...Book Review “Leading Change” by John Kotter 1996 Review by Chris Shea John P. Kotter is internationally known and widely regarded as the foremost speaker on the topics of leadership and change. He is the premier voice on how the best organizations actually achieve successful transformations. The Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School and a graduate of MIT and Harvard, Kotter’s vast experience and knowledge on successful change and leadership have been proven time and time again. The book Leading Change looks at an eight stage process for implementing successful transformations in today’s firms as well as the eight errors that are common to change efforts. The ideas and methods in this book should be considered a roadmap to successful change for any manager or leader in today’s modern organizations. Leading Change is broken up into three parts. Part one begins by discussing the potential downside of change and the eight errors commonly made during transformation efforts and their consequences. He then goes into detail on the economic and social forces that drive the need for major change in today’s organizations. This is also where Kotter introduces his eight step process for creating change. In Part two Kotter goes into great detail about his eight step process for successful change highlighting what to focus on and avoid at each step of the process. Part three looks at the implications for the 21st century, he goes into detail...
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...The Heart of Change Review Introduction What is organizational change? Organizational change occurs when a company makes a strategic effort to improve the performance of the organization or functions of the organization, such as a group or a practice. The goal of organizational change is to increase the effectiveness of the change effort, while decreasing employee opposition and the cost associated with the change. Change is inevitable in today’s business community if an organization wants to remain competitive and to increase profits. With an increase in globalization and advancements in technology, companies are forced to make changes if they want to stay in business. Unfortunately, most change efforts fail due to resistance and lack of support. Most people are afraid of change, and managers have to be very skilled in getting the employees to commit to implementing the changes. Successful change efforts are based on individuals at the organization responding positively to the transformation. So what can an organization do to bring about successful change? Research suggests that change is more effective when it’s driven from within by the upper management team of the organization. Employees are more than likely to buy into the effort if they feel it’s being supported by the top brass. If the employees get a sense that upper management is not championing the cause, then they will not support it. In addition, the change effort must also tie in with the culture...
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...NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY | Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail | by John Kotter | | Calvin Beecher | 11/17/2013 | John P. Kotter’s frequently cited article, “Leading Change,” Kotter argues that many companies, when attempting to reorganize themselves and make fundamental changes to their business, make eight errors: not establishing a great enough sense of urgency, not creating a powerful enough guiding coalition, lacking a vision, under-communicating the vision by a factor of ten, not removing obstacles to the new vision, not systematically planning for and creating short-term wins, declaring victory too soon, and not anchoring changes in the corporation’s culture. In contrast, organizations that successfully transform themselves perform the following steps in the right order: establishing a sense of urgency, forming a powerful guiding coalition, creating a vision, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, planning for and creating short-term wins, consolidating improvements and producing still more change, and institutionalizing new approaches. Accomplishment of Objectives Kotter sets out to illustrate eight ways a company can fail to reengineer itself and eight steps a company can take to successfully transform to meet market needs. At this, he succeeds. More importantly, his arguments are reasonable and persuasive. Rather than simply give us yet another list of things to do to succeed, Kotter tells us how we will fail if...
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...| Table of content: Introduction 3 The experience & evaluation 3 Literature review 6 Beneficial outcomes 7 Summary 8 Conclusion 9 Introduction: Time is considered to be a dimension. Where this dimension is made up of seconds and it is used as a measurement unit. It is astonishing what people can achieve in their daily lives just by having used their time effectively. The ability and the knowledge of using time are referred to as time management. Now a day’s time management is essential and required while undergoing a task and the person who is working on a task should have acquired the skills of time management to eliminate defects and time wastage. An inspiring quote which emphasizes on the importance of time management is: “Time stays long enough for those who use it” and from this quote we can sense the deep meaning of time management skills. Reflection is defined as deliberately examining and considering the advantages and disadvantages of a personal experience. Reflecting on your personal work will help in learning from past experience; also it allows for personal and professional growth. A reflective essay is a way of writing in which the writer illustrate and describe his or her personal experience. Reflective writing is done by describing the facts which made up the experience and by evaluating the whole experience after it have been done by looking on what when well and what did not. This essay...
