ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to define common factors in both successful and unsuccessful change efforts. It examines forces and conditions in the internal and external environment of organizations to see how they affect the change process. The chapter focuses on the actual actions undertaken while initiating change at the level of external environment, firm, and individual. John P. Kotter is referring to any modification to the function or structure of the business. Kotter was not unique in asking this question. The originality of his argument lies in the broad sweep of his analysis and his ability to make it relevant to both academics and business people. Although Kotter may have been aware of other authors writing on organizational change in the 1990s, Leading Change, like the Harvard Business School article it is based on, makes no direct reference to the work of others in the field.
