Kotter Model of Change - Essay Example

Kotter Model of Change Introduction John Kotter is currently a of leadership at Harvard BusinessSchool and is a well-known figure in the field of leadership and change in business organizations. He developed a framework for implementing strategies in organizations that incorporates all-important factors in applied management (Lunenburg & Ornstein 2012, p.192). The framework, which is currently the most used, consists of eight steps that summarize the whole process of change (Mcdonald & Stockley 2010, p.71). The eight steps are analyzed below using a case study that involves extending pre-school opening hours and providing the children with meals and sleep periods. Creating urgency For change to take place effectively, it is usually important to first convince all the stakeholders of the need for the change (Kotter 1996, p.36). I will therefore begin by explaining to the staff the importance of extending the school opening hours and the benefits that will accrue to them because of the extension. The benefits will include increased wages because of the increase in the working hours and increased interaction time with the children that will imply increase performance among other benefits. After convincing the staff, I will step in to explain to the parents the disadvantages associated with the few working hours that currently prevail and the need for the children to have more time in school. I will also elaborate to them the essence of the children being provided with meals and sleep period after the opening hours have been extended. All this will help in creating a sense of urgency among the stakeholders, which will be fundamental for success of the entire process (Sabri, Gupta & Beitler 2007, p.177) Forming a powerful coalition According to systems theory of management organizations are composed of many inter relating sub systems all of which are important for the general success of the firm. There is a thus a need of identifying the influential people in the different levels of the staff, parents and in all other group of stakeholders who will be involved in the change of the opening hours. The identified group of influential people will act as the change leaders in the school and will continue creating momentum around the change in the school opening hours. This will make the people to identify themselves with the change and consequently act as the initiators of the changing process of the school system (Cameron & Green 2012, p.187) Creating a vision for change Classical management theorists agree on the need to focus on the structure of a firm and prescriptions of what is perceived to be the good of the firm. The challenge with the prescription of the best way to run a firm is that there may be very many suggestions on the way different people believe is the best duration for the school to be opened. I will thus create a clear vision regarding the operation of the institution that will easily be understandable to all groups of people. The vision will incorporate the key values upheld by the school in order to be relevant and thus enable all people to identify with it. After creating the vision together with the coalition team, I will need to come up with a summary of the strategy of executing the vision. The summary will be capable of being described to the interested parties within a short period of not more than five minutes. Communicating the vision The staff and parents may not all respond positively to the idea of increasing the opening hours the first time they hear of the proposal. This is because different people have different ways of reasoning which will result to differing believes on what should be done (Samson & Daft 2011, p.421). There is thus a need to keep communicating the vision frequently to the stakeholders in order to make them understand it well (Leonard & McGuire 2007, p.48). Constant communication will also help in counteracting the conflicting views that the people face in their course of interaction with others and thus keep them aligned to the vision. I will use every opportunity that prevails itself to communicate the vision both directly and indirectly, for example when parents come to school because of some issues relating to their children I will make sure I communicate the vision. Furthermore, each decision I make will be controlled by the vision of extending the school opening hours. Empowering action At this stage, I will put in the structures for change by instituting and empowering all-important structures that will be necessary for the change to take place (Kumra, Manfredi & Vickers 2011 p.90). This will involve empowering the change leaders to deliver the required change in the opening period of the school and in including meals and bed rest in the program. It will also include reviewing the job descriptions, remunerations and performance of the staff to ensure that they are in line with the vision. Any person who brings a positive change in line with the vision will be rewarded accordingly in order to encourage all people to adopt the change of the system. At this level I will also identify the people who may be resisting the change and therefore help them accordingly in order to be able to accept the change. Creating quick wins In all activities, there is nothing that motivates like success and thus I will ensure that there are clear successes at the initial stages of the implementation process (Pressley 2006, p.398). This will be fundamental in silencing the critics and negative thinkers who may believe that extension of opening hours is not important in childcare. For example, the level of participation of the children in other activities may increase due to the introduction of meals and sleeping periods in their program. In addition, the children will be able to learn more concepts than it would be possible if they were taught for few hours as per the old system. These visible results of the new staff will motivate the entire staff and will be important in changing the stand of the few individuals who may not yet be completely convinced (Buller 2015, p.10). Building on the change Kotter identified that many programs failed after the first incidences of success because of failure to build on the change constantly (Young & Price2013, p.230). I will therefore from time to time identify the weak areas in the system in order to improve on them and therefore cause the entire process of change to be a success. The weak areas together with areas of success will also be important in setting new set of goals that will be in line with the prolonging of opening hours of the school. I will also be bringing in new change leaders from time to time who will ensure that the vision remains fresh in the minds of the stakeholders. This will enable the change to be adopted in the system fully and thus attain the initial goal set at the beginning of the change process. Making the change stick This is the final stage of the implementation process according to Kotter model of change and it involves incorporating the practices of the new system in the day to day activities of the institution (Remme 2008, p.142). I will make continuous efforts to ensure that the change is seen in every aspect of the organization and thus ultimately become part of the culture of the institution. In addition, to make the change stick I will be sharing success stories of the system in all discussion forums and make sure I take into consideration the values of the change when hiring new workers. Furthermore, I will be recognizing the key leaders responsible for the change from time to time and replace them when they move on. All these measures will help in making the changes become part of the organization’s activities and thus become permanent hence, the entire process will have succeeded. Conclusion The in-depth analysis of the strategies employed in each step in the case study of the change in opening hours of the school and introduction of meals and break periods explain Kotter model of change exhaustively. It is clear that the model is effective when implementing all forms of strategies that are associated with change in all manner of institutions. There is therefore need for more firms and other institutions to adopt this model when implementing change in their systems. References Buller, J. L., 2015. Change Leadership in Higher Education: A Practical Guide to Academic Transformation. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Cameron, E. & Green, M., 2012. Making Sense of Change Management a Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change. London: Kogan Page. Kotter, J. P., 1996. Leading Change. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business School Press. Kumra, S., Manfredi, S. & Vickers, L. 2011. Managing Equality and Diversity: Theory and Practice. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Leonard, D., & Mcguire, M., 2007. The Executive Guide To Understanding And Implementing The Baldrige Criteria: Improve Revenue And Create Organizational Excellence. Milwaukee, Wis, ASQ Quality Press. Lunenburg, F. C., & Ornstein, A. C., 2012. Educational Administration: Concepts and Practices. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Mcdonald, J. & Stockley, D., 2010. Pathways to the Profession of Educational Development. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Pressley, M., 2006. Reading Instruction that Works: The Case for Balanced Teaching. New York, Guilford Press. Remmé, J., 2008. Leadership, Change and Responsibility. Oxford: Meyer & Meyer Media. Sabri, E.H., Gupta, A.P., & Beitler, M.A., 2007. Purchase Order Management Best Practices: Process, Technology, And Change Management. Ft. Lauderdale, FL, J. Ross Pub. Samson, D., & Daft, R. L., 2011. Management. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Young, S.B., & Price, M., 2013. Airport Leadership Development Program. Washington, D.C., Transportation Research Board. Read More