Understanding Kotter’s Theory of Organizational Change
Kotter’s theory describes the eight steps that an organization should take to ensure a successful change. It presents change as a process that requires planning and monitoring to ensure the new methods are well received and implemented into the existing system. For example, the first step is to create “a sense of urgency” to increase engagement (Kotter, n.d.). Other actions include building a group of leaders and volunteers, creating a strategic vision, removing barriers, producing short-term wins, maintaining acceleration, and instituting the changes (Kotter, n.d.). When completing these activities, companies engage all elements of the organization and improve the outcome of any change project.
Applying Stages of Change to Organizational Change Management
The stages of change used for individual clients are similar to those used for organizational projects, but the latter requires more preparation and planning. When working with clients, a manager has such benefits as direct communication and a smaller scale of analysis. Therefore, collecting data and accepting the need for change may be more manageable.
In contrast, when planning a major organizational change, one has to establish communication channels, involve employees in the process, and create a vision to which most stakeholders will agree (Furman et al., 2020). Cohesion between departments and organization-wide norms and values is essential to continuous improvement (Prosci, n.d.). In this case, organizational change management requires a much more attentive approach to people’s adherence to the implementation process.
The Connection Between the Four Functions of Management and Change Management
Most Important Function in the Change Process
The four functions of management – planning, organizing, leading, and controlling – can be linked to the steps in Kotter’s theory. Like these elements, Kotter’s approach asks the manager to prepare employees and the company’s structure for the change, establish leaders and the implementation plan, and monitor the process to make the change permanent. The most important function is planning because it protects the process from unexpected risks and allows one to consider the best course of action. With a plan, other operations can be performed fully because actors and stakeholders must view the goals and potential outcomes.
References
Furman, R., Gibelman, M., & Winnett, R. (2020). Internal sources of organizational change. In R. Furman et al. (Eds.), Navigating human service organizations: Essential information for thriving and surviving in agencies (4th ed., pp. 187–202). Oxford University Press.
Kotter. (n.d.). The 8 steps for leading change. Web.
Prosci. (n.d.). Five levels of change management maturity. Web.