Leading+Change

Kotter, J. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business School Press. Boston, Mass. ISBN: 0-87584-747-1 Google Document: [|Leading Change]

John Kotter's [|website].


 * Synthesis of discussion on Kotter's Leading Change:**

Key Leadership Elements:
 * Establish a clear **vision** for where we need to go and what Bowling Alone, Ohio will need to look like in the future.
 * communicate this vision
 * Establish a **urgency** to change within the community.
 * communicate this urgency
 * one idea was to do this through a add campaign targeting various groups.
 * Have a process for **managing various stakeholders** throughout the change process bringing people into the processes in a strategic way.
 * Establish our **guiding coalition**
 * With respected and/or powerful enough members of the community to give the guiding coalition weight.
 * Identify and leverage your **opinion leaders**
 * establish **short term wins** or **intermediate objectives** - short term goals that we can reach and measure.
 * **empower people** with the skills and authority to implement change

They need to get out and do something together (collaboration). Understand the impact of building social capital (health, economic, safety, etc . . .) Get involved in their town/community - participate and interact with other community members.
 * What are we trying to get them to do?**

media type="custom" key="3017322" Direct link to slideshow: [|Leading Change]

media type="custom" key="3017130" -- Every leader can profit from Kotter's thinking on a practical eight stage process that should help achieve successful change. His steps include; (1) establishing a sense of urgency, (2) creating a guiding coalition, (3) developing a vision and strategy, (4) communicating the change vision, (5) empowering employees for broad-based action, (6) generating short-term wins, (7) consolidating gains and producing more change, and (8) anchoring new approaches in the culture. These steps can be adapted to organizations of all sizes.
 * Leading Change: Kotter **
 * Introduction: **

Where do we find complacency in the self-report Bowling Alone, Ohio? How can we create a sense of urgency? What should we recommend to our client in regards to avoiding complacency? What recommendations will we make to our client for building a guiding coalition? Who will be involved? In your group how will we build a guiding coalition? Vision is the explanation of why a change is needed. Kotter claims that vision is a central component to all great leadership and that it is essential in breaking through the forces that support the status quo. What recommendations/ strategies will we provide to our client for getting their leaders to share sense of problem, opportunities and commitment? What recommendations should we give them for creating a vision? Do we know what their vision should be? What will be the vision for Bowling Alone, Ohio? What recommendations / strategies will you provide to our group in regards to visioning?
 * Analysis of text & Questions: **
 * Step 1: ** A high level of complacency and a low sense of urgency, Kotter asserts, constitute the two most significant impediments to change.
 * //I believe the the greatest ROI in this area can be gained by linking personal health and well being to social capital (see chapter 20)//
 * //Target parents by highlighting the benefits of social capital and childrens' education and welfare//
 * Step 2: ** In order to actuate change within an organization a strong guiding coalition is needed.
 * Step 3: ** Developing a vision and strategy
 * //It is critical to start with the end in mind - - work backwards in a sense//

It takes time for organizations to accept and adapt changes. What communication strategy will you suggest? What would be an appropriate timeline?
 * Step 4: ** Communicating the change vision
 * //Well developed and targeted PSA's (public service announcements)//
 * //We can develop a website similar to [|www.realage.com] that allows people to take a test and obtain their "social capital" score and what it ultimately means to their health, opportunity for economic gains, their safety and the safety of their community, etc . . .//
 * //I think the timeline will have to be much longer than suspected. The timeline should be judged by small gains, not "set-in-stone" goals - - maybe 2-5 years?//

The concept of empowerment cannot be overlooked when implementing change efforts. Kotter speaks of removing barriers to action that will help the change effort. This allows even the lowest level employees to participate in the change effort What recommendations will we give our client in regards to empowerment? How can your group (sector) be empowered?
 * Step 5: ** Empowering employees for broad-based action

Short-term wins are only effective if they are visible to many, the terms are unambiguous, and the victory is closely related to the change effort. What will be the short-term wins for our client? How can our client make them concrete and visible?
 * Step 6: ** Generating short-term wins

What recommendations will we make to our client on how to create a culture of continuous change?
 * Step 7: ** consolidating gains and producing more change
 * //Start to move the flywheel slowly, celebrate small achievements, understand that their will be unforseen negatives along the way that will have to be overcome, motivate the core and then allow them to help spread the message, promote the core message, however, adjust the delivery and method as needed, build in a process of continual internal assessment . . .//

The real key to lasting change is not just in changing vision or mission statements or even training manuals, but in changing the corporate culture itself. Kotter looks at corporate culture as being made up of both the norms of group behavior and the shared values of a company. What norms of group behavior and shared values will we recommend that Bowling Alone, Ohio promote? What recommendations can we provide to our client in regards to promoting these values?
 * Step 8: ** anchoring new approaches in the culture

Kotter also shares his insights regarding organizations for the twenty-first century. He compares the structure, systems, and culture of the twentieth century with those of the twenty-first century and argues that organizations can't get where they need to be through incremental change. In the twenty-first century change will be constant, increasingly frequent, and required for survival.

He argues that the twenty-first-century employee will need to know more about both leadership and management than his or her counterpart. This learning will be continuous and necessary. Kotter suggests that the mental habits needed to support this lifelong learning are: (1) risk taking, (2) humble self-reflection, (3) solicitation of ideas and opinions of others, (4) careful listening, and (5) openness to new ideas.

What advise will we give our client regarding change in the twenty-first century (the future of change)? How will Bowling Alone, Ohio not only survive but thrive in the twenty-first century? To be determined… 
 * Conclusions: **