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Change By John P Kotter

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Introduction

The definition of change according to the Webster dictionary is “to become different or to make someone or something different.” John P Kotter writes that change is always around “changing the behavior of people” (preface XII) Kotter explains that change is a concept that is used by organizations to restructure or improve their business behavior. Companies find it difficult to initiate change due to the lack of motivating employees or leaders. In his book, Kotter proposes an eight stage process that could support organizations that are looking for change.

Discussion

The Eight important stages of change by John P. Kotter

Stage one: Establishing a Sense of Urgency
In this stage Kotter shares business stories of successful companies that increased urgency to spark a change. He explains that there are four behaviors which could prevent change. Behaviors related to “complacency, immobilization, self-protection, you-can’t-make-me-move deviance, and pessimistic attitude that leads to constant hesitation.” (Kotter and Cohen, p17) These four negative elements need to be approached carefully, if they are not, employees wouldn’t have sense of urgency to perform changes. To have a successful introduction to change and for it to be received with urgency, it has to be presented in a way that the leaders of an organization will back it up, as long as they are “part of a larger activity aimed at helping to lower feelings undermining urgency.” (Kotter and Cohen, p22)

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