Introduction
The perception of changes as positive criteria that determine the movement towards development and improvement is an essential aspect of work both at the team and individual levels. The ability to adapt to the necessary transformations determines the degree of employees’ qualifications, their professional potential, as well as readiness to achieve the highest possible operational results. In this regard, the use of convenient and effective tools to substantiate and control changes is an important condition for productive career growth. In their book, Kotter and Cohen (2012) offer to pay attention to the eight-step model, which is a unique methodology not only to shape a specific change regime but also to provide a stable background for the necessary transformation decisions. For my career ahead, I intend to take this model into account and consider its key stages as meaningful steps to improve my skills by stimulating progressive changes after graduating and guiding my decisions to self-develop. Kotter’s model will become a valuable methodology for me to provide a reliable platform for any strategic changes, which, in turn, is a crucial aspect of strengthening personal competencies and professionalism.
Relevance of Kotter’s Eight-Step Model to My Views on Changes
Although I take the process of change as a natural and often unavoidable task to improve individual skills and achieve more at the team level, putting transformation into practice can be challenging. I see any change as a series of optimization factors, and each of them can have a positive impact on one or more criteria of professional practice. In case these factors serve as the drivers of performance drop or degrade the workflow, such changes are destructive and harmful at any level. When applied to Kotter’s model, one of the main strengths of this methodology is an opportunity to influence employee behavior. According to Kotter and Cohen (2012), “the central challenge in all eight stages is changing people’s behavior” (p. 2). Having an employee motivated enough to follow specific steps is a valuable prerequisite for a successful transformation. I support this position and believe that the model in question offers all the necessary components to make the changes as easy as possible and, at the same time, sufficiently effective to achieve the tasks set and increase performance or other crucial labor components.
Since my goal is to obtain a full-time marketing position in the customer-package goods industry after graduation, I realize the importance of adaptive behavior as one of the conditions for successful advancement in this area. The ability to reorganize the workflow in a mode of ever-changing customer preferences and a dynamic marketplace distinguishes a skilled employee from an inflexible one. Due to the fact that the first steps of Kotter’s model do not affect the active measures to implement transformations in the workflow directly, this methodology is convenient for almost any environment, including my target industry. Employees do not receive orders on what to change and when. Instead, staff become familiar with a specific task, form opinions, and find the necessary resources. I consider this algorithm convenient and believe that without preliminary preparatory steps, the probability of the positive outcomes of interventions would be significantly lower, which makes the model under consideration relevant.
The Model’s Impacts on Me from a Professional Perspective
Since my planned position implies working in the marketing field, my willingness to constantly change and transform operational approaches is a natural factor for success. At the same time, I anticipate not only making quick decisions based on the current demand indicators but also taking strategically sound steps that can be implemented by utilizing Kotter’s model. In the face of labor competition, constantly changing trends, and market dynamics, I will need to establish myself as a potentially productive young specialist with specific goals and sufficient knowledge to justify my candidacy as an employee in the planned field. The model under consideration can become an effective methodology for me to stimulate constant self-development and strive for improvement, which are integral traits of an ambitious and responsible worker. Therefore, Kotter’s concept has professional value for me from a professional perspective.
At the same time, this model is a valuable algorithm that allows creation of a unique tactical scheme to move to specific changes. As Kotter and Cohen (2012) state, “strategic plans motivate few people, but a compelling vision can appeal to the heart and motivate anyone” (p. 69). In other words, while applying this methodology in my professional activities, I can not only draw up a standard decision-making plan but also implement an individual system of tasks to achieve optimal results. Moreover, Kotter’s model is a convenient system for interacting with colleagues, which is relevant to the marketing industry. The mechanisms of brainstorming, teamwork and other group practices can be indispensable for performing the tasks set by the management effectively. In such a work environment, this methodology is one of the least aggressive and coercive approaches to ensure a smooth yet effective transition to the desired mode of operation. As a future employee, I want to develop my potential not only from an individual perspective but also through team projects. Therefore, such a model suits me and is an effective system to address the necessary tasks at different levels.
Application of Kotter’s Model to My Future Occupation: Specific Implications
For me, as a future employee in the marketing field, Kotter’s model can be a relevant concept to vary and replenish my skills and knowledge, thereby achieving higher performance results. For instance, while working on a promotion project, I can take an individual program as a basis and adapt it to my organization so that each of the stages could be suitable for the specific features of the company. Kotter and Cohen (2012) note that the first four steps of the model assume the de-freezing of the current regime, which is a soft and relatively slow transformation scheme. If I notice that some of our performance indicators are falling, I will offer a solution based on my vision of a potentially effective optimization strategy. I will convey to my colleagues a new task, propose to form a working group, and disseminate the information about a specific project among stakeholders. This practice will give me an opportunity to gain support and avoid potential errors caused by subjective assessment.
