Posted: January 22nd, 2023

Kotter’s 8 Steps for an Organizational Change

Kotter’s 8 Steps For an Organizational Change

The volatility and uncertainty within the business world has made it imperative for companies to constantly rebrand and restructure themselves. The arena of commerce is sometimes faced with unforeseen changes that can affect the manner in which firms and companies operate. The businesses that manage to remain successful during such times are those that embrace the concepts of organizational change in the right order. These principles have been proved to provide the perfect recipe for prosperity even in the wake of heightened competition. This paper is an essay that discusses the importance of organizational change with reference to one Australian-based pharmacy chain Kotter’s 8 Steps for an Organizational Change.

Essay Task

Choose an existing organization within Australia and implement Kotter’s 8 steps for an organizational change in the chain. Explain how you would apply the steps giving realistic specific examples. The organization should fall within a major Australia-wide pharmacy chain.

Company Chosen for the Essay

Apotex pharmaceuticals- Australia

Body

The ability of a company to constantly rebrand itself in the wake of an era that is filled with a myriad of unpredictability is one of the vital aspects that is bound to guarantee success. Change is one of the most  repetitive processes in the business world and it is virtually impossible for any company to implement the same mode of operation through different time eras (Mento et al 2012, p. 45).

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Organizational change is one of the ways that has been suggested by scholars and experts that is capable of bringing the much needed transformation and give a fresh outlook to a business. This principle applies to all firms regardless of their geographical or physical location (Nasim and Sushil 2011, p. 187).  The Apotex Company is one of the established retail chains that operates in the pharmaceutical industry in Australia. Kotter’s 8 Steps for an Organizational Change This firm prides itself in having a widespread coverage in terms of customer base and also outreach such that it enjoys a larger share of profits and revenue compared to other companies in the same sector.

The success of this firm can be attributed to various elements and concepts that have played an integral role in propelling the firm to towards the position it has reached to date. However, this level of growth can be lifted higher if the management was to implement Kotter’s principles of organizational change within its operations (Neiva et al 2015, 324). Kotter summed up a number of essential steps that could be used by companies and corporations to introduce change in their business and eventually achieve greater and grander returns.

The first step in these marketing principles involves establishing and creating the need for urgency through the process of examining the market and identifying the level of competition (Kotter 2007, p. 99). This means that a company like Apotex pharmaceuticals can begin by pointing out the threats that are present in the Australian market and create scenarios as what would happen in future if this rivalry is not combated. The firm can then go ahead to engage in honest discussions that can help in formulating a dynamic approach that can be used to deal with such a crisis (Gardner 2009, p. 14).

The identification of this threat can allow Apotex pharmaceuticals to know the best way forward in terms of handling a rival company or even incoming competition from a foreign-based company. The second step is creating a powerful coalition that can be used by the company to guide it through its operations (Kotter 2007, p. 99) Kotter’s 8 Steps for an Organizational Change. Kotter asserts that the process of congregating a group with a common goal can help an organization to propel itself to greatness. This scholar argues that change is inevitable and it only takes a strong team to steer the process of bringing transformation in the daily routine of a company (Predișcan et al 2016, p. 959).

This means that the only way that Apotex pharmaceuticals can be assured and guaranteed of implementing change in the company is by forming a strong coalition that can serve as the ambassadors of preaching this message. Thirdly, Kotter advises people to create a vision that can help in directing the process of carrying out the much-needed change (Kotter 2007, p. 99). This step is in accord with the fourth and fifth steps that deal with the process of communicating this vision and empowering the team to act on it. In the case of Apotex pharmaceuticals, the management should make it clear to the tam and employee fraternity that its vision is to become the household name in the pharmaceutical industry both on a regional and local level and scope. This can then be followed by empowering the team by showing them how they can actualize this vision (Parry et al 2014, p. 122).  This step is actually powerful as it can help in making this Australian based company to alter its current structures and adapt new ones that can actually help in strengthening their vision. The sixth step in Kotter’s strategy of brining organizational change involves the process of planning of wins on a short-term basis. Kotter’s 8 Steps for an Organizational Change This means that firms ought to strive to ensure that they are able to identify their achievements on a short-term basis and then go ahead to reward the people who have made the success possible (Calegari et al 2015, p 31).

In the case of Apotex pharmaceuticals, the company can decide to make sales targets its short-term win and then give awards to the employees who have achieved their individual targets. This step is followed by consolidating any form of improvements that can be used to bring change to the company (Maclean and Vannet 2016, p. 432). For instance, Apotex pharmaceuticals can decide that promoting hardworking employees can help in showing the rest of the team that being visionary and focused has its own benefits.

After a short period of time, this Australian based company can be assured of becoming the trailblazer in the pharmaceutical industry. The final and eight step according to Kotter’s hierarchy is the process of implementing new approaches and using them to develop better leadership skills and a succession strategy (Pollack and Pollack 2015, p. 58).

The combination of all these steps has been proved to provide the perfect recipe for success and prosperity in the world of business.

In sum, the competitive and challenging climate in the commercial arena makes it essential for businesses to have a fall back plan that can help them remain profitable and relevant. Kotter’s eight steps of organizational change have been evaluated and shown to offer a viable option for firms that wish to rebrand and restructure themselves. The same concept can be applied by Apotex pharmaceuticals that is one of the most renowned retail chains in the Australian market. These steps ought to be followed in a consecutive manner for them to be able to offer the best results when it comes to actualizing the concept of organizational change.

References

Predișcan, M, Roiban, R, & Biriescu, S 2016, ‘The Reasons Why Sometimes The Romanian Processes Of Organizational Change Fail’, Annals Of The University Of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 25, 1, Pp. 959-967, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017

Kotter, JP 2007, ‘Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail’, Harvard Business Review, 85, 1, pp. 96-103, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017.

Parry, W, Kirsch, C, Carey, P, & Shaw, D 2014, ‘Empirical Development of a Model of Performance Drivers in Organizational Change Projects’, Journal Of Change Management, 14, 1, pp. 99-125, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017.

Calegari, M, Sibley, R, & Turner, M 2015, ‘A Roadmap For Using Kotter’s Organizational Change Model To Build Faculty Engagement In Accreditation’, Academy Of Educational Leadership Journal, 19, 3, Pp. 31-43, Business Source Complete, Ebscohost, Viewed 7 April 2017.

Pollack, J, & Pollack, R 2015, ‘Using Kotter’s Eight Stage Process To Manage An Organisational Change Program: Presentation and Practice’, Systemic Practice & Action Research, 28, 1, pp. 51-66, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017.

Maclean, D, & Vannet, N 2016, ‘Improving trauma imaging in Wales through Kotter’s theory of change’, Clinical Radiology, 71, 5, pp. 427-431, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017

Mento, A, Jones, R, & Dirndorfer, W 2012, ‘A change management process: Grounded in both theory and practice’, Journal Of Change Management, 3, 1, p. 45, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017

Nasim, S, & Sushil 2011, ‘Revisiting Organizational Change: Exploring The Paradox Of Managing Continuity and Change’, Journal Of Change Management, 11, 2, pp. 185-206, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017.

Neiva, E, Odelius, C, & Ramos, L 2015, ‘The Organizational Change Process: Its Influence on Competences Learned on the Job’, BAR – Brazilian Administration Review, 12, 4, pp. 324-347, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017.

Gardner, PJ 2009, ‘Organizational Change: All We Want is Better Projects-Why So Difficult?’, AACE International Transactions, pp. 3-25 Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 April 2017.