With a New Preface by the Author, Leading Change

This is a good book to read if you are considering making changes within an organization. The steps for successful, sustained change are good food for thought. It's already made me aware of things I've done well and not so well in change efforts.

I work for a Christian ministry that is undergoing massive change. This book has helped me appreciate our leadership all the more and brings perspective to decisions being made. It motivates me to be a life long learner in leadership and to empower many to lead.

This is a great book if your leadership style involves beatings until morale improves. Really tired of pompous executives who think like this author. Funny thing is, if anything happened to them like they think should be done to other people they'd probably implode. Kotter has some parts right in the book in terms of getting the right people in the right jobs, but the method of doing so leaves something to be desired.

Very fast shipping. Book arrived before I expected it. Realized after it had shipped that I wouldn't need this book. When I contacted the seller, I got a very fast response of how to return the book for a full credit. Credit was process very promptly. Would highly recommend this seller and would gladly use again in the future!

I'm disappointed the Audible version connected through the store was a Havard Business Review synopsis by Kotter and not the actual Audible book. The audio book is available on Audible.com so I do t understand why it's not linked here. Ther HBR version was only $2 but why not link the full book instead of a related HBR synopsis?

Very fast shipping. Book arrived before I expected it. Realized after it had shipped that I wouldn't need this book. When I contacted the seller, I got a very fast response of how to return the book for a full credit. Credit was process very promptly. Would highly recommend this seller and would gladly use again in the future!

I'm disappointed the Audible version connected through the store was a Havard Business Review synopsis by Kotter and not the actual Audible book. The audio book is available on Audible.com so I do t understand why it's not linked here. Ther HBR version was only $2 but why not link the full book instead of a related HBR synopsis?

I just found out that the store censors these ratings so I no longer will be participating in this part of my purchases. Quite frankly, if there was an alternative to the store I would take my business elsewhere. Opinions matter especially in retail where customers expect the best for their money. Bezos allows his politics to get in the way of honest reviews by educated customers who have suffered through the Obama years and would have seen the end of this country if Hillary would have been elected. By supporting Hillary and liberals, Bezos has placed his own interest above his customers. This sickens me and I will be looking for other avenues for my ecommerce needs.

I highly recommend this book for its easy-to-read-and-grasp approach to managing change. The book outlines an eight-stage change process that is intuitive and methodical. Kotter shows a change agent what to look for, what to emphasize, and how to orchestrate and maneuver through any organizational change. I appreciate the book's instructional tone without all the business jargon. As a leadership book, I consider it one of my two must reads (the other is Leadership 2.0).

Here's what's inside "Leading Change":

Part I: The Change Problem and Its Solution

1. Transforming Organizations: Why Firms Fail

2. Successful Change and the Force That Drives It

Part II: The Eight-Stage Process

3. Establishing a Sense of Urgency

4. Creating the Guiding Coalition

5. Developing a Vision and Strategy

6. Communication the Change Vision

7. Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action

8. Generating Short-Term Wins

9. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change

10. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture

Part III: Implications For the Twenty-First Century

11. The Organization of the Future

12. Leadership and Lifelong Learning

This 1st edition of Leading Change is very similar to the reviews posted for the 2012 version. Both Turgay BUGDACIGIL's October 22, 2000 and Gerard Kroese August 17, 2002 reviews are both accurate and on point.

At the end book, he states: "...many people are still embracing the 20th-centry career and growth model. Sometimes complacency is the problem...but more often fear is a key issue...they worry about health insurance and the cost of college for their children. So they don't think about growth. They don't think about personal renewal...Instead they cling defensively to what they currently have. In effect, they embrace the past, not the future."

He also states the importance of lifelong learning, one's own competitive drive & the capacity to succeed in the future. Intangibles such as a person's own inborn capabilities, childhood experiences, their own level of standards, desire to do well, self confidence in competitive situations, willingness to seek new challenges and to reflect honestly on successes and failures, all to create a capability to deal with an increasingly competitive and fast moving environment.

This book is a very extensive and thorough read, definitely worth the time to even take notes on it for future reference

Leading Change by John P Kotter was not written for pastors, but it is my conviction that every pastor should read this book. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to any person who is involved in leadership.

In this rapidly changing world, Kotter gives a clear cut guide regarding how to be a leader that champions change. He says, “Change sticks only when it becomes ‘the way we do things around here’ when it seeps into the very bloodstream of the work unit or corporate body.” So the process for the leader is to take the idea and slowly work to develop a guiding coalition until it becomes the norm.

When I pastored in Illinois the church quickly went from a church of 30 to a church of 100 in less than a year. Every single Sunday would bring new faces to our growing congregation. With those new faces came new problems. I believe if I had read Leading Change before I arrived at my church that I would have been ready to handle the coming problems.

There are potential pitfalls that the leader must foresee and battle. One of those battles are with those who oppose the change. Kotter says, “The combination of cultures that resist change and managers who have not been taught how to create change is lethal.” This is why it is imperative that the leader is prepared for opposition. I was not prepared in my church in Illinois.

I challenged the congregation that if we had 100 in attendance for Easter Sunday that they could put a pie in my face. We had more than 150 with more than a dozen first time decisions for Christ. I exclaimed during the service that we had a unique problem. I told them we had to begin to think about adding on to receive the new attenders that God was sending us. The next day the elders came in with another option. It was time for me to resign my position as pastor. I was all wrong on how I introduced change and those who opposed it had already dug in their heels.

In retrospect I should have spent more time in building the vision of the church to the leadership. Kotter says, “Vision plays a key role in producing useful change by helping direct, align, and inspire actions on the part of large numbers of people.” If the leadership had walked the path to see the vision coming to fruition it would have been more feasible for them to accept the needed change that they were experiencing. What I was proposing was coming solely at this time from me. Kotter says, “In an organization with 100 employees, at least two dozen must go far beyond the normal call of duty to produce a significant change.” I had yet to build a team that was ready to see the vision happen.

Even with the church growing, people coming to Christ, the giving at an all-time high, and an eager excitement oozing from the new attenders I failed to realize what Kotter said, “Never underestimate the magnitude of the forces that reinforce complacency and that help maintain the status quo.” When the elders came to me the next morning they had more than enough support to ask for my resignation. “A strong guiding coalition is always needed-one with the right composition, level of trust, and shared objective.” I had none of these, and by the time that my District Superintendent got involved, it was too late

The problems in my church were good problems, but even so, they were problems. I wonder at times how things might have been different if I had introduced change at a slower pace with better methods and a grand plan.

Thankfully we can learn from our mistakes and learn from competent leaders like Kotter and break such cycles.

By any objective measure, the amount of significant change in organizations has grown tremendously over the past two decades. In fact, many experts say there’s been more change in the last twenty years than in the last two hundred. More and more organizations will be pushed to reduce costs, improve the quality of products and services, locate new opportunities for growth, and increase productivity. The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. For these reasons, I’ve chosen John Kotter’s Leading Change for this month’s book review.
Kotter says that people of his generation or older did not grow up in an era when transformation was common. With less global competition and a slower-moving business environment, the norm back then was stability and the ruling motto was: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Change occurred incrementally and infrequently. Well, that’s no longer the case.
The challenges we face are different. A globalized economy is creating both more hazards and more opportunities for everyone, forcing organizations to make dramatic improvements not only to compete and prosper but also to merely survive. Kotter says that no one is immune to these forces. Even companies that sell only in small geographic regions can feel the impact of globalization. The problem is that most managers have little to no history or legacy to guide them through all of this change. Kotter believes that successful change transformations takes 70 to 90 percent leadership and only 10 to 30 percent management. Yet for historical reasons, many organizations today don’t have much leadership. And almost everyone thinks about the problem here as one of managing change, not leading change.
Kotter believes that managing change is important. Without competent management, the transformation process can get out of control. But for most organizations, the much bigger challenge is leading change. Only leadership can motivate the actions needed to alter behavior in any significant way. Only leadership can get change to stick by anchoring it in the very culture of an organization.
In his book, Kotter shares his eight-stage change process, each of which is associated with one of the eight fundamental errors that undermine transformation efforts.
Although Kotter’s book first came out in 1996, it’s as relevant today as it was a decade ago. This is a fantastic book on what it takes to lead change. The examples of the eight mistakes of managing change as well as the eight-step change process can be extremely helpful in learning how to lead change throughout one’s organization. Enjoy this month’s selection, Leading Change and share it with others in your life because as Alvin Toffler says; “The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

John P. Kotter has written a very insightful book, even though written in 1996- is still prevalent and applies to today and beyond, that in the right hands will transform small, struggling companies into companies on the rise and apart of the future. Any executive who reads this will see the power of what changing to adapt to the 21st century way of thinking, will over the long run have a much better run company with better equipped employees, who will be happier and will work harder for the company as well, and will stay in business longer as well.

