HEART OF CHANGE --- REAL-LIFE STORIES OF HOW PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR
ORGANIZATIONS by John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen. Harvard Business School Press, 2002
Does your "change initiative" have what it takes to go the distance?
Find out at --- http://www.theheartofchange.com
The website includes a customized interactive tool that provides insight into your change effort, along with book excerpts, case studies, and more reading suggestions.
PREFACE --- Getting to the heart of how to make change happen:
Most leaders don't handle large scale organizational change well.
They make predictable mistakes and they make the mistakes mostly because they have little exposure to highly successful transformations --- the adoption of new technologies, major strategic shifts, process reengineering, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings into different sorts of work units, attempts to significantly improve innovation, and cultural change. (pix-xi)
INTRODUCTION --- The single most important message in this book is very simple:
People CHANGE what they do LESS because they are given analysis that shifts their thinking than because they are SHOWN A TRUTH THAT INFLUENCES THEIR FEELINGS!
This is especially so in large-scale organizational change, where you are dealing with new
technologies, restructurings, new strategies, cultural transformation --- whether in an entire orginization,
an office, a department, or a work group.
In this age of change, when you handle the turbulence well, you win. If you handle it
poorly, it can drive you crazy, cost a great deal of money, and cause a lot of pain!
The lessons come from two sets of interviews, the first completed seven years ago and
the second within the last two years. (p1-14)
The EIGHT ACTION STEPS for successful large-scale CHANGE
[1] The eight stages of successful large-scale change (p3-6)
[2] The flow of change --- The process of change involves subtle points regarding overlapping stages, guiding teams at multiple levels in the organization, handling multiple cycles of change, and more!
Because the world is complex, some cases do not reigidly follow the eight-step flow. But the eight steps are the basic pattern associated with significant useful change. All eight of the steps are possible despite an inherent organizational inclination not to leap successfully into a better
future!
Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the most fundmental problem in all of the stages is
CHANGING BEHAVIOR OF EMPLOYEES! (p6-7)
[3] See, feel, change --- The core pattern associated with successful change: (p8-13)
Successful "see-feel-change" tactics tend to be clever, not clumsy, and never cynically
manipulative.
When done well --- over all eight stages of the change process --- the results can be breathtaking.
(1) SEE --- People find a problem in some stage of the change process --- too many
of their colleagues are behaving complacently, no one is developing a sensible strategy, too many are letting up before the strategy has been achieved. They then create dramatic, eye-catching, compelling situations that help others visualize the problem or a solution to the
problem! (p10)
(2) FEEL --- The visualizations awaken feelings that facilitate useful change or
ease feelings that are getting in the way. Urgency, optimism, or faith may go up. Anger,
complacency, cynicism, or fear may go down. (p10)
(3) CHANGE --- The new feelings change or reinforce new behavior,
sometimes very different behavior. People act much less complacently. They try much harder
to make a good vision a reality. They don't stop before the work is done, even if the road
seems long!
[4] Using the book (p13-14)
1) STEP 1 = INCREASE URGENCY! (p15-36)
[1] Off to a bad start (p16-18)
[2] Off to a good start (p18-21)
[3] Developing a change "VISION" first (p23-27)
[4] Crises, burning platforms, and fear (p27-28)
[5] But I'm just a Munchkin (p28-31)
[6] Cheap and easy (p31-35)
[7] An exercise that might help the process of change (p34-35)
[8] SUMMARY OF "STEP 1" = INCREASE URGENCY! (p36)
2) STEP 2 = BUILD THE GUIDING TEAM --- A feeling of urgency helps greatly in putting together the right group to guide change and in creating essential teamwork within the group. (p37-60)
[1] When the team is not a team --- A common "STEP 2" problem is that those who should be
driving change are NOT doing their job, and NOBODY wants to confront the issue! (38-42)
[2] Putting together an effective guiding team (p43-49)
Employees let the flow flow all the time! The net result is often a group without the right
characteristics, which means a group without the power to make the transformation happen,
even if the individuals involved are "good" people!
In most highly successful change efforts, as in this story, effective guiding groups are created
in the following way:
(1) A single individual who feels great urgency usually pulls in the first employees!
(2) Individuals are selected to have the right combination of capabilities within the team:
1. Relevant knowledge about what is happening outside the enterprise or group (essential
for creating vision)!
2.
3.
4.
5.
