GoKawiilNew research challenges Kotter's classic 8-step change management model
A review of organizational change research argues that the widely used change management framework, first popularized by Harvard professor John Kotter in a 1995 Harvard Business Review article based on observations of over 100 companies, no longer reflects what actually drives successful transformation. The piece proposes three counterintuitive strategies as alternatives to the traditional step-by-step approach long followed by corporate leaders.
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Kotter's eight-step model has served as a default playbook for executives managing mergers, restructurings and digital transformations for nearly three decades, so a credible challenge to it could prompt companies to rethink training programs and consulting practices built around it. The suggestion that counterintuitive tactics work better implies organizations may be wasting resources on change initiatives that follow outdated assumptions, though the long-term effectiveness of the new strategies remains unproven at scale.
- Kotter's 1995 eight-step change model has long dominated corporate transformation strategy.
- New analysis proposes three counterintuitive alternatives to the traditional approach.
- The shift could influence how companies design future organizational change programs.
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-10-07
Published there as: “The change management playbook is broken. Here are 3 counterintuitive strategies that actually work”
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