Kotter And Cohen's The Heart Of Change

The Heart of Change
A Review by
Erin Tiegs

Introduction
Technology is forcing organizations to change, sometimes rapidly, if they are to survive in today’s world. Thanks to advanced communication, globalization, and computerization, these changes must be anticipated and accepted as the new norm. Understanding, accommodating, and using change are now part of a manager’s job requirement. Resisting the reality of change will lead to conflict, reduced performance, job dissatisfaction, decreased morale, and increased turnover (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, p.7-9). In The Heart of Change, John Kotter and Dan Cohen interview hundreds of successful leaders to identify the key to successful change. According to Kotter and Cohen,
Instead, it is removing barriers. Sometimes, the boss is the barrier. Some of these bosses have been with the company for a long time and refuse to learn a new style. The “boss barrier” cannot be ignored. It must be removed, perhaps by transferring to another position (p.101-102). Empowerment also means allowing employees to be creative and take risks, without fear of retribution if they fail. Creativity allows employees to think outside the box. If, however, mistakes and failure are not tolerated, then the organization should not expect employees to take risks (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, p. 87). Empowerment and autonomy increase self-esteem, leading to increased motivation and self-actualization, as well as increased quality of work life. Empowerment can be created through self-manage teams, allowing these teams to perform certain activities based on decisions made within the group, although some managers are reluctant and fear loss of control and status (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, p. 124, 151,
Howver, this is not the time declare victory just yet. It is important to keep urgency up. Managers may need to revert to methods used in step 1. Challenges should become more difficult. More power should be given, including time, resources, and access, not simply more authority (Kotter & Cohen, p. 143-145). Persistence is key, as it refers to the staying power of an individual. Some employees may focus their efforts with a high degree of intensity, but only for a short period of time. These employees need new sources of motivation, new challenges to tackle, in order to stay focused on the large-scale change and avoid burnout (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, p.121). Without new motivation, highly cohesive groups are also at risk for groupthink, where mental efficiency deteriorates in the interest of group solidarity. These groups begin to think they are invincible, opposition is viewed as weak, and opposing ideas are dismissed. These employees developed a short-range and self-interested preoccupation with meeting objectives (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, p. 291-292). To keep momentum going, managers can set new goals and keep ideas fresh. Short-term wind can be analyzed for improvement. Outdated and unnecessary tasks should be removed. Self-managed teams may even need to be split up. It is important for management to