When global competition was less intense, the norm was 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Change occurred incrementally and infrequently, and those at the head of organizations could simply manage their people and technology to run smoothly. That is no longer the case - other nations are making continuous and significant simultaneous improvements in quality, productivity, and response times. No entity is immune to these forces, including hospitals, schools, and other government entities - increased performance demands are being passed down to them from entities on the front-lines of global competition. Today, a purely managerial mindset that focuses on doing what has always been done inevitably fails, regardless of the quality of people involved, because the arrogance of past successes and its inward focus blocks adapting to or anticipating change in the new competitive environment. Leadership is now required - to transform old systems and take the organization into territory that is new and less well known. Ideally, this begins before the consequences of prolonged 'business as usual' threaten the organization's viability.

Major change efforts have helped some organizations adapt significantly to shifting conditions, improved the competitive standing of others, and positioned a few for a far better future. In too many situations (about 70%), the improvements have been disappointing. The most common major error has been allowing too much complacency - transformations always fail to achieve their objectives when complacency levels are high. Too much past success, a lack of visible crises, low performance standards, insufficient feedback from external constituencies add up to 'Yes, we have problems, but they aren't that terrible and I'm doing my job just fine.'

Lack of urgency is reflected in a lack of focus on a compelling mission, numerous excuses ('the whole industry is having these problems,' 'we're making some progress,' 'voters were confused by other issues on the ballot'), meetings dominated by issues of marginal importance, a leisurely pace of action, rare reference to any indicators of unacceptable performance (eg. falling market share), 'happy talk,' and avoidance of decision-making. Absent - bold moves, such as basing half the pay for the organization's top ten contingent on significant ('stretch goal') improvement in the current fiscal year. It is no coincidence that transformations often start when a new person is brought in, someone who does not have to defend past actions.

A majority of employees, perhaps 75% of management overall, and virtually all the top executives need to believe that considerable change is absolutely essential. The 'good news,' per Kotter, is that he's never seen an organization in which the entire top management is against change - at least 20 - 30% seem to know the entity isn't living up to its potential, want to do something, but feel blocked.

The second most common major error is failing to create a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition. In the behind-the-scenes struggle between a single executive or a weak committee vs. tradition and short-term self-interest, the latter almost always wins - via passive resistance and bureaucracy. In successful transformations, the president, division G.M., plus another 5 - 50 people with a commitment to significant and sustained improvement pull together as a team that model the new sense of urgency and focus. Enough key players, especially the main line managers, must be on board so that those left out cannot easily block progress. Members must have good reputations in the organization, be leaders themselves, and enthusiastically support the new direction. Those whose organizational position mandates inclusion (eg. CFO), but lack enthusiasm for the task, must be replaced.

The third most common major error is underestimating the power of a sensible and appealing vision. Without an appropriate vision, transformation efforts can dissolve into a confusing, incompatible, and time-consuming alphabet soupr of projects that go in the wrong direction or nowhere at all. Plans and programs cannot play the role of vision, especially those more complicated - they do not provide a compelling statement of where these efforts are intended to go. Jargon and technobabble are verboten, metaphor, analogy and example are in. Repetition and modeling are essential. If you cannot describe the vision driving change in five minutes or less and get a reaction that signifies both understanding and interest, you are in for trouble. Unfortunately, visions and change strategies are not easily formulated by individuals who have learned only to think in terms plans and budgets.

The fourth most common major error is under-communicating the vision by a factor of 10, 100, or even more. This can take the form of simply holding a few meetings or sending out a few memos, the second fails to get other layers below the CEO participating, and the third involves behaving in the old ways - despite good communication of the new vision.

The fifth - permitting obstacles to block. Examples would include discordant compensation and performance-appraisal systems, or supervisors failing to make new demands consistent with the transformation.

Sixth is failing to create short-term wins. Complex efforts to change strategies or restructure risk losing momentum if there are no short-term goals to meet and celebrate within 6 - 18 months. Without short-term wins, too many employees give up or actively join the resistance. In a successful transformation, managers actively look for ways to obtain clear improvements, achieve those objectives, and reward those involved with recognition, promotions, or money. If it becomes clear that efforts will take a long time, urgency levels usually drop.

Seventh - neglecting to anchor changes firmly in the organizational culture. Staff should be shown how specific behaviors and attitudes have helped improve performance. Promotion criteria must be reshaped for the effort to last - this includes involving the board so that changes in leadership continue to support the change.

Eighth is believing that the place to begin is with changing attitudes and knowledge of individuals. According to this model, once people 'get religion,' changes in their behavior will surely follow. Reality is that the most effective way to change behavior is through imposing new responsibilities and roles - these then 'force' new attitudes and behaviors. Culture changes only after successfully altering people's actions, after new behaviors produce group benefit for a period of time and people see the connection. Strategic redirection does not begin with changing the culture, and therefore responsibility for accomplishing such should NOT be given to HR managers.

Finally, what should the organization of the future look like? A persistent sense of urgency, supported by improved and widely disseminated feedback on customers, competitors, technological developments, and financial results, is important. Norms associated with political politeness and non-conformational diplomaticese must change. Unnecessary levels and interdependencies are eliminated, bringing faster decision-making and greater accountability. Those reaching the top display competitive drive and lifelong learning - the latter is bolstered by controlled risk-taking (experimentation), solicitation of opinions, careful listening, and openness to new ideas.

This is a classic in change management in large organisations. It should be required reading by all executives. The original book is some 20 years old now, but the model is largely valid. Having praised the book, let me add two negative points:
1. The model has not been much tested by academic research. That honestly is a bit problematic.
2. The model has been developed with US companies in mind. The US is a very individualistic culture so the model is not likely to work in a collectivistic culture. Especially since many of the steps in the model really are created by an individual, e.g. create a crisis, form a coalition of the willing that excludes the others. These prescriptions might not go down so well in all cultures.
3. The model is decidedly top-down and assumes that change starts at the top. If you are a corporate entrepreneur you are going to find the model less useful.

Still I recommend the book. I wish the author would be a bit more international. Listen to youtube and he really is 100% American. The book is worth a solid four stars, but since it has become a classic I will give it one extra star.

This is probably the single best book ever written about leading change.

Step 1 - Increase Urgency
Step 2 - Build Guiding Teams
Step 3 - Create a Change Vision
Step 4 - Communication for buy-in
Step 5 - Enable Action
Step 6 - Create Short Term Wins
Step 7 - Don't Let Up
Step 8 - Make It Stick

If you follow Kotter's 8 step change model the result is change. This is much easier that trying to force change. One suggestion I would make to get the most out of these steps is to have your key people come up with their own definitions of each step and how to make each happen before they read Kotter's book. Why? Because people don't have much bandwidth to learn another change strategy. However, if you give them the chance to "self-discover" what they think about the topic and come to a consensus and then afterwards use Kotter's smart and doable tactics it will enhance their absorbing the information and feel the ideas in the book as an enhancement of what they have already come up with. When I have done that, it greatly increases "buy in."
Some years ago I did a short youtube video entitled, "Gaining Buy In" at: [...]
In it I talk about showing people something they think they already know and and then tweaking it. If you and your teams come to what you already think and know about Kotter's steps and then read his words it will increase the "buy in" to what you don't know and what you can learn from this great book.

I was attracted to this book because...
I’m researching leading with a sense of change and urgency. I am reading a lot of John Kotter. This concept fits my criteria.

This book was about
Even though the book is almost 20 years old, it is still valid steps to leading change. It provides an 8 step process every organization must go through to initiate change.

Things I liked about this book
I liked the organization and though behind the recommendations. I feel they are very valid observations

Why you should read this book
If you are experiencing change in any area of your life, you will find this study beneficial.

This book lived up to the back cover copy
This book met my requirements. I found ti to be very powerful

The author opens this book with a discussion of the common errors people make in trying to implement organizational change. He then goes on to counteract those errors with his eight-stage process for implementing effective and sustainable change: 1) Establishing a sense of urgency; 2) Creating the guiding coalition; 3) Developing a vision and strategy; 4) Communicating the change vision; 5) Empowering a broad base of people to take action; 6) Generating short-term wins; 7) Consolidating gains and producing even more change; and 8) Institutionalizing new approaches into the culture. The first four stages are intended to defrost a hardened status quo, the next three introduce many new practices, and the final stage grounds the changes into the corporate culture and helps them stick. This book is a comprehensive approach to change management and highly recommended for anyone undertaking a major change effort within an organization.

