Reflections on Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model: A Practical Guide for Navigating Transformation
Jack Klimov
Tech Lead with 15+ Years Experience | ?? Python ?? JS/TS ?? Solidity ?? Rust ?? OPS
As I looked at some popular change models, one that?still resonates strongly with me is Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model. This?framework, developed by John Kotter in his book, Leading Change (1996), is still one of the corner stones in practitioner’s toolkits when it comes to navigating transformations in organizations. The single most compelling thing for me about this model is its?clarity and practicality. So instead of just speculating about change it?offers tangible steps that contribute to success.
8 Steps to truly own changes:
Below is a small dive (a big one would take a book, of?course) into the model, step by step, with some of my own reflections and insights on its application.
Step 1. Create a Sense of Urgency
It starts with?making the case for change. In the absence of?such urgency, even the best-intentioned initiatives can die on the vine. It’s about helping people to understand why?change is not only desirable but, for others, simply imperative.
In?practice, this often translates to answers to two questions:?Why now??and?What will happen if we fail?to act??Whether it’s a rapidly shifting market, a competitive threat or an internal inefficiency, you?must clearly communicate the stakes. Use data to your advantage here - share metrics, customer?feedback, or industry trends that illustrate the risks of inaction.
The one thing I have learned is that urgency must feel?real. Under manufactured crises, people in the country won’t?buy it. Rather than telling a change story through fear or foreboding, frame it through solving a pressing problem?or seizing a window of opportunity.
Step 2?Build a Guiding Coalition
No single leader can drive change?by themselves. Step two: Bring together a coalition of stakeholders who believe?in the vision, and have the social capital and distribution of power to advance the initiative.
First, from?my experience, effective coalitions are diverse. They include senior leaders who can lend legitimacy to the efforts, frontline employees who truly grasp the operational realities, and?informal influencers who can help rally their peers’ support. A coalition isn’t?a committee; it’s a team that owns the change together.
One mistake I’ve made?has been to underestimate the importance of commitment. The members of the coalition need not only to be in favor of the?change in principle, they need to be champions of the change.In one case, I mistakenly included the wrong person who diluted our campaign and basically became a dead weight. Since then, I’ve?made it a point to recruit people who are passionate and who are willing to roll up their sleeves.
Step 3: Design Your Vision and Strategy
A powerful vision is the?North Star of any change effort. It offers a clearer?understanding of what it is that the organization is working toward and why it matters. A plan without failsafe methods feels aimless, no matter how?well structured.
It should be?bold but not overconfident, and it must resonate with people on both logical and emotional planes. Instead of starting with a new technology implementation being “an?efficiency upgrade,” I’ve found that framing it as “a way to free up time for more creative and meaningful work” is much more successful.
The plan, however, is the?blueprint for how to get there. It decomposes?the vision into more specific goals, timelines, and action items. I’ve found that a solid strategy gives the right amount of ambition without being?unrealistic - setting milestones that push the organization forward but don’t put it on the chopping block.
Step 4: When I’m talking about the?vision
No?matter how great the vision, it’s not going anywhere if you don’t communicate it well enough. This step is communicating the vision in ways that encourage and?engage. This is not a one-time meeting or email where?you talk about the vision—it’s repeated multiple times and ideally in multiple forums. Leaders have to incorporate it into every piece of communication, from town halls to?one-on-ones.
What has been working for me is when I customize the message to different?audience. Senior leaders might be?interested in the financial implications, but frontline workers want to understand how the change will affect their day-to-day tasks. The tone matters?as well — use phrasing that is transparent, positive and reflects your organization’s culture.
My?favorite tool for this step is storytelling. Providing real-life examples or personal stories on how the change will impact their lives make the vision more?tangible and relatable.
Step 5:?Inspire Employees to Transform the Vision into Reality
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Change initiatives commonly stumble on employees’ sense?of having to fight against hindrances — be they outdated processes, unclear priorities, or insufficient resources. This requires identifying and removing any such barriers and creating an environment that empowers employees?to act with confidence.
For me, this has meant taking action in finding and?removing roadblocks. For instance, some time ago, while building an outsourcing company, we discovered that employees were reluctant to use a new system because they hadn’t been adequately prepared for it. With sign-on hands-on workshops and after-sales service, we converted?scepticism into enthusiasm.
Encouraging ownership is an aspect?of empowerment as well. Their engagement soars when they no longer see themselves as the?passive recipients of change but as active contributors to it. Give credit and cheer for their contributions - it goes a long?way to creating momentum.
Step 6:?Create Short-term Wins
Change can?be intimidating, which is precisely why celebrating early victories is so important. Short-term wins offer evidence that?the effort is yielding results, elevating morale and reinforcing commitment.
In my experience,?those wins don’t have to be big - they just need to be visible and meaningful. For instance, when we introduced a new process, we celebrated a small yet significant milestone: reducing time spent from 20% of the total time we used?to take. That visible progress motivated the?team and rendered the larger goal seem attainable.
The secret is to anticipate these wins?early on.” Identify low-hanging fruit and establish goals that are achievable?in the short term, weeks or months, not over years. Document and share such successes widely -?they are evidence that the change is working.
Step 7: Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change
One of the?most difficult aspects of change management is sustaining the momentum. It’s?easy, after some initial victories, to declare victory too soon. This step is making sure you resist that urge, and that?you ride the momentum of early wins into the deeper issues.
I’ve learned to keep steering the?focus to continuous improvement. Once we had successfully wrapped the new process in one department, for example, we applied?what we learned to roll it out to other teams. This iterative process allows for gains to build upon each other while creating a culture?of adaptability and learning.
Step 8: Anchor the Changes in?the Culture
The last?step is to institutionalize the change. Embracing the new approaches as the?organization’s culture is the key to long-term success. That involves aligning change to core values and integrating it into performance?metrics and ensuring that the leaders model the desired behaviours.
In my experience, cultural reinforcement is always about?consistency. Leaders need to walk the talk and the new norms need to be supported by the?systems. After implementing a customer-first initiative, we updated?our recognition program to acknowledge employees who delivered exceptional customer service.
It’s also essential over time to?reexamine and reinforce the change. Sometimes even well-adopted practices will?erode over time if not actively maintained.
Final Thoughts
While Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model has served as a comprehensive framework,?I’ve also gravitated toward it because it is an adaptable one. No matter what scale transformation you are doing, the principles still apply - whether you’re leading a large-scale transformation or making incremental?improvements.
What resonates most with me is the model’s focus on people — creating urgency, creating a shared vision?and empowering people to be a change agent. Successful change is, at its essence, more?than strategies and plans; it’s about getting people to move forward together.
For anyone leading change or in the trenches with an organization experiencing change, this is a roadmap for confronting challenges while?amplifying opportunities to ensure lasting impact.
See ya.