4 Kotter 8 Steps

Kotter 8 Accelerators

A Change ProcessThe renown Harvard Business School professor, John Kotter, has explored innovation and change at all levels of organisations and in many sectors (Kotter, 2014). He makes a very strong case for the need for two structures in organisations to facilitate change and innovation. One of course is the formal structure and hierarchy. This includes planning, budgeting, job definitions, staffing and organisational charts. The other, the second system, is what Kotter calls the ‘organisational network’. Start-ups are usually built around a network model. Kotter argues that mature organisations need both systems, which he calls a dual operating system.

To build this dual operating system, Kotter proposes 8 steps, which he calls Accelerators.

Figure Kotter 8 steps

(Adapted from Kotter, 2014)

You might notice here that the actual ‘change’ component of the process is the final stage in the process!

Activity

Explore these concepts in more detail on the Kotter website. Kotter Website

Revisit a recent change initiative that you have witnessed or experienced.

What was the process that was used? How successful, in your opinion, and by the proposed change measures, was the change initiative?

How aligned, at all, was the process aligned with, or similar to, the Kotter process? What would you propose that could be completed differently[1]