Change Management Priorities for a Utility Company: Presentation

This presentation focuses on change management priorities for a utility company, utilizing Kotter's 8-step change model. The presentation begins by emphasizing the creation of a sense of urgency within the company, followed by the importance of forming a powerful coalition and establishing a clear change vision. It then discusses the communication of this vision, the elimination of obstacles, and the creation of short-term wins to motivate employees. Building on these changes and anchoring them within the company's culture are also key components. The presentation highlights the need for continuous improvement and the integration of change ideals into the company's values and practices, ensuring long-term success and adaptation to the changing external environment. The presentation references Appelbaum et al. (2012) and Higgs & Rowland (2011) to support its arguments.

Change Management Priorities
for a Utility Company

• This presentation will use the Kotter’s 8 step change model to describe the change priorities for a Utility company.
1. Urgency Creation
The first step required to implement change management should be creation of a sense of urgency in the company to get things
moving (Appelbaum et al.,2012).
The departmental leaders in the utility company should take time to let their staff understand the threats that the company is
currently facing as what could happen to the future of the company if for example technology is not integrated into the company
daily operations.
During this step, the company should also request support from internal and external energy stakeholders.
2. Powerful Coalition Creation
In this step, the company should strive to identify the individual with or against the change management.
The company should identify those staff members and other stakeholders who have emotional support of the changes.
For example, the recent changes to the regulatory framework requires penalties to be paid by failing departments. This should
be used by the manager to identify those who support this regulations and make a strong team from these individuals
3. Creation of a Change Vision
When the need for change is mentioned in the company, many ideas and solutions are suggested, but it is important to
coagulate all them into one clear vision which the company can follow.
The utility company declared to its customers that its main aim id to get things right first and every time.
It is paramount that the company create a strategy to achieve the stated vision in the most effective manner.

4. Communication of Vision
After creating a vision that is achievable, the company should make
the vision known to every staff and stakeholders in the energy
company.
The managers should use every opportunity available to make
decisions inline with the vision so that others can emulate.
5. Eliminate Obstacles
According to Kotter, after implementing the first 4 steps, its normal
for some people to start resisting the model (Appelbaum et
al.,2012).
Utility company should put in place mechanisms of removing the
elements resisting change management.
A good strategy would be hiring of change leaders who will help in
delivering of change. People who are against change should be
taken through the need and benefit of the process to the company.

6. Creation of Quick Wins
In an effort to motivate the company employees, it is
important to motivate them with short term wins.
The short term wins could be monthly or after every 4 months.
The utility company should reward the departments that are
able to meet the set short term targets.
7. Building on the Change
Kotter states that change models fails since the victory is
announced too early. He therefore advices organizations to
launch more than one products so that the experiences seen in
one are used to improve the next (Higgs & Rowland, 2011).
Our case study company should introduce more than one
service provision to its customers and use each project as a
leaning platform to better the output of the next.

8. Anchoring The Changes In The Culture Of The Company
The management team of the utility company should use their
powers to incorporate the changes into the culture of the
company.
This could be achieved through continuous talk of the progress
achieved so far.
It could also mean including the change ideals and values during
the employees recruitments and on job training.
Finally a strategy should be developed to smoothly replace the
change leaders so that their legacy is not forgotten or lost.
If the utility company follows the recommended change priorities
described above, they will be able to take the business to the
next level without incurring loses as well improve their chances
of success in the changing external environment

References
• Appelbaum, S. H., Habashy, S., Malo, J. L., &
Shafiq, H. (2012). Back to the future: revisiting
Kotter's 1996 change model. Journal of
Management Development, 31(8), 764-782.
• Higgs, M., & Rowland, D. (2011). What does it
take to implement change successfully? A
study of the behaviors of successful change
leaders. The Journal of Applied Behavioral
Science, 47(3), 309-335.