This is an eminently readable book on the the challenge of effecting meaningful and lasting change. According to the author, the path to successful and lasting change is laden with (at least) eight pitfalls, each of which forms a chapter in the book. A ton of common sense pervades the book. For my money, the most enlightening piece is in Chapter 10, on culture (more on that later).

However, there are two shortcomings with the book.
The first is that it lacks a detailed case study, with specifics, that would make the problem vivid and real. The abundance of anonymized examples do not really help beyond a point. We know they are all based on the author's experiences with real companies, but by making them anonymous we are robbed of the precious insight that reality can provide. They are too short and focused on illustrating the immediate point in question to be of much help.

The second is that when reading this book in 2010, the lack of any references to the world of information technology hurts the contemporariness of the book. IBM's change under Lou Gerstner, Microsoft's change to embrace the Internet, Microsoft's subsequent failure in the search business, or the rise of social networking and how established software companies were unable to change to embrace these changes - all examples of successful change or failure to change, and at large, successful corporations. Among all industries, the world of information technology has probably seen the most change over the last two decades. Not having any examples from this industry, to my mind, lessens the impact of this book, in the year 2010.

This book is about "leading" change, not "managing" it. The author makes clear this is by design and not accident.

"At the beginning, those who attempt to create major change with simple, linear, analytical processes almost always fail.
...
Q: So why would an intelligent person rely too much on simple, linear, analytical processes?
A: Because he or she has been taught to manage but not to lead.
...
Management is a set of processes that can keep a complicated system of people and technology running smoothly. ... Leadership is a set of processes that creates organizations in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances.
[page 25]

One of the key points that the author makes is that change has to be communicated often and to the lowest level of a company, and that enough important people of the company are on board with the change. That the naysayers, the skeptics, the cynics, the saboteurs are all out to undo any change that may be effected is not in doubt. The author argues that they need to be engaged with. This is a message that the author repeats in his new book, "Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down". Why change can be difficult to cement is in no small part due to the pervasive influence of culture. And this, in my mind, is one of the most important learnings from the book.

"Culture refers to norms of behavior and shared values among a group of people. Norms of behavior are common or pervasive ways of acting that are found in a group and that persist because group members tend to behave in ways that teach these practices to new members, rewarding those who fit in and sanctioning those who do not. Shared values are important concerns and goals shared by most of the people in a group that tend to shape group behavior and that often persist over time even when group membership changes.
...
Generally, shared values, which are less apparent but more deeply ingrained in the culture, are more difficult to change than norms of behavior.
...
Consultants, industrial salespeople, and others who regularly see firms up close without being employees know well how much culture operates outside of people's awareness, even rather visibly unusual aspects of a culture." [page 148]

You can almost hear the future echoes from Jim Collin's book, How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In,when Kotter states,

"Success creates some degree of market dominance, which in turn produces much growth. After a while, keeping the ever-larger organization under control becomes the primary challenge. So attention turns inward, and managerial competencies are nurtured. With a strong emphasis on management but not leadership, bureaucracy and an inward focus takes over." [page 27]

I would say that this book should not be read in isolation. There are several other books that should be read along with this excellent work by Prof John Kotter. I have railed against the brevity of Jim Collin's latest book, How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In, but I think it is a worthy read on what causes companies to fail.

"Long and detailed pronouncements not only can feel like straitjackets but can soon become obsolete in a rapidly changing world. At the same time, visions that need constant readjustments lose their credibility." [page 76]

The eight errors committed when leading change are:

Error #1: Allowing Too Much Complacency
Error #2: Failing to create a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition
Error #3: Underestimating the power of vision
Error #4: Undercommunicating the vision by a factor or 10 (or 100 or even 1,000)
Error #5: Permitting obstacles to block the new vision
Error #6: Failing to create the short-term wins
Error #7: Declaring victory too soon
Error #8: Neglecting to anchor changes firmly in the corporate culture

And yes, this book has no index. A Harvard Business School title (Leading Change (Hardcover)), and it has no index. That's not change I care for.

Small businesses, entrepreneurs and authors can learn a lot about why some changes just don't work for them. Author John P. Kotter is a change management expert, and his book Leading Change offers some great insights that can help any business move through change with more ease. First we need to understand what gets in the way of an effective change process:

Kotter says that businesses fail with their change processes because:

- They allow too much complacency

- They fail to create a powerful and effective change guiding coalition

- They underestimate the power of vision

- They under communicate the vision- communication is actions and words

- Permitting obstacles to block the new vision

- Failing to create short term wins

For businesses, authors and entrepreneurs, it is important we don't become complacent in our work, always endeavor to be innovative, and passionate. It is the passion and innovation that helps you solve business challenges, and that people remember you for. Ensure that you have a vision, know how powerful a vision is and communicate it, and communicate it some more. Don't let obstacles or shiny objects get in the way or your plans and vision. Always find the short term "win wins", they fuel the next step in the journey. Also, bring people along with you! These indivduals become champions for you, your business and your vision.

Kotter also talks about the 8 step process to effectively lead change:
1. Establish sense of urgency
2. Create the guiding coalition
3. Develop vision and a strategy
4. Communicate the change vision
5. Empower employees for broad based action
6. Generate short win wins
7. Consolidate gains and produce more change
8. Anchor new approached in the culture

The book details each of the 8 steps in a way that creates tangible actions for any leader or change management consultant. The process provides a great road map so that others can get on board the change process. The book is an easy read, and makes a great deal of sense!

Charmaine Hammond
[...]
Author On Toby's Terms

When global competition was less intense, the norm was 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Change occurred incrementally and infrequently, and those at the head of organizations could simply manage their people and technology to run smoothly. That is no longer the case - other nations are making continuous and significant simultaneous improvements in quality, productivity, and response times. No entity is immune to these forces, including hospitals, schools, and other government entities - increased performance demands are being passed down to them from entities on the front-lines of global competition. Today, a purely managerial mindset that focuses on doing what has always been done inevitably fails, regardless of the quality of people involved, because the arrogance of past successes and its inward focus blocks adapting to or anticipating change in the new competitive environment. Leadership is now required - to transform old systems and take the organization into territory that is new and less well known. Ideally, this begins before the consequences of prolonged 'business as usual' threaten the organization's viability.

Major change efforts have helped some organizations adapt significantly to shifting conditions, improved the competitive standing of others, and positioned a few for a far better future. In too many situations (about 70%), the improvements have been disappointing. The most common major error has been allowing too much complacency - transformations always fail to achieve their objectives when complacency levels are high. Too much past success, a lack of visible crises, low performance standards, insufficient feedback from external constituencies add up to 'Yes, we have problems, but they aren't that terrible and I'm doing my job just fine.'

Lack of urgency is reflected in a lack of focus on a compelling mission, numerous excuses ('the whole industry is having these problems,' 'we're making some progress,' 'voters were confused by other issues on the ballot'), meetings dominated by issues of marginal importance, a leisurely pace of action, rare reference to any indicators of unacceptable performance (eg. falling market share), 'happy talk,' and avoidance of decision-making. Absent - bold moves, such as basing half the pay for the organization's top ten contingent on significant ('stretch goal') improvement in the current fiscal year. It is no coincidence that transformations often start when a new person is brought in, someone who does not have to defend past actions.

A majority of employees, perhaps 75% of management overall, and virtually all the top executives need to believe that considerable change is absolutely essential. The 'good news,' per Kotter, is that he's never seen an organization in which the entire top management is against change - at least 20 - 30% seem to know the entity isn't living up to its potential, want to do something, but feel blocked.

The second most common major error is failing to create a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition. In the behind-the-scenes struggle between a single executive or a weak committee vs. tradition and short-term self-interest, the latter almost always wins - via passive resistance and bureaucracy. In successful transformations, the president, division G.M., plus another 5 - 50 people with a commitment to significant and sustained improvement pull together as a team that model the new sense of urgency and focus. Enough key players, especially the main line managers, must be on board so that those left out cannot easily block progress. Members must have good reputations in the organization, be leaders themselves, and enthusiastically support the new direction. Those whose organizational position mandates inclusion (eg. CFO), but lack enthusiasm for the task, must be replaced.

The third most common major error is underestimating the power of a sensible and appealing vision. Without an appropriate vision, transformation efforts can dissolve into a confusing, incompatible, and time-consuming alphabet soupr of projects that go in the wrong direction or nowhere at all. Plans and programs cannot play the role of vision, especially those more complicated - they do not provide a compelling statement of where these efforts are intended to go. Jargon and technobabble are verboten, metaphor, analogy and example are in. Repetition and modeling are essential. If you cannot describe the vision driving change in five minutes or less and get a reaction that signifies both understanding and interest, you are in for trouble. Unfortunately, visions and change strategies are not easily formulated by individuals who have learned only to think in terms plans and budgets.

