Kotter’s steps 1 and 2 of change involves developing an urgency for change and forming a powerful coalition, respectively. The first step is the responsibility of top management to develop and sell the proposed change to the organization (Tang, 2019). Here is where managers play their interpersonal, informational, and decision roles concerning the change. In terms of interpersonal relationships, managers are supposed to lead by example towards the mission, vision, and values surrounding the proposed change. It is in the place of top-level leaders to gather information concerning the proposed change, analyze it, and then make decisions on how to implement the new development. The outcome of a well-coordinated Kotter’s step one is acceptance of the change by the organization and whoever matters. People must be able to understand why change is needed and what they will gain in the process. There is no better person to make them understand than the vision bearer; company management.
Kotter’s second step towards change is the responsibility of a selected group of powerful influencers (Cardwell, & Boff, 2019). Organizations appoint characters that represent certain aspects of the change, for example, strength, resilience, sophistication, quality, among others. The influencers could be famous sportsmen, business moguls, philanthropists, among others. The dominant coalition has a responsibility to carry the vision and familiarize the people with proposed new developments. The coalition creates attention and interest as employees and other stakeholders keen on listening to what their favorite celebrity says. The expected outcome is a step further in the acceptance of the change.
Cardwell, C. A., & Boff, C. T. (2019). Anchoring Change: Using the Kotter Change Management Framework to Analyze & Facilitate Change in Academic Libraries.
Tang, K. N. (2019). Change management. In Leadership and Change Management (pp. 47-55). Springer, Singapore.