Discussion Board Question

Module 1 – Discussion

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· Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail

In order for you to work on your Module 1 -  Discussion, please read the following article if you are still waiting for your HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Change to be delivered:   

1. HBR Leading Change - Why Transformation Efforts Fail by JP Kotter.pdf

Introduction to the Lesson with the authors summary:

Businesses hoping to survive over the long term will have to remake themselves into better competitors at least once along the way. These efforts have gone under many banners: total quality management, reengineering, rightsizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnarounds, to name a few. In almost every case, the goal has been to cope with a new, more challenging market by changing the way business is conducted. A few of these endeavors have been very successful. A few have been utter failures. Most fall somewhere in between, with a distinct tilt toward the lower end of the scale.

John P. Kotter is renowned for his work on leading organizational change. In 1995, when this article was first published, he had just completed a ten-year study of more than 100 companies that attempted such a transformation. Here he shares the results of his observations, outlining the eight largest errors that can doom these efforts and explaining the general lessons that encourage success.

Unsuccessful transitions almost always founder during at least one of the following phases: generating a sense of urgency, establishing a powerful guiding coalition, developing a vision, communicating the vision clearly and often, removing obstacles, planning for and creating short-term wins, avoiding premature declarations of victory, and embedding changes in the corporate culture.

Realizing that change usually takes a long time, says Kotter, can improve the chances of success.

Instructions

Postings to each discussion must be substantial and be supported with citations.  Please follow the APA style for your writing.  Postings should be a minimum of 300 to 400 words in length

Discussion Topic:

Organizations face internal and external changes constantly.  What is a factor that influence changes in an organization that you have encountered /experienced /read /researched on?  Please discuss this extensively.