ABSTRACT
John P. Kotter wrote Leading Change after already writing several books and articles on change and leadership. In his 1979 article, "Choosing Strategies for Change", co-authored with Leonard Schlesinger, Kotter introduced many of the ideas that would later appear in Leading Change. Kotter divides his career into two phases: a research phase, which took place from 1972 to 2008, and an implementation phase from 2008 onward. The research phase is dominated by the development of the eight-stage process for carrying out change that is detailed in Leading Change. The implementation phase of Kotter's career is mostly defined by his work at Kotter International, the consulting firm he co-founded in 2008. Kotter International's mission statement is closely tied to the themes of Kotter's research, specifically Leading Change. Leading Change is among Kotter's most influential works. It remains one of Kotter's major works, but it would be an overstatement to say Kotter built his reputation on the book.