The fourth most common major error is under-communicating the vision by a factor of 10, 100, or even more. This can take the form of simply holding a few meetings or sending out a few memos, the second fails to get other layers below the CEO participating, and the third involves behaving in the old ways - despite good communication of the new vision.

The fifth - permitting obstacles to block. Examples would include discordant compensation and performance-appraisal systems, or supervisors failing to make new demands consistent with the transformation.

Sixth is failing to create short-term wins. Complex efforts to change strategies or restructure risk losing momentum if there are no short-term goals to meet and celebrate within 6 - 18 months. Without short-term wins, too many employees give up or actively join the resistance. In a successful transformation, managers actively look for ways to obtain clear improvements, achieve those objectives, and reward those involved with recognition, promotions, or money. If it becomes clear that efforts will take a long time, urgency levels usually drop.

Seventh - neglecting to anchor changes firmly in the organizational culture. Staff should be shown how specific behaviors and attitudes have helped improve performance. Promotion criteria must be reshaped for the effort to last - this includes involving the board so that changes in leadership continue to support the change.

Eighth is believing that the place to begin is with changing attitudes and knowledge of individuals. According to this model, once people 'get religion,' changes in their behavior will surely follow. Reality is that the most effective way to change behavior is through imposing new responsibilities and roles - these then 'force' new attitudes and behaviors. Culture changes only after successfully altering people's actions, after new behaviors produce group benefit for a period of time and people see the connection. Strategic redirection does not begin with changing the culture, and therefore responsibility for accomplishing such should NOT be given to HR managers.

Finally, what should the organization of the future look like? A persistent sense of urgency, supported by improved and widely disseminated feedback on customers, competitors, technological developments, and financial results, is important. Norms associated with political politeness and non-conformational diplomaticese must change. Unnecessary levels and interdependencies are eliminated, bringing faster decision-making and greater accountability. Those reaching the top display competitive drive and lifelong learning - the latter is bolstered by controlled risk-taking (experimentation), solicitation of opinions, careful listening, and openness to new ideas.

Kotter's style is straightforward and easy to read. The book describes a process for change that is intriguing in its own right but which also raises many questions regarding organizational behavior and the human decision process. Why don't well educated people understand the need for change and why the resistance to a new approach. I would recommend a couple of companion books: The Power of Habit and Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

In Leading Change, Kotter shares an eight-point system for leading change:

1) Establishing a Sense of Urgency
2) Creating the Guiding Coalition
3) Developing a Vision and Strategy
4) Communicating the Change Vision
5) Empowering Employees for Broad-Based Action
6) Generating Short-term Wins
7) Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change
8) Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture

Kotter is the author of eighteen books, twelve are bestsellers. Printed in over 150 foreign language editions, his books have sold more than three million copies worldwide.

We often make terrible mistakes when attempting to bring about significant changes in large organisations because history has not prepared us for transformational challenges, according to John Kotter in this highly regarded book. Kotter recommends an 8-step change process, with the first step being establishing a sense of urgency. People will not be willing to undergo the pain of change unless they appreciate that the pain of not changing will be greater.

The seond step is creating a "guiding coalition". The third step is developing a vision and strategy. People need to understand where the change is leading them. The fourth step is communicating the change vision. This has to be repeated continually. The fifth step is empowering broad-based action. Systems need to be altered to encourage fulfilment of the change vision. The sixth step is generating short-term wins. It is important to have early favourable results to win over the skeptics. The seventh step is consolidating gains and producing more change. The eighth step is anchoring new approaches in the culture. Too often the change process is regarded as "completed" too early, and the organisation lapses back to its pre-change malaise.

There are very few business books which are as well written and useful as this one. From my own experience in organisational change, I can attest to the usefulness of each of the eight steps advocated by Kotter. I found the book very easy to read, with numerous helpful examples, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is a leader in an organisation.

Many transformations fail but as John P. Kotter said, no business can survive over the long term if it can’t reinvent itself. Leading change accross an entire organization is probably the most difficult thing to do. It requires the right balance between management and leadership.

The book begins with the same eight errors identified in his famous article on which is based this book. John P. Kotter benefits from the space offered by this book to add a lot more examples, all based on the incredible experience of the author over a period of more than a decade.

The second part introduces the eight-stage process for creating major change. The approach is easy-to-follow and methodical. Too often, people skip these steps because of pressure. John P. Kotter dedicates a chapter for each step and demonstrates its essential role with numerous examples of successful or failed attempts.

The last part emphasizes the importance of this book in the Twenty-First Century. Since 1996, Leading Change provides a detailed road map to avoid common pitfalls. This book has never been more valuable than it is today.

The only drawback I found is that the book is really targeted to CEOs even if most ideas and practical advices are applicable in most contexts. As a developer, change is everywhere. Technologies change, requirements change, methodologies change but many companies refuse to embrace change. Leading Change is probably not as helpful to me since I am not in a situation to use its ideas but it gave me the insight to know if a transformation will succeed or not. An outstanding contribution!

The information and examples in this book are worth their weight in gold for anyone trying to lead an organization through change. Some of what is covered you are likely to have seen elsewhere, such as the difference between management and leadership or the theme of life-long learning.

It is the examples the author uses and the hard truths he makes clear about them that set this book apart from all others. Hearing about a company that sounds like it did everything right except skip one step - the one you were thinking you'd have skipped too - and then cringing when he explains how everything fell apart because of that one missed step forces you to reevaluate your prejudices and personal tendencies.

Kotter does not over-simplify; he acknowledges where things get rough. He does not dismiss genuine efforts or well intentioned mistakes as foolishness or lack of education; he is respectful and up front all the way through. Although this was sometimes frustrating to read because of that honesty and lack of easy answers, it was incredibly valuable. Definitely worth your time, regardless of your age, industry or position.

I bought the audible version for class. I figured that the audio version would be the same version as the written version. Warning it is not. The audio is simply a summary of the book. It is only 30 minutes long and upon further research there is a different audiobook available on other websites thats the full 6 hours. If you are trying to buy the audio to the book DO NOT BUY THIS AUDIBLE.

Change means taking people out of their comfort zone. Change is painful. Countless self-help books and score of motivational speakers would tell you to embrace change, and that change is good/what one needs to grow/ [substitute your own here]. May be, but all of that is just sugar coating. The best you can argue is probably that some change is less painful than the others. Some people have trouble changing from having two sugar in their coffee to one. You know it's good for you but it's a pain.

After studying large businesses, John P. Kotter deduced that any major organisational change must followed these 8 steps, and in sequence.

1.Establishing a sense of urgency
2.Build a group with senior management support
3.Developing a vision and strategy
4.Constantly communicate the change vision
5.Empower employee to take action, encourage employee to take calculated risk
6.Generate short-terms wins, celebrate wins to build momentum
7.Use increased credibility to propagate more change throughout the organisation
8.Don't stop. Keep pushing so the change can become a habit.

Kotter wrote that outstanding leaders takes a long term view, decades or even centuries can be meaningful time frames for major change. Some says the book is outdated. New forms of communication, and the Internet have change the way people interact with one another. I still like simplicity of the 8 processes. The problem is getting senior and middle management to buy into it. There are no shortage of company paying lip service to "empowering" employee or think communicating change as a half day training session, one time only. I do, however, believe a decade long change program is unrealistic.

Technical people hate words like vision and strategy. Weasel words like these are too easily regurgitated out when management have no idea. Kotter did a great job changing my perception by telling a story:

Three groups of people looking for a safe resting place during a rain-storm. The first leader gave order to his group to "Get Up and Follow Me, Now!", a few did. The 2nd leader provided detailed instructions for the group - stand up, march in this direction, two feet apart, stop before the tree...etc. In the 3rd group, someone tells the others: "It's going to rain. Why don't we go over there by the tree. We'll stay dry, and have fresh apples for lunch."

A vision serves 3 important purposes: to provide a clear general direction for change; to motivate people to take action in the right direction, even if its mean initial pain; to help align individuals and coordinate the actions of different people in an efficient way.

In this book, John P. Kotter shares his view of change in more than a hundred companies. He maintains that there are eight common errors in leading change:
1. Allowing too much complacency among fellow managers and employees.
2. Failing to create a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition to overcome the firm's inertia.
3. Underestimating the power of vision to inspire large numbers of people.
4. Undercommunicating the vision by a factor of 10 (or 100 or even 1,000).
5. Permitting obstacles (such as the company's structure) to block the vision.
6. Failing to create short term wins that create momentum & widespread support.
7. Declaring victory too soon, before the original goals are completely met.
8. Neglecting to anchor changes firmly in the corporate culture.
These errors are not inevitable. With awareness and skill, they can be avoided. This book provides a framework to understanding why organizations resist needed change, what exactly is the multistage process that can overcome destructive inertia, and, most of all, how the leadership that is required to drive that process in a socially healthy way, means more than good management.

