Module 8
Which of Kotter’s 8 steps are critical to sustaining change? (You can list multiple steps.) Why do some change leaders fail to properly address sustaining change) The following steps are critical to sustaining change: Step 1: Create a sense of urgency Step 4: Communicating the vision for Buy-in Step 6: Generating Short-term Wins
Creating a sense of urgency- Help others feel a gut-level determination to move and win, now. In their rush to make a plan and take action, most companies ignore this step — indeed close to 50% of the companies that fail to make needed change make their mistakes at the very beginning. Leaders may underestimate how hard it is to drive people out of their comfort zones, or overestimate how successfully they have already done so, or simply lack the patience necessary to develop appropriate urgency.
STEP 4: Communicating the Vision for Buy-in
Ensuring that as many people as possible understand and accept the vision
Gaining an understanding and commitment to a new direction is never an easy task, especially in complex organizations. Undercommunication and inconsistency are rampant. Both create stalled transformations.
Most companies undercommunciate their visions by at least a factor of 10. A single memo announcing the transformation or even a series of speeches by the CEO and the executive team are never enough. To be effective, the vision must be communicated in hour-by-hour activities. The vision will be referred to in emails, in meetings, in presentations – it will be communicated anywhere and everywhere.
STEP 6: Generating Short-term Wins
Creating visible, unambiguous success as soon as possible
For leaders in the middle of a long-term change effort, short-term wins are essential. Running a change effort without attention to short-term performance is extremely risky. The Guiding Coalition becomes a critical force in identifying significant improvements that can happen between six and 18 months. Getting these wins helps
Creating a sense of urgency- Help others feel a gut-level determination to move and win, now. In their rush to make a plan and take action, most companies ignore this step — indeed close to 50% of the companies that fail to make needed change make their mistakes at the very beginning. Leaders may underestimate how hard it is to drive people out of their comfort zones, or overestimate how successfully they have already done so, or simply lack the patience necessary to develop appropriate urgency.
STEP 4: Communicating the Vision for Buy-in
Ensuring that as many people as possible understand and accept the vision
Gaining an understanding and commitment to a new direction is never an easy task, especially in complex organizations. Undercommunication and inconsistency are rampant. Both create stalled transformations.
Most companies undercommunciate their visions by at least a factor of 10. A single memo announcing the transformation or even a series of speeches by the CEO and the executive team are never enough. To be effective, the vision must be communicated in hour-by-hour activities. The vision will be referred to in emails, in meetings, in presentations – it will be communicated anywhere and everywhere.
STEP 6: Generating Short-term Wins
Creating visible, unambiguous success as soon as possible
For leaders in the middle of a long-term change effort, short-term wins are essential. Running a change effort without attention to short-term performance is extremely risky. The Guiding Coalition becomes a critical force in identifying significant improvements that can happen between six and 18 months. Getting these wins helps