Business as a whole is a change. New ideas, technology used, working environment etc come together to initiate a change. There are many theories that suggest ways for making a change, but the most accepted and used theory is the Kotter’s 8 step change model. This was proposed by John Kotter in his book ‘Leading Change’ published in 1995.

    The 8 steps of change are:

  • Create urgency: First we should find a need and propose it in such a way that people talk about it and thus makes the process of change fast and demanding. We should honestly talk about what is happening and then ask customers, other stakeholders and employees to support so that the argument is strengthened which would eventually lead to change.
  • Form a Powerful Coalition: identify people in the organization who are leaders and can help in bringing out a change. Team up these people and potential stakeholders to make a coalition that would work for making the change.
  • Create a vision for change: at the beginning, there would be a pool of ideas, which should be combined to form one idea. We should determine the value of the change idea, which should be put into words as the vision of the organization, and then create a strategy to achieve it. The team members should be aware of the strategy and should be able to explain it in five minutes.
  • Communicate the vision: talk about your vision to the people and convince them that this would bring about a change.
  • Remove obstacles: keep a check on your strategy and remove the barriers as they come as it would help the change to move forward.
  • Create short-term wins: we should set short-term goals which the employees should achieve. This would act as a motivation for the employees.
  • Build on the change: after every win, analyze the achievement and set new goals that would build on the previous one, which would lead to a greater change.
  • Anchor the changes in corporate culture: incorporate the change proposed into the organization and motivate the authorities and the employees to support. When a change becomes a part of an organization, its impact is enhanced.

This model of change can be incorporated into the working of Coast Mountain College to reduce their climate impact in their operations. First urgency can be created. The need to bring about a change in the working of the college can be proposed in such a way that benefits both the college and the climate. This should be communicated to the teachers, students and the concerned authorities. Once they are convinced, make a team of leaders who can work for this change which would form a powerful coalition. Then create a vision for the change that could be communicated and used as a motivation among the students and teachers for making the change.

This is about Kotter’s 8 step change model and how it can be used in an organization.

REFERENCE:

The Mind Tools Content Team By the Mind Tools Content Team, Team, the M. T. C., wrote, M., wrote, smilne0495, & wrote, Y. Kotter’s 8-step change model: Implementing change powerfully and successfully. Change Management Tools from Mind Tools. Retrieved April 9, 2022, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_82.htm