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...Workplace Tiara Garrett SPRING15-1-8-ORG100-1– Navigating Organizations and Change Colorado State University – Global Campus Dr. Mary Welsh March 14, 2015 Theorists Who Impact Revolutionary Change in the Workplace Sometimes, in order to be on top of their game, organizations opt to change their approach or implementation of their products and/or services in the industry. This type of organizational change is considered revolutionary. There have been many articles and books created to advise of strategies or techniques to successfully navigate through the transformation process; as well as advise of what to avoid. The theorists I will focus on are John Kotter, James Womack, and Daniel Jones. Kotter's “Eight-Step Process” Not all revolutionary change is successful. John P. Kotter wrote an article discussing eight major errors he's seen to occur during his studies that halted a successful change. Many cannot get out of phase one in implementing the change. That first phase is establishing a sense of urgency (Kotter, 1996). Kotter mentioned that he witnessed more than 50% of the companies he watched fail this phase. One reason being was that some executives did not fully take into account how hard it'll be to drive people out of their fixed mindset. Another reason, lack of patience. He created an eight step process to prevent the errors witnessed from incurring in the future. See Figure 1 for an outline of those steps. Kotter's impact on revolutionary change can be viewed...
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... Introduction A famous Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, once said, “Change is the only constant.” That can be said of business too. “Business as usual” is no longer the world of the eight to five workday, Monday through Friday with the safety net of cornering the market place in the selected region. As Thomas Friedman’s bestselling book “The World is Flat” states due to globalization and advances in technology, “the world is on a level playing field, where all competitors around the globe have equal opportunity to compete,” in a global market that historically and geographical has been impossible several decades ago (The World Is Flat ). In light of this, the authors of “The Heart of Change”, John Kotter and David Cohen (2002) and “Organizational Behavior and Management” textbook by Ivancevich, Konopaske, and Matteson, (2011) authored respective books on implementing effective change in an organization. While each book offer’s similar insights on change through organizational behavior, there are slight differences. One author provides insight through the use of case studies and opinions while the other relies on academic work through theories, research, and supporting evidence....
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...Time Management Techniques – A Literature Review Kara Sterago Liberty University Dr. Wentlandt 12 December 2014 Time Management Techniques – A Literature Review Abstract The purpose of this literature review is to review various documented methodologies to approaching time management. Approaches to time management are reviewed from both a student and a professional (business) setting. This review finds that behaviors surrounding time management have a demonstrated relation to a student or professional’s perception of their ability to control their environment. This includes available time, response to stress in their environment, and level of performance. 1. Introduction One thing that can be heard ringing through any office building, college library or study hall, and many other professional settings is complaint. Complaint that there are not enough hours in the day, days in the week, weeks in the month, etc. How can we be expected to get all this done? All of these complaints lead to the discussion of managing one’s time. In order to manage your time, one must know what time management is. With a quick Google search, or a trip to the self-help section of the book store, you can find an abundance of resources ready at your fingertips, offering you various “must-have” guides to your time management success. One thing you will not find, however, is a consistent definition of time management. So what is time management? Time management is a concept that has...
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...Preface The Heart of Change is a book that tells stories of large scale change within organizations. These stories all revolve around eight key steps that should guide the reader from the beginning to the end of the change process. The book Organizational Behavior and Management is a great tool to support the concepts that are presented. My goal is to describe and discuss what is needed to make these types of large scale change efforts work using the examples provided to me along with more academic information to support or go against these stories. There are many components that are used in conjunction in order to make an organization run. Each one of these components is equally important to successful change. Hopefully by the end of this paper the change process won’t seem so bad. Step One: Increase Urgency When working in many professional settings, you will hear the phrase “act with a sense of urgency”. People who work with a sense of urgency are normally seen as go getters or movers and shakers. In chapter 14 of Organizational Behavior and Management, urgency is said to relate to time (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2014, p. 406). This is the way many managers see urgency as well. “Time is Money” is not just a saying. In most cases, a full time employee is expected to work an 8 hour shift or 40 hours per week. When management assumes that one is not moving with a sense of urgency, this could lead to possible termination. Urgency can be different depending on the...