Most of us won't be position to really implement a lot of what this wonderful book tries to teach, but I found it very valuable in knowing what a great leader should be doing for his or her followers. I am a manager and leader of my branch but I also realize that there are some cultural issues that only leaders can try to direct. As a manager, I can be aware of what it takes to make a cultural change stick and this book is amazing in describing that process. I won't go over all the steps as there are many great reviews for this book but I did want to give my different perspective... Be aware of how your organization's leaders need to present cultural changes in order to be successful.. Great book!

"Leading Change" provides a great overview of what it takes to effectively implement change in an organization. Kotter's eight step plan (create urgency, form coalitions, create a vision, communicate the vision, remove obstacles, short-term wins, build on change, and anchoring change) provides a perfect framework for leading and executing change in any organization. And most importantly, it's not as boring as most HBR books. With that said, I was left a little unsatisfied with the "how" provided by the book. Kotter does a wonderful job of explaining the "what" and "why" around his theories, but trying to figure out how to pull off his plan in a dysfunctional organization run by self-interested leaders focused on maximizing their own bonuses...is difficult at best. Kotter acknowledges the challenges, but doesn't really help you overcome them. As a leader, I know it's my job to figure it out, but a little more help would have been nice. Worth reading, but may be difficult to implement.

John Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor, has been dubbed the "world's foremost expert on business leadership." This book has far from a professorial 'ivory tower' tone however. Prof. Kotter relied on his hands-on experience with over 100 organizations that were trying to reinvent themselves. The result is an amazing series of eight sequential steps that lead to the landing of an effective change. These steps are so clear, so defined and so well thought out that one easily recognizes their wisdom and usefulness in business, or even in politics.

The firs four steps enable the breaking through of the status quo. They are: establishing a sense of urgency, creating a guiding coalition, developing a vision and strategy, and communicating the change vision.

The fifth through the seventh step introduce new practices. They are: empowering employess, generating short-term wins and consolidating gains to produce more change.

The last step, a step that most companies try to take first, is the institutionalizing of the new approaches in the corporate culture.

Kotter also shares the pitfalls of not taking each step, the qualities of successful companies and the mental habits leaders possess (or should acquire). Inspiring.

Five stars

There is a "critical need" for leadership, especially in an ever changing world (144). Kotter discusses the many aspects of "change." Change starts with vision, so he shares the six "key characteristics" of effective vision and the "key elements" of communicating vision. Understanding that change occurs with a good leader, Kotter establishes the characteristics of a true leader and emphasizes how effective leadership helps the realization of vision. In communicating a vision, the leader must keep in mind how the vision will affect constituents since "everyone needs to be served well" (74). There are positive and negative aspects of this book. A negative aspect is that the book is written from a secular perspective. The focus is on satisfying constituents rather than glorifying God. However, there are many positives to Kotter's book. For example, Kotter discusses ways in which people can become better employees. He shares the importance of "attitudinal change"(108), and also mentions that a certain amount of pressure is good for people (127). Kotter's suggestions are designed with the organization in mind, but some of his methods would be beneficial for personal change. For instance, a way to "anchor change" in a culture is to provide "a lot of talk" (157). When a church acquires a new convert, "verbal instruction and support" are necessary ingredients for personal spiritual growth. In fact this is the key ingredient for discipleship and mentorship. Another way to "anchor change" is to realize that shifting the norms and values of people and organizations does not grow into fruition until the end of the "transformation process" (157). New converts must be taught that they will continue to make mistakes, but they must persevere because all believers are in the process of sanctification and their final transformation will not be realized until they have gone to Heaven. Knowing that the Lord can come back at any time (1 Thessalonians 5:2), should spark a sense of "urgency" in telling others about Jesus Christ , which is a way of leading change in the life of the individual (162).

Leading Change gives the reader the eight steps believed necessary toward creating change in an organization. From the steps given, they are plausible and realistic.
While the author gives the steps for change, the premise of the book is based on the fact that before you can create change you have to have a Vision that your organization subscribes too. Therefore, while you may want to create change in your organization, don't even bother that effort unless you have a specific Vision for what you want the organization to become.

My challenge with the book is the Vision concept. Working in the government space where I want to create change, it is unknown as to what Vision the organization should adhere too. I think if I were to apply this book to the campaign theme of President Obama which was "Change", this book would not help, since Vision is the key to the change.
"
The end of the book gives the reader a chapter on leadership. I believe a chapter should have been dedicated to Vision. After all, the author encourages those at the top to embrace the change, but yet left out the road map to get there with Vision.

If you have a vision, and want to instill it in your organization, Leading Change will offer you the steps to get there.

Working in an organization where change stalled, to a point where innovation is absolutely discouraged, there were some sleepless nights when I couldn't stop thinking "Why? What went wrong?" After reading the first chapter of Leading Change, the answers come to surface with surgical precision. In fact, I can now pinpoint almost all reasons why things went wrong, and how one can turn from a leading prince into a caged victim. If I had had this insight earlier in my job, perhaps early warning could have been given. In fact, Mr. Kotter's books reads (for my organization) almost like a case study on "make the 8 basic mistakes, relax and watch chaos emerge". In my particular case, I can even give the names and position for each key player that failed. At the level of this book, I can only place Sun Tzu 's classic, "The Art of War", and I would reccommend this book to every person having management resposibilities, since it gives the necessary insight to diagnose malfunction symptoms clearly and precisely. All that is needed is good sense and fair judgement.

In my opinion, this is the best book on change management in business. Kotter presents his straightforward protocol to carry out any change very clearly, this protocol being made up of eight steps. Making people change is among the most difficult tasks companies have to face nowadays, so that the above book is of great help.

This book has been my go to book for many years. It was required reading as part of my MBA class. It takes you step by step as part of the organizational change process and provides a realistic view with guidelines and information to be successful. Two of the most important nuggets I have gained from the book and used when I have been the lead on instituting a change in an organization are to set milestones and the change process takes 18-24 months to be fully entrenched in the company culture. This book provides great examples from some of the leading companies and is backed by the Harvard Business Review.

Working as a HR consultant and social media expert, I am called in to help evaluate and implement the strategy for change within a company. This book can be used as part of your team and employee training program to help them understand the entire change process that they and their teams will be going through. The book outlines potential dangers and pitfalls BEFORE they happen.

I recommend this book for experienced managers and leaders within an organization, HR professionals, and employees who are eager to participate in an employee development program.

[...]

So you want to change something in the way people are working? Where to begin? Why is nobody paying attention? Or you thought the change was going great but then everything fell apart? This book takes concepts like leadership, urgency, vision, strategy, and communication and puts them in an easy-to-understand order.

Changing an organization or even your own team may not be easy, but at least if you read this book, the challenges won't be surprises as well.

The leaders of some organizations have no idea how to make successful changes, and are likely to waste a lot of resources on unsuccessful efforts. Professor Kotter has done a solid job of outlining the elements that must be addressed, so now your organization will at last know what they should be working on.
On the other hand, if you have not seen this done successfully before, you may need more detailed examples than this book provides or outside facilitators to help you until you have enough experience to go solo. I suspect this book will not be detailed enough by itself to get you where you want to go.
Here's a hint: The Harvard Business Review article by Professor Kotter covers the same material in a much shorter form. You can save time and money by checking this out first before buying the book.
I personally find that measurements are very helpful to create self-stimulation to change, and this book does not pay enough attention in that direction. If you agree that measurements are a useful way to stimulate change, be sure to read The Balanced Scorecard, as well, which will help you understand how to use appropriate measurements to make more successful changes.
If you want to know what changes to make, this book will also not do it for you. I suggest you read Peter Drucker's Management Challenges for the 21st Century and Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline.
Good luck!

This easy quick read is direct hit after direct it of the right information required to facilitate change. Reader beware if your organization has problems adjusting to change this book will highlight your challenges. Take the medicine and share the book with any one you can get to read it. Great for change agents at all levels and key to successful mergers or acquistions in ths dynamically changing business environment. This book exceeded my expectations from initial reviews.

Leading Change is a timeless book about addressing change in a systematic methodology in order to develop sustainable and successful results within an organization. The examples are relevant and drive home the message of common mistakes seen in organizations that should not be repeated and the criticality of leadership over management. The challenge of moving from managing change to leading change is the elephant in the room within this book. The concept of being willing to be uncomfortable enough and not rely solely on the management styles taught in corporate training; instead take risks and lead!

