A Key Life Lesson in a Motorcycle Accident
Kotter’s 1996 research emphasises that all change processes need a compelling vision.
Why is this important? I personally found this out the hard way some years ago. I was foolish and travelling too fast around a corner on a motorcycle. Instead of focusing on the positive outcome of the corner (compelling vision), I rather focused (out of fear) on the crash barrier! I hit the crash barrier exactly where I was looking at it!
In a subsequent motorcycle course, I was told, “On a motorcycle, where you look is where you go”. This simple statement turned out to be a key life lesson. I have noticed that in times of change, people focus (out of fear) on the “crash barrier”; they do not focus on the compelling outcome that would bring relief and a positive new space.
In his work on organisational change, Kotter found that effective visions serve three purposes: they clarify the direction of change, they motivate action even when the steps are painful, and they coordinate decisions across the organisation. Researchers Kantabutra and Avery identified the characteristics of visions that actually work: brevity (communicable in under five minutes), clarity (an immediate mental picture of the future state), appeal to multiple stakeholders’ interests, feasibility, and enough stability to persist while remaining adaptable.
Most change visions fail on the first criterion. They are too long, too abstract, too strategic. They use complex language which is fine in theory but does not land in a team meeting.
The Sensory Visioning Exercise
In times of either personal change or organisational change, it can be really useful to ask key stakeholders to describe in a very clear, concrete way how they, or the organisation, would look and feel two years from now if the change succeeds. What kind of work, what context, sales, cash flow, clients, types of meeting, etc. Kotter suggests that a vision ideally begins with a senior figure or team, and it is made to be “compelling”.
This compelling vision can be very much enhanced with the cascading involvement of small groups of stakeholders, ideally enhanced in discussions and visual images focusing on how it would be in real life. The richness of these descriptions or images — specific, vivid, grounded in daily experience — far exceeds anything in a typical strategy document.
That said, such descriptions can be distilled into a vision statement that can ideally be simply and briefly communicated. Involvement of those involved in the change in the compelling vision is an investment in it landing and becoming a reality.
Communicate, communicate (tenfold)
Kotter found that organisations under-communicate their change vision by a factor of ten. Leaders who believe they have communicated clearly have typically delivered the message once or twice. Research suggests the vision needs to be communicated seven to twelve times through multiple channels before it begins to register.
In the early 2000s, Armenakis and Harris’ research identified five beliefs that effective change communication must address: Is change needed? Is this the right change? Can we succeed? Do leaders actually support this? And — the one that matters most to each individual — what is in it for me? (WIIFM)
Most change communications address the first two and ignore the rest.
Why this matters for leadership development processes
Thornhill has assessment tools and coaching processes which can be tailor-made to significantly structure and guide change processes. These draw from experience, and guided by effective theory, can create what will best support constructive change in your organisation.