Suppose you are a manager of an organization. You would like to make changes, but time and again you are unable to actually implement the changes. You have already tried various methods with largely disappointing results. The changes often fail for various reasons such as poor planning, poor management or insufficient knowledge. To implement changes successfully, Professor John Kotter has drawn up the 8-phase model for changes. With these 8 phases you ensure that changes are successful from now on. Curious about how you implement changes successfully? Then read on quickly.

1. Create a sense of urgency

According to John Kotter, the first step is the most important. When making changes, it is important that you create a sense of urgency among everyone involved. Why does the company need to change? Make employees understand the necessity and urgency of the change. Ensure an open, honest and convincing dialogue, because this will create support. It is important that you talk to employees about possible threats and solutions. According to Kotter, emotions are the driving force for change. Therefore, emphasize emotions such as hope, confidence, optimism and enthusiasm rather than just reason.

2. Form a guiding coalition

The second step is to form a guiding coalition. The guiding coalition leads all efforts surrounding the changes and encourages employees to think along and participate. According to Kotter, you need a guiding coalition that supports the changes. This guiding coalition consists of a group of enthusiastic people from different layers of the organization. It is important that these are people from different functions and positions, so that everyone can identify with them.

3. Develop a new vision and strategy

The next step is to develop a new vision. The new vision must clearly show why the change is necessary. Make the vision concrete, realistic, understandable and appealing so that it is clear to everyone what you want to achieve within the organization. Then create a strategy that fits the new vision. By linking the strategy to the vision, you can implement the changes step by step. Develop the strategy into a change plan so that it is clear what exactly needs to be changed.

4. Communicate the change vision

In this fourth phase it is important that you communicate the change vision. By presenting this vision in a clear manner to communicate, your employees know where they stand. Good communication can largely remove uncertainty, fear and mistrust about the changes. Moreover, employees also become more involved in the changes. To increase involvement even more, it is important that there is an open dialogue about the changes. How do you ensure an open dialogue? Managers play an important role in this by being vulnerable, revealing and open. This also makes stakeholders feel invited to be more personally involved in the change process.

5. Remove obstacles

The fifth phase is to remove barriers that stand in the way of employee changes. “What are such barriers? This could include changing systems and structures to make changes easier, such as rearranging work spaces. It is important for this step that you create support and this requires full commitment from management.

6. Make short-term successes visible

During the sixth phase it is important that you make the short-term successes visible to everyone in the organization. According to Kotter, this is important because it creates belief in the success of the new vision and strategy. It is also a reward for those who work hard to implement the new vision and strategy.

7. Continue the changes

The seventh step is all about making the changes continue. According to Kotter, many changes are not successful because employees think that the change process has already been completed. Compare it to a marathon race: if you are just before the finish line, you don't just stop, do you? It's the same with changes, so keep pushing through the changes during this phase. It is also important that you look for improvements. Research what works, refine your approach and implement this in other parts.

8. Give the changes a permanent place

This final phase is about ensuring that the changes are given a permanent place within the organization. How do you ensure that it gets a permanent place? You do this by periodically and systematically measuring and evaluating the progress of the change. By measuring and evaluating, you know exactly what the changes are like. It is not without reason that they say "Measuring = knowing". That's how it is! Discipline and perseverance to continue the changes is therefore very important in this phase.

Change management

We have briefly explained which phases you need to go through if you want to successfully change your company. In practice, the phases will flow smoothly into each other. It is important that you continue to communicate with your employees at all steps. Would you like to talk about change management with one of our? trainers? Or would you like more information about it first? Business Improvement? We are happy to help you change successfully!