How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model Every IT leader should know about Kotter’s 8-Step Model for leading and implementing change! Leading Change is recognised as one of the all-time best business books and the definitive work on the subject. Harvard Business School Professor, John P. Kotter, methodically and carefully explains his 8-step process for leading and managing major organisational change in an easy to understand fashion. Leading Change captures his wealth of knowledge and experience working with major companies all over the world. Professor Kotter takes concepts like leadership, urgency, vision, strategy, quick wins, and communication and puts them in well-explained, practical terms that anyone can follow. If you're a manager at any level of your IT organisation who is currently leading any aspect of a change (and today it’s an ongoing occurrence!), understanding Kotter’s 8-step change process is a must-know, and this is a not-to-be-missed session. Plus, learn how to apply the best practices from this book from one of the world's leading management consultants – Karen Chua. You'll gain huge benefits from her extensive transformation experience as she walks you through several real-world examples for each of the eight steps.

1. Pink Elephant – Knowledge Translated Into Results
How To Successfully Lead
Projects With Professor
John. P. Kotter’s
8-Step Model
Karen Chua
Management Consultant
Pink Elephant

2. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome & Agenda
1. Why Change?
2. Why Firms Fail?
3. Eight Steps For Managing
Organisational Change
4. Q & Q
ITIL® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited.
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3. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Leading Change
by John Kotter, 1996, 2012
Leading Change
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4. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Why Change?
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Globalisation &
Competition
Maturity of
Markets
Interna0onal
Economic
Integra0on
Technological
Change
§ Reengineering
§ Restructuring
§ Quality Programs
§ Mergers &
Acquisitions
§ Strategic Change
§ Cultural Change
If it ain’t broken,
don’t fix it!

5. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Why Firms Fail
1. Allowing too much complacency
2. Failing to create a sufficiently powerful guiding coalition
3. Underestimating the power of vision
4. Under communicating the vision by a factor of 10
5. Permitting obstacles to block the new vision
6. Failing to create short-term wins
7. Declaring victory too soon
8. Neglecting to anchor changes firmly in the corporate culture
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Consequences:
§ New strategies not implemented well
§ Reengineering takes too long, costs too much
§ Quality program do not deliver expected results

6. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Kotter’s Eight Steps For
Leading & Managing Organisational Change
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Establishing a sense of urgency
Creating the guiding coalition
Developing a vision and strategy
Communicating the change vision
Empowering broad-based action
Generating short-term wins
Consolidating gains and producing more change
Anchoring new approaches in the culture
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2
3
4
5
6
7
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7. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved. 7
The Process Of Change
CSI
Output
Future:
Cultural
Vision & Plans
Input
Baseline:
Current
Culture
Transition
Change
5. Empower Broad Based
Action
6. Generate Short-Term
Wins
7. Consolidate Changes
& Produce More Change
Transition
Refreeze
8. Anchor Changes
In Culture
Unfreeze
1.Establish Sense Of Urgency
2.Create Guiding Coalition
3.Develop Vision & Strategy
4.Communicate Vision &
Strategy
Kotter’s Eight Steps
For Transformation
Kurt Lewin’s
Three-Stage Model

8. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Establishing A Sense Of Urgency
§ What is the sense of urgency for change?
§ We are doing fine as we are…
§ Why should we change when there is no real problem to fix?
§ 50% projects fail at this stage
§ No real understanding of ‘why we are implementing change’
§ Sense of urgency at strategic level – not filtered down
§ Lack of addressing the heart
§ Burning platforms in IT today
§ Globalisation, competition, governance, security etc.
§ BYOD, Mobile computing, cloud etc.
§ Service quality, reduced budgets etc.
§ Sense of urgency is crucial
§ To gain needed cooperation
§ To sustain the momentum for change
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9. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved. 9
Never Forget
Change comes from the heart not from the head.
It is about being shown a truth that influences their feelings.

10. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Ways To Raise The Urgency Level
10
High Levels
Of Urgency
Create A
Crisis
Honest
Discussions
Eliminate
Excess
Set High
Targets
Broader
Performance
measures
More Data
on
Customer
Satisfaction
Talk
Regularly
To Unhappy
Customers
Use
Consultants
Wonderful
Future

11. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Creating The Guiding Coalition
§ A team powerful enough to sustain the change throughout its
journey
§ Right composition, level of trust and common objectives
§ Designed to overcome challenges like:
§ CIO/Executive Sponsor moves on: Change project cancelled or scope
severely reduced
§ Lack of Credibility: Driven by middle management; Change project cancelled
as more strategic business impacting projects take priority
§ Challenging Change Project Dynamics: Long duration; High impact – roles,
tools; Complex – global organisations/multi-departments
§ Effective guiding coalition processes more information more quickly,
speed up implementation of new approaches, committed to key
decisions
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Trust and common goal shared by people with the right characteristics
result in a POWERFUL team!

12. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Traits Of A Guiding Coalition
§ Trust & Emotional Commitment
§ Sufficient level of trust
§ Common objectives
§ Right composition of people
§ TEAMWORK!
§ Key Roles
§ Sponsor – Leadership. Ultimate owner of the change
§ Advocates – Senior Management to support the Sponsor
§ Agents – Have respect and credibility. Will embed the change
§ Need both leadership and management!
§ Key Characteristics (Kotter):
§ Leadership – Proven leaders who can drive the change
§ Position Power – Key stakeholder representation
§ Credibility – Good reputation, taken seriously
§ Expertise – Representative SMEs to make effective decisions
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Guiding
Coali0on
Common
Objec,ves
Right
Composi,on Trust

13. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Developing A Vision & Strategy
§ Leadership is the process of creating a
vision for others and having the power to
translate it into a reality and sustain it
(Kotter’s – Leadership Factor)
§ A good vision statement should:
§ Exercise both the HEAD and the HEART
§ Clarify the general direction of the change
program and the intent of the organisation
§ Motivate people to take action in the right
direction
§ Steer a strategy to coordinate and focus
the actions of many different people
The Vision Statement
describes the
Des,na,on for the
Journey Forward
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14. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Vision Statement
Vision Statement vs. Mission Statement
§ A vision statement should not to be confused with a mission statement.
The terms are often used interchangeably. Mission statements are
present-based statements designed to convey a sense of why the
company exists. Vision statements are future-based and are meant to
inspire and give direction.
Example: “To be a regional financial services leader.”
(quoted from Maybank.listedcompany.com)
Example: Our vision is to be the go to provider of choice for
IT services, excelling in quality of service, innovation and
responsiveness to the changing demands of the business.
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An ineffective vision may be
worse than no vision at all.
Example: “A leading oil and gas multinational of choice.”
(quoted from Petronas.com.my)

15. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Characteristics Of An Effective Vision
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Rule of Thumb:
If you cannot describe the vision to someone in 5 minutes and get them
interested, you have a lot of work to do!
Imaginable Desirable
Feasible Focused
Flexible Communicable
Source: Leading Change, Table 5-1, KoHer

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Communicating The Change Vision
A great Vision can serve a useful purpose even if it is
understood by just a few key people.
But the real power of a Vision is unleashed only when
most of those involved in an enterprise or activity have a
common understanding of its goals and direction. The shared
sense of a desirable future can motivate and coordinate the
actions that create transformation.
Professor John P. Kotter,
Leading Change
4
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17. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Seven Steps To Success
For Communicating The Vision & Strategy
1. Must come from the heart.
2. Keep it direct and simple
§ Eliminate jargon and geek speak
3. Use metaphors, analogies and examples
§ Pictures are worth a thousand words
4. Use Multiple Forums
§ Normal IT Communication vs. Required Change Vision
Communication requirements
5. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
§ Repeat as often as possible – no fear of over communicating
6. Lead by example – Be the right role model/walk the talk
§ Provide explanations for perceived inconsistencies
7. Two-way is more powerful and effective than one-way
communication
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18. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Empowering Broad-Based Action
Does anyone truly understand the word “Empowerment?”
§ Empower people to take action
§ Empower people to make decisions
§ Empower people to recommend/make changes
§ Empower people to do what is right
§ Empowerment requires guidelines on how far people
can go
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19. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Barriers To Empowerment
§ Structures
§ Fragmented resources, strong silos disempower people
§ Skills
§ Insufficient skills, understanding of necessary skills or training,
wrong attitude
§ Systems
§ Personnel and information systems – appraisal, compensation
and promotion
§ Supervisors
§ Middle Managers discourages actions aimed at implementing
the new Vision – poses a serious threat
Change leaders focus on removing obstacles and barriers.
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20. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Generating Short Term Wins
A Short Term Win describes an improvement in actual or
perceived service quality, achieved within a short space of
time with relatively little effort.
There are typically many improvement activities that can
be done in a short period of time without necessarily
launching a formal improvement project.
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Visible
Unambiguous
Related to the Change
A Good
Short
Term Win

21. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Benefits Of Short Term Wins
Buy-in
&
Commitment
Success
Feeds
Success
Key
Stakeholder
Support
Address
Skeptics
Build
Confidence
In Program
Funding
Why
Worry
About
QUICK WINS?
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22. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Key Elements Of Short Term Wins
§ Must be planned
§ Must be visible
§ Must be communicated
§ Must add value and be meaningful
§ Must be achieved in a short period of time
§ Must support sense of urgency and inspire
people to want to act
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23. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Consolidating Gains &
Producing More Change
Why it is important to keep moving:
§ Success makes it hard for people to
block the change initiative
§ Success breeds success
§ Retain key resources and skills
§ Provide Senior Management and the
guiding coalition data on the viability
of the programme/project
§ Assures management and staff that
the effort is worth it
§ Creates many visible milestones
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24. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Producing More Change
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Short term wins generate more change
Get more people involved to develop the change
Leadership focuses on maintaining the course
Middle management manages specific change projects
Eliminate unnecessary interdependencies

25. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Anchoring New Approaches
In The Culture
New Practices Grafted into Old Culture:
§ New practices to be stated and formalized
§ Help new practices to grow deep roots, sink down to the core
culture
§ Attitude and Behaviour change at earlier stages;
Culture change last
§ Culture: behaviour norms, shared values
§ Leadership is critical to change the culture
§ Management is important to change the structure and systems
Last but not Least:
In the end, this last step may well be the most critical to your
transformation activities. You have to find the courage and
organisational will to transcend silos, create new governance/ownership
structures, new roles and personal performance measures that will
ensure that Executives, Managers and Staff feel personally accountable
to actually change their behaviour and embrace the new practices.
8
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26. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Kotter’s 8 Steps For
Leading & Managing Organizational Change
26
Establishing a sense of urgency
Creating the guiding coalition
Developing a vision and strategy
Communicating the change vision
Empowering broad-based action
Generating short-term wins
Consolidating gains and producing more change
Anchoring new approaches in the culture
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
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27. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Time To Get To Work
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28. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
QUESTIONS
&
QUIZ
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29. How To Successfully Lead Projects With Professor John P. Kotter’s 8-Step Model © Pink Elephant, 2016. All Rights Reserved.
Thank You. Questions?
Karen Chua
k.chua@pinkelephant.com
@karenchuakc
sg.linkedin.com/in/karenchua
www.pinkelephant.com
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