How to Manage Change Without Breaking Your Business: A Guide to Kotter's 8-Stage Model
Change is hard. Even when it's necessary, even when everyone agrees it's the right thing to do, change breaks things. Teams fracture. Productivity dips. Good people leave.
I've watched businesses bungle change in predictable ways: announcing restructures with no context, implementing new systems with no training, declaring cultural transformations with no follow-through. And then wondering why people resisted.
Here's the truth: most change initiatives fail not because the change itself was wrong, but because the process was terrible. People don't resist change—they resist being changed.
The good news? There's a framework that works. John Kotter's 8-Stage Change Model isn't just academic theory—it's a practical roadmap for leading change that sticks.
Why Most Change Fails
Before we get to the model, let's talk about why change goes wrong:
Moving too fast. Leaders see the problem, design the solution, and expect everyone to catch up instantly. Spoiler: they don't.
Poor communication. Announcing change once and assuming everyone got it.
Ignoring emotions. Change is emotional. Treating it as purely logical guarantees resistance.
Declaring victory too early. Making changes and moving on before they've embedded.
Kotter's model addresses all of this. Let's break it down.
Stage 1: Create Urgency
Change won't happen if people don't believe it needs to. Your job as a leader is to create a compelling case for why staying the same is riskier than changing.
This isn't about fear-mongering. It's about honesty. What happens if we don't change? What opportunities do we miss? What risks do we face?
Get your leadership team aligned on the urgency first. If they're not convinced, no one else will be.
Stage 2: Build a Guiding Coalition
You can't lead change alone. You need a coalition of influential people across the business who believe in the change and will champion it.
This isn't just senior leaders. It's the people others listen to—the respected voices in different teams and levels. Get them bought in early and give them the information and authority to advocate for change.
Stage 3: Form a Strategic Vision
People need to know where they're going and why it matters. A vague "we need to be more agile" doesn't cut it.
Your vision should be:
Clear. Anyone should be able to explain it in under a minute.
Compelling. It should inspire people, not bore them.
Connected to action. It should make clear what changes, and how.
A good vision gives people something to aim for when the change gets difficult—and it will.
Stage 4: Communicate the Vision
Here's where most change efforts fall apart. Leaders communicate the vision once, in an all-hands meeting, and assume that's enough.
It's not.
You need to communicate constantly, in multiple ways, through multiple channels. Town halls, team meetings, Slack updates, one-on-ones. Repeat the message until you're sick of it—because that's when people are just starting to hear it.
And here's the key: lead by example. If you're asking people to change behaviors, you'd better be modeling them yourself.
Stage 5: Remove Obstacles
Even with urgency, coalition, vision, and communication, change will stall if barriers remain.
Identify what's blocking progress:
Processes that make the new way harder than the old way
Systems that don't support the change
People actively resisting (and yes, sometimes you need to move them on)
Skills gaps that training can address
Remove these obstacles quickly. Every barrier left in place signals that the change isn't really serious.
Stage 6: Create Short-Term Wins
Change takes time. If people don't see progress, they'll lose faith.
Plan for early wins—visible, meaningful successes that prove the change is working. Celebrate them publicly. Use them as proof that the effort is worth it.
These wins also silence skeptics and build momentum. Nothing convinces people like results.
Stage 7: Build on the Change
Here's the mistake: declaring victory too early.
You've had some wins. Things feel better. Leaders move on to the next priority. And slowly, quietly, people slip back to the old ways.
Real change takes time to embed. Keep the momentum going. Use early wins to tackle bigger challenges. Bring in new change agents. Keep communicating, keep removing barriers, keep reinforcing the vision.
Stage 8: Anchor the Changes in Culture
Change only sticks when it becomes "how we do things here."
Embed the change into:
How you hire (look for people who fit the new ways of working)
How you onboard (teach new starters the new norms)
How you promote (reward people who model the change)
How you recognize people (celebrate behaviors aligned with the vision)
When the change is woven into the fabric of your business, it's no longer a change initiative. It's just how you operate.
Applying Kotter in Real Life
This isn't a linear checklist. Stages overlap. You'll loop back. That's fine. The point isn't perfection—it's intention.
When you're leading change, keep asking:
Have we created real urgency, or are people going through the motions?
Is our coalition strong enough and visible enough?
Can everyone articulate the vision?
Are we communicating enough? (The answer is probably no.)
What barriers are we leaving in place?
Have we celebrated wins?
Are we building momentum or resting on early success?
Is this becoming part of our culture, or just a temporary initiative?
The Bottom Line
Change is hard because people are human. We crave stability. We fear the unknown. We need time to process, adapt, and believe.
Kotter's model works because it respects that. It doesn't rush. It doesn't ignore emotions. It doesn't declare victory prematurely.
If you're leading change—whether it's a restructure, a new strategy, a cultural shift, or a system implementation—use this framework. It won't make change easy. But it will make it possible.
Leading a major change initiative? Fletcher Oakmont partners with scale-ups to design and deliver transformation projects that stick. Click here to discuss your change challenge with us.