Encouraging change management within a company can lead your entire team to success and, what is more, help you avoid a currently uncomfortable situation. One possible solution is to rely on the 8 steps of change defined by Kotter. This method, which should be adapted according to your business sector, your team composition, and your organization, can give you several ways to gain buy-in for change management from a large number of employees and ultimately encourage them to become active participants in this change.

————

Change in the company

“There is nothing constant except change,” such is Buddha’s dictum. What if we examined this quote? It implies that change is natural and occurs regularly. When we analyze society and the world of work, Buddha’s statement makes sense. Situations of change in companies are numerous: acquisition, rollout of a new activity, internal reorganization, change in leadership, office relocation, implementation of remote work, etc.

And since COVID-19, many have managed to reinvent themselves in order to maintain their activities and preserve links between employees. Thus, change in companies, employee self-satisfaction, worry, and rejection of novelty remain difficult to avoid. To better understand change in the company, we are sharing with you the steps of change highlighted by John P. Kotter. This is not a miracle recipe for successfully leading change in your company, but these steps can serve as a guide for your reflections.

Hope regained through novelty

Novelty often has something frightening about it because we are moving toward the unknown and risks are likely. However, novelty has the advantage of bringing hope in the face of a current situation. To illustrate the hope that can possibly be regained through novelty, we can mention the example of the burning platform reported by Daryl Conner.

Conner had collected the testimony of a worker who had survived a burning oil platform. The worker said that he preferred to dive from a height of 50 meters into an icy sea rather than stay on the platform and end up burned. Between certain death and possible death, he chose the second option because jumping into the water was his only hope, even if that hope was minimal. This example shows that in an emergency situation, our instinct can push us toward the unknown because it seems to offer the most hope.

8 steps for change management

Let us first introduce the creator of these 8 steps for change. It is John P. Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School. In his research in 1996, he concluded that 70% of change efforts in organizations fail because they do not focus on the root of the problem. He therefore proposes analyzing failure situations so they can lead to success. In his book Leading Change (Change Management), he sets out 8 steps to gain acceptance of change in companies.

1. Open eyes to the urgency of the situation

The first step according to Kotter in driving change is being aware of the urgent situation and the need to make a change. In a company context, this means opening the eyes of employees whose acceptance of the situation is sought. It happens that employees are fully satisfied with their current situation and do not want to change anything. In a way, they are blinded by their self-satisfaction.

A phrase that illustrates fear of change is from the American writer Mark Twain, who states, “The only person who likes change is a wet baby.” If you must choose between staying in your comfort zone or leaving it, chances are high you will choose the first option. Why? Even if the unknown offers hope and a wide field of possibilities, the unknown goes against our habits

In the context of change management, Kotter explains that the challenge is to open employees’ eyes so they react. How? By creating a sense of urgency, that is, by relying on the emotional side—even dramatizing the situation—and on individuals’ fear.

To demonstrate the difficulty of seeing certain sometimes obvious things, we can use the iceberg example, which includes a visible part (what can be seen) and a submerged part (what is hidden). This is an analogy commonly used for various topics, but it has the merit of being clear. The visible part of the iceberg would represent what those resistant to change see: they feel fine and do not seek to analyze the situation in its entirety. The submerged part of the iceberg would correspond to what is not seen but is nevertheless necessary for floating. When you explain the urgency of the situation to your employees, it is the submerged part of the iceberg you will need to talk about.

However, insisting on the urgency of the situation is not applicable at every level because depending on the individuals, focusing on felt fear may be harmful to them. To add weight to your argument, using so-called logical arguments to complement your so-called emotional arguments can be a relevant alternative. Statistics, studies, mock-ups, reports, and research work can act as evidence and allow employees to see for themselves the need to accept change.

2. Form a guiding team

To encourage employees to follow change, Kotter explains the need to have an inspiring leader by your side, someone who can guide the team, express an opinion, and bring several people together around a shared vision. Leader does not necessarily mean someone with a high hierarchical position. Their leader status will be built mainly through their ability to inspire trust, put colleagues at ease, and encourage everyone’s freedom of expression. Other factors may also bring them more quickly into leadership prominence, such as their values, expertise, seniority, credibility, and interpersonal skills.

To discuss the importance of a leader in a change situation, we can refer to Kotter’s book, Our Iceberg Is Melting. In this work, built as a fable, the protagonists—who are actually penguins—go through different phases to lead change. It all begins when a curious and observant penguin named Fred notices that the iceberg on which he and his penguin friends live is melting. Worried about what might happen if the iceberg melts, he shares his discovery with Louis, a penguin who is a member of the “Leadership Council.”

