Kotter's Eight (8) Step Model for

Organizational Change

Public Safety Officer Advance Course (PSOAC)

National Police College
Philippine Public Safety College

by:
Luis Duaso Gonzales, Ph.D.
What is the concept all about?

• A model of organizational change;

• Developed on the basis of research of 100 organizations

which were going through the process of change; and

• Introduced by John Kotter (1996), professor of Harvard

Business School and a renowned change expert.
 Paradigm
Step 1: Increase Urgency
Step 2: Build Guiding Team
Step 3: Develop the Vision
Step 4: Communicate for Buy-in
Step 5: Empower Action
Step 6: Create Short-term Wins
Step 7: Don't Let Up
Step 8: Make Change Stick

EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE
 The Eight (8) Step Model of Organizational
Change
Step 1: Creating an Urgency
Can be done in the following ways:
1. Identifying and highlighting potential threats
and repercussions which might crop up in the
future;

2. Examining opportunities whcih can be tapped

through effective interventions;
3. Initiate honest dialogues and discussions that
makes people think over prevalent issues and
give convincing reasons to them; and

4. Requesting for the involvement and support of

key stakeholders and clients on the issue of
change.
Step 2: Forming Powerful Guiding Coalitions
Can be achieved by:
1. Identifying effective change leaders in the
organization and also key stakeholders,
requesting their involvement and commitment
towards the entire process;

2. Forming powerful change coalition who would

be working as aeam; and
3. Identifying weak areas in the coalition team and
ensuring that the team involves many influential
people from various cross functional
departments working in different levels of the
organization.
Step 3: Developing a Vision and a Strategy
Can be achieved by:
1. Determining the core values, defining the
ultimate vision and the strategies for realizing a
change in the organization; and

2. Ensuring that change leaders can describe the

vision effectively and in a manner that people
can easily understand and follow.
Step 4: Communicating the Vision
To do this:
1. Communicating change in the vision very often
powerfully and convincingly. Connecting the
vision with all crucial aspects like performance
reviews, training, etc.; and

2. Handling concerns and issues of people

honestly and with involvement.
Step 5: Removing Obstacles
To Achieve this:
1. Ensuring that the organizational processes and
structures are in place and aligned with the
overall organizational vision;

2. Continuoulsy checking for barriers or people

who are resisting for change. Implementing
pro-active measures to remove obstacles
involved in the process of change; and
3. Rewarding people for endorsing change and
supporting in the process.
Step 6: Creating Short-term Wins
To implement this:
1. By creating short-term wins early in the
process, you can give a feel of victory in the early
stages of change;

2. Creating many short-term targets instead of one

long-term goal which are achievable and less
expensive with lesser possibilities of failure;
and
3. Rewarding the contributions of people who are
involved in meeting the targets.
Step 7: Consolidating Gains
To do this:
1. Achieving continuous improvement by
analyzing the success stories individually and
improving from those individual experiences.
Step 8: Anchoring Change in the Corporate Culture
How?
1. Discuss successful stories related to change
iniatives on every given opportunity;

2. Ensuring that change becomes an integral part

of the organizational culture and is visible in
every organizational aspect; and
3. Ensuring the support of existing organizational
leaders as well as future leaders towards the
desired change
 Advantages of the Model
1. An easy step by step model which provides a clear
description and guidance on the entire process of
change and is relatively easy to be implemented;

2. Emphasize involvement and acceptability of

employees for the overall success of the process;
and

3. Major emphasis is on preparing and building

acceptability for change instead of actual change.
 Disadvantages
1. Since it is a step by step model, skipping a single step
might result in serious problems;

2. The process is quite time-consuming; and

3. Can build frustration and dissatisfaction among

employees if individual requirements are given due
attention.
Task:

Direction: Following Kotter's Eight (8) Step Model of

Organizational Change, think of any
problem/ limitations in your respective units
in your capacity as COP/ Unit Chief and
apply the model.
 End...

Thank you for not sleeping!