kotter-change
Installation
SKILL.md
Kotter's 8-Step Change Model
Overview
John Kotter built this model from studying one hundred corporate transformations — most failed. Core finding: failures stem from eight predictable leadership errors, each defeated by one of the eight steps. Skipping steps creates only the illusion of speed. The 2014 Accelerate update introduced a Dual Operating System for parallel execution in high-velocity environments.
Composes with: okr-goal-setting inside Steps 3 and 6; feedback-loops throughout Steps 6–7; situational-leadership for individual-level management at each step.
When to Use
- Planned change (digital transformation, process redesign, cultural shift, merger integration) needs sequencing
- Transformation is stalling — diagnose which step was skipped
- Resistance is significant and needs a structured approach
- Someone says "nobody's buying in", "we went back to old ways", "the rollout failed"
- AI adoption is stalling — copilots/AI tools bought but under-used, pilots not scaling, ROI on AI capex unclear, or middle managers quietly resisting AI-native ways of working against AI-native competition
When NOT to use: small process improvement; org under 30–50 people; change needed in weeks; crisis requiring immediate action.