Kotter’s Eight Steps Go to the Movies: Showing how Hollywood can be better than business at following the steps to make a change successful!

1. Director:
John Kotter
Kotter’s Eight Steps
Go to the Movies

2. Kotter’s Eight Reasons For Change
Projects are a Flop
 Not establishing a sense of urgency.
 Not creating a powerful coalition.
 Lacking a vision.
 Under communicating the vision.
 Not removing the obstacles
 Not planning for short-term wins
 Declaring victory too soon
 Not changing the corporation’s culture

3. This means when it comes to making a
blockbuster change we have to look for
advice from:
Kotter’s Eight Requirements for
Successful Change

4. Establish a Sense of Urgency
In a film this means blowing up the
white house or being chased by a
Serial Killer.
In Business you need to:
 Examining market and
competitive realities
 Identifying and discussing
crises, or major opportunities
 Communicate these repeatedly
 Make the status quo
unpalatable and unacceptable

5. Form a Powerful Guiding Coalition
In a film this means bring the mean
old cop out of retirement to buddy
up with a hot shoot rookie or a
nerd with a laptop.
In Business you need to:
 Assembling a group with
enough power to lead the
change effort
 Ensure there is sponsored
from the top
 Encouraging the group to work
together as a team

6. Create a Vision
If doesn’t matter if you’re stealing
from the mob, or planting nukes on
a meteor you need to let the
audience know what's going on
In Business you need to:
 Creating a vision to help direct
the change effort
 A vision is a compelling
statement of where the change
is leading
 A vision is necessary to clarify
and explain the direction being
taken and trigger a reaction

7. Communicate the Vision
In movies this is the moment when
the music starts to play and the
warrior king or coach tells you that
it all comes down to today!
In Business you need to:
 Communicate the vision using
any vehicle possible.
 Communicate your passion as
well as the message.
 Always do it in a consistent
manner and in a way to create
trust.

8. Empower Others to Act
When the players tell the coach
he’s wrong, a moment when the
little guys stand up and show just
how powerful they can be.
In Business you need to:
 Remove obstacles to change.
 Changing systems &/or
structures that seriously
undermine the vision e.g.
Organisational Structure.
 Encouraging risk taking and
non-traditional ideas, and
action.

9. Create Short Term Wins
If you are training for a dance or a
fight all you need is a montage,
showing the improvements being
made each and every day.
In Business you need to:
 Create Momentum
 Plan for visible performance
improvements which everyone
will be able to see
 Create those improvements
 Recognising and rewarding
employees involved in the
improvements

10. Consolidate Improvements
Once you know the enemy's
weakness you have to rally the
troops for one final battle.
In Business you need to:
 Use short term wins to provide
the spark to fix the big issues.
 Change systems & structures
that don’t fit with the vision.
 Hiring, promoting, and
developing employees who
can implement the vision
 Watch out for declaring victory
to soon and killing momentum

11. Change the Culture
Hollywood might love a sequel but
you don’t want to have to go
through all this again in five years.
In Business you need to:
 Articulating the connections
between the new behaviours &
culture and corporate success
 Developing the means to
ensure leadership
development and succession
 Make it ‘The way we do things
around here’