Leading Change

The traditional business practices Kotter highlights are often identified as working well in slower business environments. What does Kotter mean by “slower,” and what are some of the methods and operations that work well in “slower” environments? Why do these practices fail in “faster” environments?

Kotter often uses hypothetical characters in brief examples to show how a dynamic or strategy works in real life. Pick one such example and explain how it further develops one of Kotter’s ideas. Why do these hypothetical examples work? How do these examples relate to the “personal” tone of the book?

The dynamic between complacency and urgency is proportional, such that an increase in complacency indicates a decrease in urgency. How are these terms indicative of two different approaches to the same issue? Is there a difference between targeting low urgency and high complacency? Is complacency or urgency the default state of most employees?

Kotter identifies the first four stages of the eight-stage process as “defrost” steps. What does he mean by “defrost”? How does the order of the first four stages become important as Kotter covers each stage? Using support from the text, show why one stage needs to occur before another.

Vision plays a key role in Kotter’s view of change. What is vision? Using support from the text, what does a vision need to do? Who needs to adhere to the vision, and why is it important that the vision is communicated clearly? Kotter claims that having a strong vision can save time, but where and when can it perform that role?

Empowerment is the first stage following the “defrost” steps. What distinguishes stages 1-4 from stages 5-7? What is empowerment, and how do the first four stages increase the possibility of success of the empowerment stage? What obstacles are there to empowerment, and how does Kotter recommend removing those obstacles?

The seventh stage involves multiple projects and efforts in the change process. What kinds of tasks does Kotter envision for the seventh stage? Why is it important to maintain momentum and push forward with multiple projects at this stage? How do the previous stages prepare for the seventh stage?

Kotter describes the eighth and final stage as the most challenging, emphasizing the difficulty of modifying company culture. Why is culture something that is difficult to discuss or expose? How do core values in a firm tend to remain even after a seemingly successful change effort, and how might lingering values undermine that change effort?