The Kotter Change Model
Dr John Kotter, change management professor at Harvard Business School introduced his 8 stage change model back in 1985. This was after decades of observing countless leaders and organisations trying to transform or execute their strategies. The Kotter change model is structured in 8 steps:
1: Create a sense of urgency
2: Build a powerful coalition
3: Create a vision for change
4: Communicate the vision
5: Enable actions by removing boundaries
6: Generate short term wins
7: Sustain Acceleration / Build on the change
8: Anchor the changes in corporate culture
A popular model as each step describes exactly what needs to happen to keep a change project on track.
The Kübler-Ross Model
The Kübler-Ross' model describes the internal emotional journey that individuals typically experience when they go through change and transition:
*Shock *Denial *Anger *Bargaining *Depression and *Acceptance.
Individuals move through these emotional stages differently, there are factors that tend to affect the length and depth of the personal change curve. Understanding these emotions and how they emerge in behaviours is critical to support employees through these personal transitions.
Prosci's ADKAR model
Founded in 1994 by Bell Labs engineer and programme manager Jeff Hiatt, Prosci are well known within the Change Management industry. In 2003 Prosci introduced the first integrated approach to change management and the Prosci ADKAR model was introduced.
This model focusses on an outcome orientation to change. And recognises that organisational change comes through individual transitions.
This is a popular model (one of my personal favourites which I have had great success using). It is easy to understand with clear and measurable goals. Leaders and change management teams focus on driving individual change and it provides a simple framework for everyone in the change.
McKinsey 7-S Change Management model
This model was developed in the late 1970s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, former consultants at McKinsey & Company. They identified seven internal elements of an organisation that need to align for it to be successful:
1: Strategy
2: Structure
3: Systems
4: Shared Values
5: Style
6: Staff
7: Skills
The model has been widely used by academics and practitioners and remains a popular strategic planning tool. It represents an emphasis on human resources, rather than traditional production tangibles as a key to higher organisational performance. The key point of the model is that all 7 areas are interconnected and a change in one area requires change in the rest for it to function effectively.
Lewin's Change Management Model
This cornerstone model for understanding organisational change was developed by Kurt Lewin in the 1940s. His model refers to 3 stages of change: Unfreeze - Change - Freeze.
All too often, people go into change blindly causing unnecessary turmoil, stress, and resistance. To begin any successful change, you must first start by understanding why the change must take place.
Motivation for change must take place before a change can occur. The unfreezing stage involves preparing the organisation to accept change is necessary. The change stage is where people begin to resolve uncertainty and look for new ways to do things. The transition from unfreeze to change does not happen overnight and similar to the other models is dependent on individual transition.
Once people have embraced the new ways of working this is where the organisation is ready to refreeze. Outward signs are a stable workforce, consistent job descriptions and so on. The refreeze stage also helps people and the organisation to internalise or institutionalise the change.