Author: John P. Kotter & Dan Cohen
Review by Dan Clark
"The single most important message in this book is very simple. People change what they do less because they are given analysis that shifts their thinking than because they are shown a truth that influences their feelings."
This powerful quote happens to be the first two sentences of The Heart of Change.
Kotter and Cohen have identified eight steps of effective large scale change effort. They believe there is a flow that will lead to success but is difficult to handle. The foundation of their hypothesis is based in two studies that interviewed 400 people from 130 organizations and this is what they found.
Eight Steps for Successful Large Scale Change
Increase Urgency: People start telling each other, "Let's go, we need to change things!"
Build the Guiding Team: A group powerful enough to guide a big change is formed and they start to work together well.
Get the Vision: The right guiding team develops the right vision and a strategy for the change effort.
Communicate for Buy in: People begin to buy into the change, and this shows their behavior.
Empower Action: More people feel able to act, and do act, on the vision.
Create short-term wins: Momentum builds as people try to fulfill the vision, while fewer resist change.
Don't Let Up: People make wave after wave of change until the vision is fulfilled.
Make Change Stick: New and winning behavior continues despite the pull of tradition, turnover of change leaders, etc.
Almost always, a core method is used to achieve a change behavior within each of the eight steps. The core method is SEE - FEEL - CHANGE.
"HELP PEOPLE SEE. Compelling, eye-catching, dramatic situations are created to help others visualize problems, solutions, or progress in solving complacency, strategy, empowerment, or other key problems within the eight steps. As a result, SEEING SOMETHING NEW HITS THE EMOTIONS. The visualizations provide useful ideas that hit people at a deeper level than surface thinking. They evoke a visceral response that reduces emotions that block change and enhance those that support it. EMOTIONALLY CHARGED IDEAS CHANGE BEHAVIOR OR REINFORCE CHANGED BEHAVIOR."
Each of the eight steps had a dedicated chapter with several examples from the business / corporate world that illustrated its successful application. The book is an easy read with concepts I found to be easily adapted to the world of Extension. This book is a worth while read.