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...Change Analysis: The Impact of a Management Change in the Workplace Abstract This paper discusses the changes of the tennis club I work at after new ownership and new management come in and swiftly begin to make changes. It is the process in which the changes were made that is discussed throughout the paper in regards to John Kotter’s 8-step change model discussed in his book The Heart of Change: Real-life stories of How People Change Their Organizations. It is the steps that were taken to introduce change to existing staff and the team that was put together by the new manager to implement those changes. Change Analysis: The Impact of a Management Change in the Workplace Introduction Change is never easy and it is especially difficult when the change is the management of an organization. When a change in management occurs, it is often followed by the management making changes to the jobs we do and the work that is done. This kind of major change needs to be effectively completed in order for it to be successful. There needs to be high competencies in management and leadership so that all of the challenges can be met today and tomorrow (Trotter, 2013). I work part-time for the private tennis club my family belongs to. About five years ago, the club was purchased and the new owners wanted to take it in a new direction. The club had been ran exactly the same way for almost 40 years and it was not to the benefit of the owners. The new owners came in with one big idea...
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...The Art of the White Paper July 2003 Executive Summary...................................................................1 What is a White Paper? .............................................................2 White Papers Come in Many Flavors..........................................3 Why Write a White Paper? ........................................................3 Industry Standards for White Papers ........................................4 Who Reads White Papers?.........................................................5 Who Writes White Papers? ........................................................6 Success Factors for White Papers..............................................7 A Gordon & Gordon Success Story.............................................8 Copies of this white paper can be obtained from www.gordonandgordon.com/downloads.html © 2001-2003 by Manuel Gordon and Gordon Graham Executive Summary High-tech companies produce a lot of white papers, and many IT managers use them—even if no one can clearly explain what they are. This paper begins by describing the various kinds of white papers, and the various purposes for which they are needed. Although no industry standards exist for white papers, we can make some generalizations. Most white papers are around 10 letter-sized pages with black & white illustrations. They are written with an authoritative, neutral tone. Most are distributed through the Web as PDFs. They can take from 4 to 10 weeks and cost from...
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...managing individuals and groups. This include theories related to individual differences in abilities and attitudes, attribution, motivation, group dynamics, power and politics, leadership, conflict resolution, organizational culture, and organizational structure and design. This same description can be best summed up in “The Heart of Change” – Real Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations. To fulfill the final requirements of MNGT 5590, it is my intent to provide a summation of The Heart of Change, how the books ties into the course’s main text, “Organizational Behavior and Management, and how both books are interwoven into various facets of my life, and finally, I will provide some closing thoughts related to my interest in the Heart of Change and the class in general. Written by John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen in 2002, the Heart of Change is based on Leading Change, a book written in 1996 which described how it is not systems or strategies that make organizations successful. Rather, it is the human nature (behavior) of people that make organizations successful. How? By tugging at one’s emotions. Kotter and Cohen interviewed over 200 people from 90 United States, European, Australian, and South African organizations to create eight steps people follow to foster change. The purpose of the Heart of Change is to delve into the core problems people face regarding...