From the perspective of an opportunity to improve my professional qualifications, this concept can stimulate my research interest and help me find the most convenient and effective strategies for change. Any transformations require preliminary analysis, and only after a thorough assessment of compliance specific steps can be proposed as a background for updating the work process. For instance, when implementing the task of expanding the target audience, I can turn to available practices and choose the one that best suits the declared products. Kotter and Cohen (2012) remark that, in an effort to achieve faster results, responsible employees “often try to shift culture first” instead of finding reasonable change solutions (p. 174). I do not intend to make such a mistake since the model in question is an auxiliary tool but not a decision-making framework. Therefore, when interacting with clients and colleagues, I plan to rely on Kotter’s concept as a tool to implement the existing change strategies rather than inventing them from scratch. This mode of work will help me confirm my qualifications and ability to not only utilize theoretical concepts but also work independently and responsibly.
Potential Resistance to Change Initiatives and the Ways to Overcome It
By using Kotter’s model in my upcoming work in the marketing field, I can face barriers to promoting change initiatives effectively. For instance, my colleagues may not be ready to de-freezing the existing culture due to the lack of appropriate motivation and or a desire to optimize the workflow. Another potential manifestation of resistance is internal organizational challenges, which may imply a shortage of resources or operational tools to implement the intended action plan. As an example of such a situation, the development of an advertising campaign may require allocating money from the firm’s budget, but in conditions of the lack of available funds, the process of change may be delayed or even not start. Finally, from the standpoint of external resistance, I may face the unwillingness of the target market to cooperate in the context of the proposed transformational regimes. If customers are not ready to spend money on specific products, introducing new demand management techniques and other targeted strategies can be ineffective.
To overcome the aforementioned barriers, different methods and approaches can be effective. The problem with the unwillingness of colleagues to participate in the collective practice of changing the existing culture may be solved by creating an appropriate motivational base, for instance, stimulating interest in new tasks through reward strategies. The management of the organization should have an interest in optimizing the weak aspects of the company’s workflow, and offering suitable bonuses to subordinates is a logical decision. The resource scarcity barrier can be addressed through the attraction of sponsorship and partnership funds to develop specific strategies. For instance, the promotion of online services may be carried out by utilizing popular online platforms on a reciprocal advertising basis. In case resistance manifests itself in the problem of interaction with the target audience, the coordination of the demand variable should be conducted through modern customer communication methods. As Kotter and Cohen (2012) argue, marketing activities can be potentially productive but fail to meet client needs. Therefore, the adaptation of Kotter’s model to specific conditions is a necessary and inevitable aspect to take into account in my future career.
Professional vs. Personal Impacts of Kotter’s Model
As I became acquainted with the provisions of Kotter’s model and its manifestations, I have come to the conclusion that this concept has influenced me not only from a professional but also from a personal perspective. Since completing all eight steps is not a quick process, following each of the stages disciplines and forces one to approach tasks responsibly. In my future marketing career, creativity is inseparable from discipline because the superficial performance of work duties is fraught with direct losses due to insufficient customer demand; from this perspective, the personal and professional impacts of the model overlap.
Another impact that concerns not only professional but also personal views is the acquisition of valuable communication skills. In particular, this factor manifests itself at the initial stage of the implementation of corresponding changes, when creating urgency shapes the target audience’s understanding of a specific problem and the need to move to a new operational model. According to Kotter and Cohen (2012), in this situation, “more people are willing to pull together, even if there are no short-term personal rewards” and “there are personal risks” (p. 37). The use of Kotter’s model promotes teambuilding and establishing productive working relationships. As a result, the group works effectively, which helps avoid conflicts and misunderstandings.
Finally, an opportunity to transform specific aspects of the workflow can allow me to prove my professional suitability, thereby realizing my personal career ambitions. I am aware that in the future, I will have to work hard to gain managers’ trust and colleagues’ respect. However, I do not intend to adjust to current circumstances if working conditions affect productivity negatively. Kotter’s model is a convenient and, most importantly, effective methodology to change what needs to be changed. The more urgent the need for specific adjustments, the higher the likelihood that I will be able to achieve success due to the knowledge gained about this concept and its features. Therefore, when comparing the personal and professional impacts of this model, I can note that both perspectives are affected equally.
Relevant Measures to Implement the Model Successfully
After studying the specifics of Kotter’s model, I intend to build a clear strategy for working in the planned area. In addition to my direct job responsibilities, I will oversee other operational aspects that may affect my colleagues’ and my productivity. For this purpose, I will pay particular attention to establishing communication and creating a positive image in the organization. This will allow me to rally the team if necessary and justify specific optimization measures. Another potentially valuable solution is the effective application of leadership skills in the workplace. Kotter and Cohen (2012) highlight the need “to put in new performance measures,” which can be realized due to a respected position in the team (p. 56). These measures can be valuable drivers of the successful implementation of Kotter’s model in practice and help me prove my professionalism as a young but ambitious employee.
Conclusion
Improving individual professionalism and enhancing team productivity are the perspectives of applying Kotter’s eight-step model to my future job in the marketing sphere. The analysis of the conventions to be met, the impacts on the workflow, and the barriers to effective implementation proves that this methodology is efficient and safe from the standpoint of restructuring individual operational tasks and regimes. Both my colleagues and I can benefit from following the points of this model if the team is willing to carry out the stages responsibly and efficiently. For me, this concept is useful from both professional and personal perspectives, and its detailed study has allowed me to highlight the key goals of my future career.
Reference
Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2012). The heart of change: Real-life stories of how people change their organizations. Harvard Business Press.