Six Change Approach

The Six Change Approaches developed by Kotter and Schlesinger is designed to prevent or minimize
employee resistance to change. This model can be useful to any size organization as it covers many
possible issues, some an organization may never even face. The approaches react to the four main
resistance factors which are; self-interest, misunderstanding, low tolerance for change, and employee
disagreement with reasoning.

Valuebasedmanagement.net lays out the 6 approaches succinctly. The last two strategies are some
times necessary, but the repercussions should be carefully weighed.

1. Education and Communication. "Up-front communication and education helps employees see the
logic in the change effort."

2. Participation and Involvement. "When employees are involved in the change effort they are more
likely to buy into change rather than resist it."

3. Facilitation and Support. "Managerial support helps employees deal with fear and anxiety during a
transition period."

4. Negotiation and Agreement. "Managers can combat resistance by offering incentives to employees
to not resist change."

5. Manipulation and Co-option. "Co-option involves the patronizing gesture in brining a person into a
change management group for the sake of appearances rather than their substantive contribution."

6. Explicit and Implicit Coercion. "Managers can explicitly or implicitly force employees into accepting
change by making clear that resisting to change can lead to losing jobs, firing, transferring or not
promoting employees."