Kotter gives us here a valuable handbook on how to visualize, introduce, and sustain change in an organization. Here are a few quotes:

"Handling new initiatives quickly is not an essential component of success in relatively stable or cartel-like environments. The problem for us today is that stability is no longer the norm. And most experts agree that over the next few decades the business environment will become only more volatile."

"Useful change tends to be associated with a multistep process that creates power and motivation sufficient to overwhelm all the sources of inertia."

While John Kotter's book is the holy grail of change management, I can offer that while many executives find the content sound, the outworking of the details is the gap in this work. As a change management expert who has engaged thousands of people on scores of major change initiatives, I see a need for executives to understand the specific actions THEY need to take to ensure the change succeeds and becomes part of the organization. Kotter is undoubtedly the exemplar of change management authors, but the details of getting the job done are elusive. That's why I wrote Architects of Change: Practical Tools for Building, Leading and Sustaining Organizational Initiatives. Leaders need to know their role, and though this book provides some major milestones, it does not get down to the details leaders seek when leading change.

"Over the past decade," John P. Kotter writes, "I have watched more than a hundred companies try to remake themselves into significantly better competitors. They have included large organizations (Ford) and small ones (Landmark Communications), companies based in United States (General Motors) and elsewhere (British Airways), corporations that were on their knees (Eastern Airlines), and companies that were earning good money (Bristol-Myers Squibb). Their efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, right-sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnaround. But in almost every case the basic goal has been the same: to make fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to help cope with a new, more challenging market environment. A few of these corporate change efforts have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale. The lessons that can be drawn are interesting and will probably be relevant to even more organizations in the increasingly competitive business environment of the coming decade."
In this context, John P. Kotter lists the most general lessons to be learned from both (I) the more successful cases and (II) the critical mistakes as follows:
I. Lessons from the more successful cases:
1. Establishing a sense of urgency
* Examining market and competitive realities
* Identifying and discursing crises, potential crises, or major opportunities
2. Forming a powerful guiding coalition
* Assembling a group with enough power to lead the change effort
* Encouraging the group to work together as a team
3. Creating a vision
* Creating a vision to help direct the change effort
* Developing strategies for achieving that vision
4. Communicating vision
* Using every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies
* Teaching new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition
5. Empowering others to act on the vision
* Getting rid of obstancles to change
* Changing systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision
* Encouraging risk taking and nontraditional ideas, activities, and actions
6. Planning for and creating short-term wins
* Planning for visible performance improvements
* Creating those improvements
* Recognizing and rewarding employees involved in the improvements
7. Consolidating improvements and producing still more change
* Using increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don't fit the vision
* Hiring, promoting, and developing employees who can implement the vision
* Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change agents
8.Institutionalizing new approaches
* Articulating the connections between the new behaviors and corporate success
* Developing the means to ensure leadership development and succession
II. Lessons from the critical mistakes:
1. Not establishing enough sense of urgency - A transformation program requires the aggressive cooperation of many individuals. Without motivation, people won't help and the effort goes nowhere.
2. Not creating a powerful guiding coalition - Companies that fail in this phase usually underestimate the difficulties of producing change and thus the importance of a powerful quiding coalition.
3. Lacking a vision - Without a sensible vision, a transformation effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusing and incompatible projects that can take the organization in the wrong direction or nowhere at all.
4. Undercommunicating the vision - Transformation is impossible unless hundreds or thousands of people are willing to help, often to the point of making short-term sacrifices.
5. Not removing obstacles to the new vision - Sometimes the obstacle is the organizational structure: narrow job categories can seriously undermine efforts to increase productivity or make it very difficult even to think about customers. Sometimes compensation or performance-appraisal systems make people choose between the new vision and their own self-interest. Perhaps worst of all are bosses who refuse to change and who make demands that are inconsistent with the overall effort.
6. Not systematically planning and creating short-term wins - Creating short-term wins is different from hoping for short-term wins. The latter is passive, the former active. In a successful transformation, managers actively look for ways to obtain clear performance improvements, establish goals in the yearly planning system, achieve the objectives, and reward the people involved with recognition, promotions, and even money.
7. Declaring victory too soon - Instead of declaring victory, leaders of successful efforts use the credibility afforded by short-term wins to tackle even bigger problems.
8. Not anchoring changes in the corporation's culture - Change sticks when it becomes "the way we do things around here," when it seeps into the bloodstream of the corporate body. Until new behaviors are rooted in social norms and shared values, they are subject to degradation as soon as the pressure for change is removed.
Finally, John P. Kotter writes, "There are still more mistakes that people make, but these eight are the big ones. In reality, even successful change efforts are messy and full of surprises. But just as a relatively simple vision is needed to guide people through a major change, so a vision of the change process can reduce the error rate. And fewer errors can spell the difference between success and failure."
Highly recommended.

"Change is the only permanent thing" has become an extremely popular idea and everybody's talking about it everywhere. The difference with this book is that - unlike other authors - John P. Kotter systematizes the analysis of change inside organizations and he succeeds almost a 100%. I say almost a 100% because I think "Leading change" emphasyses a little bit more on "what" to do in order to face changes than on "how" to implement changes. Yes, I know that every company is a different world by itself and that many possible ways of implementation do exist, but in my humble oppinion this book should have had 20-30 more pages in order to explore in more detail this crucial aspect of change. Anyway it is an enlightening book on the topic.

Leading Change is a must read for executives and employees alike to enable greater understanding of how to create success change momentum, acceptance and success. Mr. Kotter does an excellent job providing clear steps and examples of how to drive successful change within an organization. Following this model does not guarantee success, but it will ensure a greater likelihood of success.

Since success in the marketplace is incumbent on change, the pursuit of how to implement change successfully is an ever-growing need. Therefore, leadership for change initiatives is required at various levels of the organization. That leadership is especially necessary at the top levels of the organization where the change initiative requires both the most initial and ongoing support in order for the change to succeed, and then sustain by creating a cultural adaptation of the change.

Planning for sweeping changes in your organization? Providing this book to all your employees and following its principals is a great start.

How many books have you read that have the mantra that change is important, you have to change, etc, and yada, yada, yada? I cannot argue against these principles. My head knows it. I need to convince my heart and my hands and get going about change.
Kotter's book offers good practical advice on going about transformational change. It isn't rocket science, and it's common sense. But I'm not sure if it's common practice.
I enjoy the easy, almost conversational style and tone (and some Kotter wry humor) so much so that I managed to read it cover to cover over the weekend.
Combined with another good book on change (see William Bridges' "Managing Transitions"), and you'd have with you a solid practical framwork and process to drive the change in organizations.

So you want to change something in the way people are working? Where to begin? Why is nobody paying attention? Or you thought the change was going great but then everything fell apart? This book takes concepts like leadership, urgency, vision, strategy, and communication and puts them in an easy-to-understand order.

Changing an organization or even your own team may not be easy, but at least if you read this book, the challenges won't be surprises as well.

One of the hardest things to find is a book that links leadership to change in a practical, step-by-step, balanced way. Most books on the subject focus primarily on one or the other.

Based on his experience with major corporations as a Harvard Business School professor, Kotter's eight-stage process is clear, logical, and consistent with modern change management theory.

I use this book and a related article in a seminar on change management to provide the students with one way to initiate and manage change that is particularly effective in large organizations. I say that because this book assumes that entrenched managers will not budge unless there is a sense of urgency or the leader creates one.

There are other, more charismatic and visionary, ways to initiate change that work exceptionally well in cases where the leader and the culture are more collaborative, but Kotter's approach is one of the best for initiating change when something has to give in order for it to happen.

If you find yourself in a situation where vested interests simply refuse to cooperate, Leading Change is the book for you.

Robert E. Levasseur, Ph.D., author of "Leadership and Change in the 21st Century"

The leaders of some organizations have no idea how to make successful changes, and are likely to waste a lot of resources on unsuccessful efforts. Professor Kotter has done a solid job of outlining the elements that must be addressed, so now your organization will at last know what they should be working on.
On the other hand, if you have not seen this done successfully before, you may need more detailed examples than this book provides or outside facilitators to help you until you have enough experience to go solo. I suspect this book will not be detailed enough by itself to get you where you want to go.
Here's a hint: The Harvard Business Review article by Professor Kotter covers the same material in a much shorter form. You can save time and money by checking this out first before buying the book.
I personally find that measurements are very helpful to create self-stimulation to change, and this book does not pay enough attention in that direction. If you agree that measurements are a useful way to stimulate change, be sure to read The Balanced Scorecard, as well, which will help you understand how to use appropriate measurements to make more successful changes.
If you want to know what changes to make, this book will also not do it for you. I suggest you read Peter Drucker's Management Challenges for the 21st Century and Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline.
Good luck!

