I’ve previously written about the 6 sources of influence:
Let’s use this to assess some well-known change models.
Kotter 8 step change model
From The 8-Step Process for Leading Change | Dr. John Kotter (kotterinc.com) but also Leading Change, The Heart of Change, and The Heart of Change Field Guide and a whole bunch of other books:
- Create a sense of urgency. This is about motivation at all levels.
- Build a guiding coalition. This is about social motivation and ability.
- Form a strategic vision. This is about structural ability by creating clarity.
- Enlist a volunteer army. This is about structural ability by creating clarity to enlist volunteers AND about social motivation and ability when the volunteer army exists.
- Enable action by removing barriers. This is about ability at all levels.
- Generate short-term wins. This helps with personal motivation.
- Sustain acceleration. Momentum is a kind of structural motivation.
- Institute change. Incorporating the change into policies and incentives is about structural motivation.
Switch model
From Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard:
Direct the Rider
- Follow the bright spots. This is about exploiting social ability. Learning from someone else’s success rather than try to derive it on your own from scratch.
- Script the critical moves. This is about limiting what is required from personal ability.
- Point to the destination. This is about creating clarity which I’d call structural ability.
Motivate the Elephant
- Find the feeling. This is about personal motivation through emotional connection.
- Shrink the change. This is about personal motivation. Small changes trigger less fear.
- Grow your people. This is about personal motivation through a sense of identity.
Shape the Path
- Tweak the environment. This is about surrounding structure, both motivation and ability.
- Build habits. This is about personal motivation in that habits don’t require a lot of motivation once established.
- Rally the herd. This is about social motivation.