The latter, thanks to his leader status, talks about it to all the other penguins in the hope of creating a sense of urgency among them. The idea is initially poorly received because the penguins do not consider the situation problematic and are happy with the life they lead. But then, a team with complementary skills dedicated to change management is formed in order to lead all penguins onto the path of change. This example shows that adopting a measure involves the awareness of a few members and the formation of a guiding team capable of sharing their vision and strategy.

To learn how to initiate and lead change in a professional environment, our training Being a Driver of Change may interest you. You can also contact us to discuss your change management process.

3. Develop a shared vision

Next, Kotter explains that the leader’s role, in a change-management perspective, is to develop a shared vision. To do so, they can start from their personal vision and share it with teammates. What vision should be developed? There is not ONE vision to develop but one or several ideas capable of inspiring, motivating the teams, and reassuring teammates. This path can then lead to the definition of precise objectives, values, and a shared vision. In this way, the vision will be clear and it will be easier for employees to understand the leader’s ideas.

However, developing a shared vision is not easy. The penguin example in Our Iceberg Is Melting proves it. Indeed, when Louis, the penguins’ leader, asks everyone to point east while closing their eyes, they all point their tails in opposite directions: an experiment that demonstrates the difficulty of developing a shared vision because of each person’s personality, expertise, and values. Developing a shared vision is done gradually.

4. Gain commitment to the vision

Once the vision is defined, for Kotter, the leader’s role is to secure broad buy-in for that vision. For this, it is essential that they share their vision with teammates and ask them: What do you think? How do you feel? What would you do? The establishment of moments for dialogue will be particularly appreciated by employees, who will feel more comfortable expressing their opinions and sharing their emotions. In addition, these group discussions may allow the leader to adjust the vision so that it reflects the group’s ambition. By proceeding this way, employees will not feel they are enduring a change decision but will be decision-makers—that is, actors in change management.

As part of a change policy within a large company, asking all employees for their opinion can be complex. In most cases, decisions are made by a small team, often at top management level. The difficulty then lies in securing buy-in for a decision made at the hierarchy level so that employees who did not initiate the change do not feel forced, but naturally adhere to the vision.

5. Encourage employees to act through delegation

As soon as everyone agrees on the process for change management in the company, it is time for execution, the time when the leader encourages employees to act and teams spring into action. This fifth step relies on delegation and employee initiative. Depending on each person’s skills, passions, interpersonal qualities, and the level of trust the leader has in each individual, the leader can delegate a task to one or more specific employees. The practice of this delegative management will boost employee creativity (because they will have a large degree of freedom) and stimulate their motivation. In addition, delegative management has the advantage of reducing stress, often present in a company change situation.

However, using delegative management in all circumstances is not necessarily the only solution to encourage employees to act. Other management styles—directive, persuasive, and participative management—can also be very useful in the context of change management in a company. During its change strategy, GDF Suez, which became Engie in 2016, refocused its activity on the energy transition, which required training its operational teams for new or modified missions. Several management styles were thus applied.

6. Set short-term goals and celebrate wins

To strengthen your employees’ morale and motivate them in their change-management missions, it is preferable to set short-term results. Thanks to short-term objectives, employees will be able to see whether they are heading in the right direction and can adjust their tasks if their initial actions are not very conclusive. To track progress, it is preferable that everyone sets, in addition to final goals, intermediate goals. In this way, employees will not only have one big objective to meet at year-end but several small objectives, which they will consider more achievable.

Once teams reach their objectives, Kotter explains the importance of valuing victories. In what way? For example, by thanking them for their efforts, helping them build skills, organizing friendly events, and letting them enjoy pleasant team-building moments. All these encouragement actions will increase everyone’s morale and encourage the achievement of subsequent objectives.

7 - Build on the momentum of the first results

Based on the data available to you, employee feedback, and unforeseen events (which are unavoidable), the leader can readjust their change-management strategy in the company: keep some elements, modify others, add some, drop some. The initial results will act as test actions that lay the foundations of this change and encourage the continuation of a strong action dynamic.

8 - Create a company culture

To finalize your change management, Kotter advises that objectives be anchored in the company culture. In the same way that an individual evolves, modifies, and adjusts thoughts, a company is not bound to a fixed DNA. Concretely, it may be relevant for new change practices to be communicated through operational documents and oral communication, so that every employee (new or long-standing) absorbs the new company culture.