This easy quick read is direct hit after direct it of the right information required to facilitate change. Reader beware if your organization has problems adjusting to change this book will highlight your challenges. Take the medicine and share the book with any one you can get to read it. Great for change agents at all levels and key to successful mergers or acquistions in ths dynamically changing business environment. This book exceeded my expectations from initial reviews.

Leading Change is a timeless book about addressing change in a systematic methodology in order to develop sustainable and successful results within an organization. The examples are relevant and drive home the message of common mistakes seen in organizations that should not be repeated and the criticality of leadership over management. The challenge of moving from managing change to leading change is the elephant in the room within this book. The concept of being willing to be uncomfortable enough and not rely solely on the management styles taught in corporate training; instead take risks and lead!

Kotter gives us here a valuable handbook on how to visualize, introduce, and sustain change in an organization. Here are a few quotes:

"Handling new initiatives quickly is not an essential component of success in relatively stable or cartel-like environments. The problem for us today is that stability is no longer the norm. And most experts agree that over the next few decades the business environment will become only more volatile."

"Useful change tends to be associated with a multistep process that creates power and motivation sufficient to overwhelm all the sources of inertia."

While John Kotter's book is the holy grail of change management, I can offer that while many executives find the content sound, the outworking of the details is the gap in this work. As a change management expert who has engaged thousands of people on scores of major change initiatives, I see a need for executives to understand the specific actions THEY need to take to ensure the change succeeds and becomes part of the organization. Kotter is undoubtedly the exemplar of change management authors, but the details of getting the job done are elusive. That's why I wrote Architects of Change: Practical Tools for Building, Leading and Sustaining Organizational Initiatives. Leaders need to know their role, and though this book provides some major milestones, it does not get down to the details leaders seek when leading change.

"Over the past decade," John P. Kotter writes, "I have watched more than a hundred companies try to remake themselves into significantly better competitors. They have included large organizations (Ford) and small ones (Landmark Communications), companies based in United States (General Motors) and elsewhere (British Airways), corporations that were on their knees (Eastern Airlines), and companies that were earning good money (Bristol-Myers Squibb). Their efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, right-sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnaround. But in almost every case the basic goal has been the same: to make fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to help cope with a new, more challenging market environment. A few of these corporate change efforts have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale. The lessons that can be drawn are interesting and will probably be relevant to even more organizations in the increasingly competitive business environment of the coming decade."
In this context, John P. Kotter lists the most general lessons to be learned from both (I) the more successful cases and (II) the critical mistakes as follows:
I. Lessons from the more successful cases:
1. Establishing a sense of urgency
* Examining market and competitive realities
* Identifying and discursing crises, potential crises, or major opportunities
2. Forming a powerful guiding coalition
* Assembling a group with enough power to lead the change effort
* Encouraging the group to work together as a team
3. Creating a vision
* Creating a vision to help direct the change effort
* Developing strategies for achieving that vision
4. Communicating vision
* Using every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies
* Teaching new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition
5. Empowering others to act on the vision
* Getting rid of obstancles to change
* Changing systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision
* Encouraging risk taking and nontraditional ideas, activities, and actions
6. Planning for and creating short-term wins
* Planning for visible performance improvements
* Creating those improvements
* Recognizing and rewarding employees involved in the improvements
7. Consolidating improvements and producing still more change
* Using increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don't fit the vision
* Hiring, promoting, and developing employees who can implement the vision
* Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change agents
8.Institutionalizing new approaches
* Articulating the connections between the new behaviors and corporate success
* Developing the means to ensure leadership development and succession
II. Lessons from the critical mistakes:
1. Not establishing enough sense of urgency - A transformation program requires the aggressive cooperation of many individuals. Without motivation, people won't help and the effort goes nowhere.
2. Not creating a powerful guiding coalition - Companies that fail in this phase usually underestimate the difficulties of producing change and thus the importance of a powerful quiding coalition.
3. Lacking a vision - Without a sensible vision, a transformation effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusing and incompatible projects that can take the organization in the wrong direction or nowhere at all.
4. Undercommunicating the vision - Transformation is impossible unless hundreds or thousands of people are willing to help, often to the point of making short-term sacrifices.
5. Not removing obstacles to the new vision - Sometimes the obstacle is the organizational structure: narrow job categories can seriously undermine efforts to increase productivity or make it very difficult even to think about customers. Sometimes compensation or performance-appraisal systems make people choose between the new vision and their own self-interest. Perhaps worst of all are bosses who refuse to change and who make demands that are inconsistent with the overall effort.
6. Not systematically planning and creating short-term wins - Creating short-term wins is different from hoping for short-term wins. The latter is passive, the former active. In a successful transformation, managers actively look for ways to obtain clear performance improvements, establish goals in the yearly planning system, achieve the objectives, and reward the people involved with recognition, promotions, and even money.
7. Declaring victory too soon - Instead of declaring victory, leaders of successful efforts use the credibility afforded by short-term wins to tackle even bigger problems.
8. Not anchoring changes in the corporation's culture - Change sticks when it becomes "the way we do things around here," when it seeps into the bloodstream of the corporate body. Until new behaviors are rooted in social norms and shared values, they are subject to degradation as soon as the pressure for change is removed.
Finally, John P. Kotter writes, "There are still more mistakes that people make, but these eight are the big ones. In reality, even successful change efforts are messy and full of surprises. But just as a relatively simple vision is needed to guide people through a major change, so a vision of the change process can reduce the error rate. And fewer errors can spell the difference between success and failure."
Highly recommended.

"Change is the only permanent thing" has become an extremely popular idea and everybody's talking about it everywhere. The difference with this book is that - unlike other authors - John P. Kotter systematizes the analysis of change inside organizations and he succeeds almost a 100%. I say almost a 100% because I think "Leading change" emphasyses a little bit more on "what" to do in order to face changes than on "how" to implement changes. Yes, I know that every company is a different world by itself and that many possible ways of implementation do exist, but in my humble oppinion this book should have had 20-30 more pages in order to explore in more detail this crucial aspect of change. Anyway it is an enlightening book on the topic.

Leading Change is a must read for executives and employees alike to enable greater understanding of how to create success change momentum, acceptance and success. Mr. Kotter does an excellent job providing clear steps and examples of how to drive successful change within an organization. Following this model does not guarantee success, but it will ensure a greater likelihood of success.

Since success in the marketplace is incumbent on change, the pursuit of how to implement change successfully is an ever-growing need. Therefore, leadership for change initiatives is required at various levels of the organization. That leadership is especially necessary at the top levels of the organization where the change initiative requires both the most initial and ongoing support in order for the change to succeed, and then sustain by creating a cultural adaptation of the change.

Planning for sweeping changes in your organization? Providing this book to all your employees and following its principals is a great start.

How many books have you read that have the mantra that change is important, you have to change, etc, and yada, yada, yada? I cannot argue against these principles. My head knows it. I need to convince my heart and my hands and get going about change.
Kotter's book offers good practical advice on going about transformational change. It isn't rocket science, and it's common sense. But I'm not sure if it's common practice.
I enjoy the easy, almost conversational style and tone (and some Kotter wry humor) so much so that I managed to read it cover to cover over the weekend.
Combined with another good book on change (see William Bridges' "Managing Transitions"), and you'd have with you a solid practical framwork and process to drive the change in organizations.

This book has provided insight into the leading the inevitable change process and what it takes to successfully engage the process from start to end. I liked the differentiation between a manager and a leader. A must read for anyone thinking chage and growth in any enterprise.

As usual, John Kotter brings the theory of management and leadership, in this case the concept of change, from the research laboratory and the classroom right to the rock face of actuality. His 8-step process is now famous and it is famous for its effectivity.

Kotter's writing style invites the reader into the subject and, with plenty of tables, lists and action steps, makes the process of change into an appealing challenge.

Since change in an organization is not limited to those huge mind-bending events that take place every ten years or so, all of us can benefit in our everyday lives from Kotter's advice and guidance.

Part III, The Implications for the Twenty-First Century, is so good that it is almost worth the price of the book on its own.

A must-read for managers of all levels. Can also be helpful for project managers in any organization - perhaps even professors. The only thing I don't like about Kotter's ideas is the premise of raising the sense of urgency. This appeared to encourage management to lie to employees about circumstances to scare them into compliance and submission. Is that alignment or manipulation?

John Kotter has been around for ever it seems and his work is still valuable to the field of leadership and change. The style is highly readable and held my interest as I slogged my way through three texts for a doctoral class in leadership. The topics are valuable and provide current insight into both successful efforts and organizational failures. I liked the work and plan to buy other works of his as a result.

