The Idea in Brief
Faced with stiffer competition and dizzying technological advances, companies often must change course to stay competitive. But most change initiatives backfire. That’s because many managers take a one-size-fits-all approach to change. They assume they can combat resistance, a notorious obstacle, by involving employees in the design of the initiative. But that works only when employees have the information they need to provide useful input. It’s disastrous when they don’t. Also, managers often don’t tailor the speed of their change strategy to the situation. For instance, they may apply a go-slow approach even when an impending crisis calls for rapid change.
To lead change successfully, Kotter and Schlesinger recommend:
- Diagnosing the types of resistance you’ll encounter—and tailoring your countermeasures accordingly. To illustrate, with employees who fear the adjustments the change will require, provide training in new skills.
- Adapting your change strategy to the situation. For example, if your company must transform to avert an imminent crisis, accelerate your initiative—even if that risks greater resistance.
The Idea in Practice
The authors suggest these steps for managing change successfully:
1. Analyze Situational Factors
Ask yourself:
- “How much and what kind of resistance do we anticipate?”
- “What’s my position relative to resisters—in terms of my power and the level of trust between us?”
- “Who—me or others—has the most accurate information about what changes are needed?”
- “How urgent is our situation?”
2. Determine the Optimal Speed of Change
Use your analysis of situational factors to decide how quickly or slowly your change should proceed. Move quickly if the organization risks plummeting performance or death if the present situation isn’t changed. But proceed slowly if:
- Resistance will be intense and extensive
- You anticipate needing information and commitment from others to help design and implement the change
- You have less organizational power than those who may resist the change
3. Consider Methods for Managing Resistance
“It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.”1