John Kotter’s book ‘A Force for Change’ highlighted some key areas that help us to identify why change can fail and what to do about it.
He suggests there are a number of reasons why many change initiatives fail, and they include:
* Too much complacency within the department
* Failing to build a substantial team effort towards the change
* Not understanding the need for a clear vision
* Failing to clearly communicate the vision
* Allowing obstacles against the vision to build up
* Poor planning and lack of short-term wins
* Finishing the process of change too soon
* Not anchoring the changes in the corporate culture
Kotter suggests there are a number of stages to go through in order for change to stick:
* Establish a sense of urgency as to why change should happen
* Create a team that will drive the change forward
* Develop a clear vision that everyone can buy into
* Share the vision through out the team and other stakeholders
* Empower people to get rid of obstacles to the change
* Create short-term wins so everyone can see progress
* Keep moving toward the end goal
* Ensure the change is deeply embedded in the culture
We can see that following Kotter’s ideas can create a foundation for change that can be a normal force acting on the business. Instead of fearing change, therefore, everyone can embrace it as the way forward. By not doing so, your competition will quickly overtake you in the mission to achieve corporate success, because, as Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