This is a must read if you're interested in change management and organizational change. Kotter's 8 stage change process is the backbone of many approaches to change management and includes:
1) Establishing a sense of urgency
2) Creating the guiding coalition
3) Developing a vision and strategy
4) Communicating the change vision
5) Empowering employees for broad based action
6) Generating short term wins
7) Consolidating gains and producing more change
8) Anchoring new approaches in the culture

An important contribution to the change management literature!

As with all of Kotter's work, this has the personal perspective of someone who has been there. It deals with the realistic problems of leaders who don't take the time to actually understand the dynamics of organizational change. Kotter also puts the accountability where it belongs, with the leaders.
So many companies have been damaged by poorly led change efforts, and the misperception that failed change is the result of people just not liking change. In truth it is because they don't follow the processes that Kotter advocates.
This is a must read for people involved with change. A good supporting handbook is "Change and the Challenge of Leadership by Service Advocate a Massachusetts change leadership organization.

This is the best book I've read dealing with how to lead a major change project. Abundant in useful information, concise, complete and logical, it really is a gem of a book . You need to remember the 8-step outline of the process and use the book as a reference when more detailed guidance is needed. I have succesfully used dr. Kotter recipe for change many times over in my career. Also, check out his articles in the Harvard Business Review with further details on the strategies of change as well as further insights into how to align others with your change vision.

This invaluable reading helped me navigate through the numerous challenges encountered when establishing a long term direction for my organization. Kotter does an excellent job in breaking down the basic elements to developing a success vision. Most importantly, his book leads you into a self evaluation of your personal traits, skills , and leadership style and how they support or encumber your goal achieving process. I believe "Leading Change" is a must read for those of us who think we are high performers and certainly recommend it for pre-interview brush ups.

After plowing through scores of management books written by people who probably couldn't manage their way out of a paper bag, I was overjoyed to find this book. It will be immensely useful to anyone who wants to actually accomplish change in an organization. Read this book before you waste money buying inspirational posters and hiring high-priced "organizational change" consultants. Mr. Kotter has done his research and it shows -- he is a breath of fresh air in a field crowded with blowhards. In my opinion, he is the foremost business theorist/analyst today.

This is one of the founding titles in the field of Organizational Change Management. For those who are just entering the field, I recommend reading this book to gain a sense of what the field used to be like in the mid 1990s. It will help you to baseline your current insights and understanding about Organizational Change Management today. The book below is another must read, must understand for those just entering the field. Happy reading!

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change

One of the best books on strategic change resistance and gaining sponsorship you will ever read. I have used and continue to use the eight step framework for all my change programmes.

Well written, easy to read and practical.

I bought Leading Change because of the reputation of John Kotter--he is the best student of leadership that I know of. I found the book to be exceptional. It is on the mark, simple to follow, and very much to the point.
I have shared the book with both of my daughters ( one a consultant at one of the big consulting firms and the other working on her PhD at Stanford)and they found it to be quite good.
I am ordering a few copies to give to some of our division presidents who face the need to lead significant change in their organizations.

Even though this book is almost 5 years old, it is still the 'gold standard' for organizational change. Reading this book can be life-changing. Its precepts apply across many other business ideas. It is particularly useful for implementing project management into an organization.

The book is terrific if you really intend to move your organization forward through change. The insights proferred by the author are exceptionally pertinent to today's global changes. Provided in the book are step-by-step processes to achieve success as well as pitfalls to avoid. The eight primary mistakes of leading changes are clearly identified and relevant discussions are presented in a clear and concise manner. I would recommend this book to anyone who wishes to accompish change with the least amount of pain to their employees and with the most guarantee of success. Outstanding.

I first ran into this book several years ago in my MBA program. (It was used as a textbook.) I was very impressed. As I sudied its content and began to use the knowledge I gained, this soon became my "Bible" for change. I have used it everywhere I have done work across the country. Its principles are timeless and one can be successful with even the most difficult of work environments.

I am really enjoying this book! The issues brought to light in the contents are some that my organization are facing right now. This will be a great learning tool for me. I plan to pas this book around to my colleagues!

Leading Change is our class required text.Before I read this book, I never thought that the process of Change can be simply divided into a few steps, and these steps are so reasonable because they all focus on how to change people's behavior.
The eight steps need to read and understand carefully. I think this is a classic book on CHANGE.

I have enjoyed Kotters work on Leading Change since it arrived. I've not grown tired of it or found a better compendium . It is a core element in my MBA seminar on Strategic Innovation and Renewal. What is rewarding is the appeal to experienced managers as well as apprentices. The material is also relevant to non-profits and personal strategies. The emphasis on vision is most salient. Above all, the work is readable. Thanks, Professor Kotter. You wrote the book we'd all liked to have written.

Kotter's book on leading change is elegant in the use of language and examples that demonstrate the techniques he uses to insure success with change in organizations. He identifies why change strategies often fail. Some of his examples may seem trite to seasoned managers but overall the advice is solid.

Primitive cartoon type characters participate in outdated and hardly realistic scenarios.
If you set all that within florid, but tiresome language environment you get the feel.

One thing is pointed right, however: managers are seldom leaders;
correction facilities do not inspire creativity.

If you consider this review subjective - it is. Feel free to develop your own opinion.

Thank you for your time.

If you don't know how to lead change, then reading all of the other management books won't do you any good. This should be the first book you commit to memory prior to launching into any new initiative, re-engineering, balanced scorecard process, or even the smallest changes to your organization. It reads easily, and it makes a lot of sense.

From start to finish, this text is full of useful high level information regarding organizational change. The layout made the dense information a pleasure to peruse and provided enhanced insight on the goals and processes of leadership when implementing organizational change. [...]

A great book! Leading Change gives a wonderfully accurate and detailed description of the leadership prerequisites required to accomplish manufacturing change. Leading Change supports and augments the implementation of the advanced manufacturing techniques which are explained and developed in our book, Implementing World Class Manufacturing. Leading Change is a must read!

This book is phenominal! An excellent guide for the leader experiencing change. If I had no other resource, this book would be enough for survival in the business world of change. Definitely worth the investment.

I can not remember now how many times I have referenced this book in the past. John Kotter hits the mark perfectly with this easy to read highly applicable book that will help any person dealing with or leading change. I have used the principles in the book to lead changes in my company, projects I have worked on, in my church, and even in my family. This book is a must read!

I was assigned this book as a management and leadership development template. I found it highly self-congratulatory with references only to Kotter's previous work. Worse than that was the endless litanies of platitudes offered as good and motivating advice. In this ever-changing business world of global multinational companies, the prescriptions being offered here are dated. Also, these might work for a small and nimble companies, but, as we have seen in the past years since the 2008 economic collapse, the groups resistant to change will manage to stay in charge and will profit from it. The only less interesting and more self-satisfied book on this type of topic was Anti-Fragile - another dud.

I was exposed to John Kotter as a young manager. I have always looked forward to his next treatise on leading change. This book adds to my growing skill at recognizing the need for change and mustering the managerial courage to make it happen.

Although this book does have pertinent and decent information, the author has no charisma, and I found myself wanting to stop the booking only two chapters in. Yes, the information is useful, but it is presented in a manner which makes it as painful as pulling teeth.

This book is excellent for anyone going through or planning to make changes in any organization. The material is straight forward, concise, and right on target. I only wish I had read this book last year before attempting to make major changes in our organization

BUY THE BOOK! If your organizaiton is failing in its re-organization then read his book. He will describe in infinte deatil the correct steps that your organizational leaders must perform. He provides real life examples of success and failure.

Louis

I found the book to be an easy read, with some solid concepts for driving top down change. My only criticism is that the book reads like a giant advertisement for Harvard or Mr.Kotter which at times comes across as condescending.

Leading Change offers some business basics, but also provides a workable structure for implementation. The structure can be applied across cultures. The system works with Germans in Germany, as well as Americans in America. And works with foreign nationals work for international firms in a global market.

The book came right on time, and was delivered in the best of conditions. It is always very good doing business with you. I can trust that my books will arrive on time and the shipping is done with the urgency they deserve. Thanks once more. Teresa

Very well written book and easy to read and follow. Since change is a modern requirement for any business, it simply makes sense to focus in on what it takes to provide the necessary leadership to do so.

One of my top ten most influencing books I have ever read. It was an easy read, and very useful for any size organization. In fact, it can be implemented at any level of management. If you have anything that needs to be changed or implemented, private or public sector, you need to read this book.

This is a book on how to threaten and put fear into your employees so they will follow blindly until they can find another employer who actually knows where his business is going and provides leadership to get there.

I am really enjoying this book! The issues brought to light in the contents are some that my organization are facing right now. This will be a great learning tool for me. I plan to pas this book around to my colleagues!