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4. Change Management

Kotter's 8 steps

The campaign view

The 8-Step Process for Leading Change is the work of Dr John Kotter and Kotter, Inc. No affiliation or endorsement.

Use when

Large, visible transformations that need momentum and coalition

Kotter's 8 steps, shown as a sequence of 8 parts: Urgency, Coalition, Vision, Communicate, Empower, Quick wins, Don't let up, Anchor.
  1. 1

    Urgency

    1

    A reason to move that people believe

  2. 2

    Coalition

    2

    Powerful sponsors who show up

  3. 3

    Vision

    3

    A picture of after, in plain words

  4. 4

    Communicate

    4

    Tenfold more than feels necessary

  5. 5

    Empower

    5

    Remove the blockers, change the systems

  6. 6

    Quick wins

    6

    Visible, undeniable, early, celebrated

  7. 7

    Don't let up

    7

    Wave two while wave one still glows

  8. 8

    Anchor

    8

    Into hiring, promotion, story, ritual

How to use it

Use Kotter for the campaign layer of big change (coalition, vision, wins) and ADKAR for the person layer; they nest cleanly. Watch-out: steps 1-4 are where executive energy goes; steps 5-8 are where change happens and attention has usually left.

Card details

Model type
Sequence
Origin status
Established
Content last reviewed
28 July 2026

Origin

Established

John Kotter, Leading Change, 1996.

Neighbouring models

Adoption sequence (ADKAR)Bridges' transitionsThe change curveSocial threat response (SCARF)Lewin + force fieldCompeting commitments (Immunity to Change)Theory E and Theory OChange execution risk score (DICE)The pre-mortemThe Open Ledger
NextBridges' transitions→

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