steps. They are sometimes also called Stages. In phase one which covers the first three steps, it is about creating a climate for change and getting a shared understanding of the difficult assignment which lies ahead of the organization.

In Phase Two which covers the steps: four through six, it is about engaging the employees in the process and enabling the employees to affect change in the organization. In Phase Three, which covers the last two steps of the eight steps, it is about implementing and sustaining change in the organization. Now, we shall review each of the eight steps individually. We start at the top of the model and then we go down through the model one step at a time. Each step is necessary when you want to transform your organization. To give you a transformation effort the best chance of succeeding, you have to take the right actions at each stage and avoid common pitfalls.