Answer 2 for LDR 615 Discuss the importance of identifying and acknowledging short-term wins during change

by Posted on

Answer 2 for LDR 615 Discuss the importance of identifying and acknowledging short-term wins during change

Kotter & Cohen (2002) identified four ways in which short-term wins are significant by stating:

“1. Wins provide feedback to change leaders about the validity of their visions and strategies.

  1. Wins give those working hard to achieve a vision a pat on the back, an emotional uplift.
  2. Wins build faith in the effort, attracting those who are not yet actively helping.
  3. Wins take power away from cynics.”

Short-term wins act as checkpoints that allow change leaders to assess whether their overall vision and plans are on the right track based on achieving short-term successes. If short-term wins are being realized, it signals the broader strategies are effective, but a lack of early wins may prompt leaders to reevaluate and adjust their approach. Wins uplift and empower hard-working staff towards a positive, emotional state while probably encountering increased workload, barriers, and unknowns. In Wheeler & Holmes (2017), the leaders demonstrated ways to empower their staff by “In each case, the library directors worked to highlight the efforts of library staff so that these short-term wins were visible to a larger audience, and the visibility of the short-term wins helped the libraries’ stature grow significantly”.

Rehman et al. (2021) attests that “During the change execution process, the biggest challenge faced by the organizations is how to manage that change, especially to cope with the resistance posed by the employees”. Early, clear successes help to silence cynics by providing tangible evidence that the change vision can be realized. Visible achievements attract more buy-in from those not yet actively participating, as people want to be part of an effort showing demonstrable progress. Conversely, a lack of quick wins allows cynics to gain influence by fueling skepticism about whether the change goals are achievable. But each incremental win chips away at the cynic’s arguments by proving the strategies are actually working. Accumulating a track record of short-term wins builds belief that long-term transformation is obtainable.

Kotter & Cohen (2002) also states that “Too often we create wins that we see, but which others do not, at least not to the same degree”. Kotter & Cohen (2002) states “a group very deliberately tried to avoid this problem by (1) clarifying the criteria for a good short-term win and (2) selecting projects based on that criteria. Therefore, the most meaningful wins are those that are actually applicable and beneficial effects for the stakeholders and change agents. Clear, quantifiable successes that are explicit help build credibility for the change vision. This is illustrated by hitting performance targets or completing milestones that have positive impact.

References

Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2002). The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations. Harvard Business Review Press.

Rehman, N., Mahmood, A., Ibtasam, M., Murtaza, S. A., Iqbal, N., & Molnar, E. (2021). The Psychology of Resistance to Change: The Antidotal Effect of Organizational Justice, Support and Leader-Member Exchange. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678952

Wheeler, T. R., & Holmes, K. L. (2017). Rapid transformation of two libraries using Kotter’s Eight Steps of Change. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 105(3), 276–281. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2017.97

Published by Amilik