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...I-Carlos Ghosn’s Management Style Carlos Ghosn, clearly an extraordinary man with an impressive list of accomplishments already under his belt at a relatively young age. But what is it exactly about his management style that makes him stand-out from other leaders, why is it that so much attention has been showered onto him? In the first part of this report that is exactly what we will try to uncover. Ghosn truly does have a unique management style, one that is perfectly suited to today’s global economic reality. In our view the following management practices are the ones that have been integral to the success of not only Ghosn’s turnaround of Nissan but also in his previous accomplishments at Michelin and Renault: Adaptability What really strikes you as you read and learn more and more about Ghosn is that he truly does not have any preconceptions or stereotypes. Whether he is facing a new and unknown country and culture or a situation within a company, Ghosn’s approach is what he calls “a clean sheet of paper.” What Ghosn has been able to do so well is transcend what Peter M. Senge describes as “Mental Models” in his article The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization. As we have seen in the Senge’s article whenever you limit yourself to your Mental Models you reduce you ability to react effectively to changes in the environment. Senge uses the example of oil companies unable to effectively deal with changes in market conditions...
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...Department of Education website. Retrieved May 5, 2014 http://www2.ed.gov/about/landing.jhtml http://www.nea.org/home/40991.htm John P. Kotter (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press; 1st edition http://www.kotterinternational.com - See more at: http://www.relationsandmore.com/kotters-8-step-change-model.html#sthash.rjg9E4N1.dpuf Almost everyone that reads this will have graduated from a long-established high school where we went to an old-style building five days a week and learned from the quintessential school teachers that no doubt fill at least one stereotype. Traditional classrooms that are part of these brick-and-mortar schools are no longer competitive and vital to the learning process. Instead, students now pay most attention to the information they get off the internet. Sites like Wiki and Facebook have figured out the formula to keeping our young people’s attention. Why should we as tax payers continue to supplement this dying form of education when the answers can be found by researching the success of the online college education system and the top ranked education countries around the world? While on vacation in Phoenix I noticed TV commercials toting an online education that the state sponsors. I could not believe that I was hearing this, state sanctioned home schooling. Let’s think outside the box for a moment. Think of the savings we could make with rethinking the way we teach our students. I am a firm believer that all students...
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...British Petroleum (PLC) and John Browne: A Culture of Risk Beyond Petroleum October 30, 2011 Abstract The image as well as the operational business reputation of a corporation is critical to the survivability of the corporation in today’s business world. This reputation is even more critical when a business has is known globally with holdings and operations around the world. Such is the case with British Petroleum (BP) as it actively explores for oil in 26 countries around the world. BP is renowned as an industry leader in oil production and the refinement of oil related products such as gasoline, kerosene and motor oil products. In 1999, BP acquired American Oil Company, also known as AMOCO. Part of the acquisition included the Texas City Oil Refinery which was over 70 years old and had been noted as having a history of safety issues. Due to BP’s lack of focus on the safety issues presented in the 2004 Telos Group report coupled with the lack appropriate oversight and control, the Texas plant experienced a disastrous fire and explosion killing 15 workers and injuring 170 other personnel as stated by Halbert and Ingulli (2010) (p. 185). From this event BP faced legal issues with U.S. federal environmental laws (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and lawsuits from the families of victims, just to mention a few. An investigation by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board released...
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...competition as a result competitors producing products better, faster, and cheaper. Change management processes must be developed and matured within the organization in order for them to remain competitive. Only through good leadership and the understanding of how to incorporate change can a company survive in today’s fast-paced, ever changing world. Common Errors and Consequences to Anchoring Change Over the years many firms have tried, but failed miserable because they were unable to effectively manage the processes of change which they have established in their organizations. Major change management is an extremely difficult simple process, but when all of the steps or phases of that process are followed, as mentioned in Kotter’s book Leading Change, the outcome will most always be positive. But, if a step(s) is skipped or only partially completed, implementation of the desired change effort will be less than desirable or fail completely. Kotter (1996) states, “To some degree, the downside of change is inevitable. Whenever human communities are forced to adjust to shifting conditions, pain is ever present.” (p. 4). Below are eight the most common errors and the consequences that affect the success of the change process. Figure 1 - Eight Errors Common to Organizational Change Efforts and Their Consequences (Kotter, 1996, p. 16) The errors above are only the common ones, there are countless more. All of these can be avoided when an organization develops and implements...
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