This document summarizes Kotter's 8-step model for leading change and provides examples of how it could be applied to create a national strategy for long-term care in the US. The 8 steps are: 1) Establish urgency 2) Form a guiding coalition 3) Develop a vision 4) Communicate the vision 5) Empower action 6) Generate short-term wins 7) Consolidate gains and incorporate changes 8) Anchor new approaches in culture. The document outlines actions that could be taken under each step to address the growing needs of an aging population and deficiencies in long-term care financing.

1. Kotter’s 8-Steps for Leading
Change
Helen Teague, M.Ed.
EDLT 721
Dr. Paul Sparks

2. 2
Kotter’s Model for Leading Change
1. Establish A Sense of Urgency
2. Create a Unified Guiding Coalition
3. Develop and Reinforce the Vision
4. Communicate the Change Vision
5. Empower and Remove Barriers
6. Generate Short Term Wins
7. Model the Way-Prototype the Change
8. Incorporate and Connect Changes into Culture
- John P. Kotter, Leading Change (1996).

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1. Establish a Sense of Urgency
• 10,000 people turn 65 or older every day
• In 2010, the 65-74 age group (20.8 million)
was 10 times larger than in 1900.
• 10-12 million older Americans are in need
of long-term medical care.
• No national strategy exists to finance and
provide long-term care in the U.S.
• Social Security funds set to expire in 2033

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1. Establish a Sense of
Urgency (con’t)
• In 2013, Older Adults received the lowest
COLA paid in the past decade (1.7%)
• Older Adults have lost 34% of their
purchasing power
• 15 million people currently provide unpaid
care for which averages 25 hours per week

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2. Create the Guiding Coalition
Among My Dream Team…
• TREA Senior Citizens League (TSCL)
• Dr. Shaun Casey, Special Advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry
• Judy Feder, Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown Public Policy
Institute, Former Staff Director of the Pepper Commission
• Grace-Marie Turner, President, Gallen Institute
• Katherine Hayes, Director of Health Policy at the Bipartisan
Policy Center
• Howard Gleckman, Author of Caring for Our Parents

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3. Develop a Change Vision
• Allow employees to add parents to their
company insurance policies.
• Allow family members to deduct
expenses for parents’ supplemental
insurance coverage
• Allow family members to deduct all or
part of expenses for home health
workers and home health caregivers.

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4. Communicate the Change
Vision
• Communicate the 3-part change vision using
every forum, both formal and informal
• Communicate via digital media
• Communicate via social media
• Communicate via grassroots and special
interest groups
• Educate members of Congress

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5. Empower Action
• Plan and Encourage faith-based and
community events
• Plan an exhibit “Images of Aging” for inclusion
in the Library of Congress collection
• Encourage similar contests and exhibits
• Lobby for tax credits and deductions.

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6. Generate Short-term Wins
• Constant newsfeed of increased efforts and
wins from Step 5
• Reward change agents
• Help fine-tune the vision and strategies
• Continue research and financial forecasts
• Build Keep employers in the loop
• Publicize inter-generational events
• Lead and reflect gratitude

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Stages of Adoption
Adoption Over Time
Laggards
100%
0%
Everitt M. Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations (1983).

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7. Consolidate Gains /
Prototype the Change
• Encourage Guiding Coalition Leadership,
special interest groups, lobbyists to clarify
the vision and keep urgency up
• Continue to educate the public through
university schools of gerontology,
conferences, conventions
• Eliminate barriers
• Encourage ombudsmen

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8. Incorporate and Connect
Changes into Culture
• Culture change comes last, not first
• Continue to focus on the 80 million-member
Baby Boomer, active older American
• Challenge perception of the frail older American
• Look to models such as social insurance and
community-based models.

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“In times of change, all norms and
customs that people count on are
stripped away. ..
Communication fills that gap.”
-Tim Coan