Eines der wichtigsten und besten englischsprachigen Bücher über Change Management: Harvard-Professor John Kotter hat die Summe seiner Erfahrung und seines Denkens in ein achtstufiges Modell für die Realisierung nachhaltiger Veränderungen gegossen. Pflichtlektüre!

Nach einer Einführung, die typische Fehler aufzeigt an denen Veränderungsvorhaben in Unternehmen scheitern, sind die Kapitel konsequent Kotters achtstufigem Change-Modell gewidmet. Und sie lohnen das Lesen, weil sie gerade für erfahrene Manager die Brücke schlagen zwischen eigenen Erfahrungen und theoretischen Überlegungen, die schlüssige Erklärungen für erlebte Fehlschläge ebenso liefern wie handfeste Alternativvorschläge.

Kotters achtstufiger Prozess nachhaltiger Veränderung in Kürze und als Auszug aus seinem Buch:

1) Establishing a Sense of Urgency

• Examining the market and competitive realties
• Identifying and discussing crises, potential crises or major opportunities

2) Craeting the Guiding Coaltion

• Putting together a group with enough power to lead the change
• Getting the group to work together like a team

3) Developing a Vision and Strategy

• Creating a vision to help direct the change effort
• Developing strategies for achieving that vision

4) Communicating the Change Vision

• Using every vehicle possible to constantly communicate the new vision and strategies
• Having the guiding coalition role model the behavior expected of employees

5) Empowering Broad-Based Action

• Getting rid of obstacles
• Changing systems or structures that undermine the change vision
• Encouraging risk taking and nontraditional ideas, activities, and actions

6) Generating Short-Term Wins

• Planning for visible improvements in performance, or "wins"
• Creating those wins
• Visibly recognizing and rewarding people who made the wins possible

7) Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change

• Using increased credibility to change all systems, structures, and policies that don't fit together and don't fit the transformation vision
• Hiring, promoting, and developing people who can implement the change vision
• Reinvigorating the process with new projects, thems, and change agents

8) Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture

• Creating better performance through customer- and productivity-oriented behavior, more and better leadership, and more efficient management
• Articulating the connections between new behaviors and organizational success
• Developing means to ensure leadership development and succession