(3)
(4)
[3] The issue of TRUST (p50-54))
Basic Method =
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
[4] The mechanics of meetings (p54-58)
[5] Overlap among the EIGHT STEPS (p58)
[6] When the bosses seem hopeless (p58-59)
[7] SUMMARY = Build the guiding team! (p60)
3) STEP 3 = GET THE VISION RIGHT (p61-82)
[1] Visions and strategies versus plans and budgets (p62-69)
[2] Efficiency versus service (p69-73)
[3] Bold strategies for bold visions (p73-77)
[4] The strategic need for speed (p77-80)
[5] An exercise that might help (p81)
[6] SUMMARY = Get the vision right! (p82)
4) STEP 4 = COMMUNICATE FOR "BUY-IN" (p83-101)
[1] More than data transfer (p84-88)
[2] Cutting through the avalanche of information (p88-91)
[3] Matching words and deeds (p92-95)
[4] New technologies (p95-98)
[5] An exercise that might help (p99-100)
[6] SUMMARY = Communicate for "Buy-In" (p101)
Communicate change visions and strategies effectively so
as to create both understanding and a gut-level buy-in.
WHAT WORKS =
WHAT DOES NOT WORK =
STORIES TO REMEMBER =
5) STEP 5 = EMPOWER ACTION
In highly successful change efforts, when people begin to understand and act on a "change vision," YOU remove barriers in their paths!
Empowerment is NOT about giving people new authority and new responsibilities and then walking
away. EMPOWERMENT is about REMOVING BARRIERS! (p103-123)
[1] Removing the "BOSS BARRIER" (p104-108)
RETOOLING THE BOSS = (1) SEEING + (2) FEELING + (3) CHANGING, SEEING, FEELING,
CHANGING!
[2] Removing the "SYSTEM BARRIER" (p108-112)
[3] Removing "BARRIERS IN THE MIND" (p112-116)
One of the greatest "disempowering barriers" is your human mind!
A good rule of thumb is Never underestimate the power of the mind to disempower!
Another rule of thumb = Never underestimate the power of clever people to help others see the possibilities, to help them generate a feeling of faith, and to change behavior!(p112)
[4] Removing "INFORMATION BARRIERS" (p116-120)
[5] Not doing everything at once (p120-122)
[6] SUMMARY = EMPOWER ACTION!
Deal effectively with obstacles that block action:
(1) especially disempowering bosses,
(2) lack of information,
(3) the wrong performance measurement and reward systems, and
(4) lack of self-confidence!
WHAT WORKS =
WHAT DOES NOT WORK =
STORIES TO REMEMBER =
6) STEP 6 = CREATE SHORT TERM WINS (p125-141)
[1] The nature and function of "short-term wins" (p126-127)
Short-term wins are essential since they serve four important purposes: (p127)
(1) Wins provide feedback to change leaders about the validity of their visions and strategies
(2) Wins give those working hard to achieve a vision a pat on the back, an emotional uplift
(3) Wins build faith in the effort, attracting those who are not yet actively helping.
(4) Wins take power away from cynics.
[2] Focus is essential! (p127-129)
[3] The power of visible, unambiguous, and meaningful wins (p129-134)
[4] Choosing what to target first (p134-137)
[5] And if we can't produce... (p137-139)
[6] An exercise that might help (p140)
[6] SUMMARY STEP 6 = CREATE SHORT-TERM WINS (p141)
Produce sufficient short-term wins, sufficiently fast, to energize the change
helpers, enlighten the pessimists, defuse the cynics and build momentum for the effort!
WHAT WORKS =
WHAT DOES NOT WORK =
STORIES TO REMEMBER =
7) STEP 7 = DON'T LET UP! (p143-159)
[1] Keeping urgency up (p144-146)
[2] Tackling more and more difficult changes (p146-152)
[3] Not killing ourselves (p152-155)
[4] Our favorite "Step 7" story (p155-158)
[5] SUMMARY STEP 7 = DON'T LET UP! (p159)
Continue with wave after wave of change, not stopping until the VISION IS A REALITY, despite seemingly intractable problems!
WHAT WORKS =
WHAT DOES NOT WORK =
STORIES TO REMEMBER =
8) STEP 8 = MAKE CHANGE STICK (p161-177)
[1] Change can be fragile (p162-166)
[2] New employee orientation (p166-170)
[3] The promotion process (p170-173)
[4] The power of emotion (p173-175)
[5] A controversial but very importnt point (p175-176)
[6] SUMMARY = MAKE CHANGE STICK! (p177)
Be sure the changes are embedded in the very culture of the organization so that the new way
of operating will stick! (p177)
WHAT WORKS =
WHAT DOES NOT WORK =
STORIES TO REMEMBER =
CONCLUSION --- WE SEE, WE FEEL, WE CHANGE! (p179-185)
Successful leadership is creating a work environment for subordinates where they can "see the vision," "feel support" and "change their habits!"
[1] Thinking and feeling (p180-182)
[2] More than a few heroes (p182-185)
STORY INDEX (p187-188)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS (p189-190)
Return to: Change Category Abstracts