How Dalton Applied Kotter's 8 Step Organizational Change Model
The movie Road House may not seem like a typical source for business strategy, but it can offer surprisingly valuable lessons on how to lead an organization through transformation. Believe it or not, this classic 80s flick is actually a surprisingly good source for lessons on how to lead organizational transformation. Below I will analyze the movie and the leadership of the main character, Dalton, by using 8 Steps for Leading Change developed by John Kotter.
Here’s a quick recap of the movie for those who have not seen it or don’t remember all the details. You can skip ahead if you’re a huge Road House fan.
Recap of Roadhouse
The movie Road House tells the story of Dalton, a professional bouncer, who is hired to clean up a rowdy and dangerous bar called the Double Deuce. Dalton immediately sets out to clean up the bar and change the culture.
Along the way, Dalton faces some resistance from the bar's owner and staff, as well as the town's corrupt leading businessman, who wants to keep the bar under his control. Despite these challenges, Dalton successfully transforms the Double Deuce into a safe and successful establishment while showing off his martial arts skills and kicking some serious butt along the way. Warning, don’t use martial arts as a tool to transform your business unless you’re running a Muay Thai school.
Now that you’re caught up, let’s see how Dalton applied Kotter’s 8 steps to change management.
Applying Kotter's 8 Steps to Roadhouse
Step 1: Establish a Sense of Urgency
Dalton knew the bar was in trouble and took action to create a sense of urgency. He cleaned up the bar by removing the troublemakers. He also introduced new, clear policies to create a safer environment such as checking IDs, hiring trained bouncers, prohibiting weapons, and immediate ejection of trouble making customers. This showed people that change was necessary and the consequences of inaction could be dire.
Be sure to begin by identifying an urgent issue to be addressed for people to rally behind.
Step 2: Create a Powerful Coalition
Dalton didn't transform the bar alone. He knew he needed a team to help him make the changes necessary to turn the bar around. Dalton built a coalition by getting the support of the bar's staff, including brining in his friend Wade, and even the musician. He even rallied the support of external stakeholders in the form of business owners in the community to defeat the biggest resister to change, Brad Wesley, a corrupt businessman who controlled the town of Jasper and used his power to intimidate and manipulate the people in the area.
In your organization, you need to find allies, build a team and create a coalition that can help you lead the way.
Step 3: Develop a Vision and Strategy
Dalton's clear vision was to create a safe and profitable bar. He developed a strategy to get there by kicking out the riff-raff and bringing in the big spenders. This included removing staff that did not support the vision. When one of the bouncers at the Double Deuce failed to follow Dalton's instructions and allowed a patron to bring a weapon into the bar, he explained that the man's failure to follow orders put the entire team in danger, and he fired him on the spot.
By holding people accountable for their actions, Dalton set a high standard of performance and ensured that his team took their responsibilities seriously. Figure out where you want to go, and then figure out how to get there, and keep on the path.
Step 4: Communicate the Change Vision
Dalton communicated his vision clearly and succinctly, making sure everyone was on the same page. Dalton clearly set out his expectations for his team in no uncertain terms. He tells them, "I want you to be nice until it's time to not be nice," and goes on to explain what that means in practice. By setting clear expectations and communicating them effectively, Dalton ensured that his team knew what was expected of them.
You need to communicate your vision and the team’s role in achieving it, as well as explain why it's important, and make sure everyone understands what's at stake.
Step 5: Empower Others to Act on the Vision
Dalton empowered his team to act on the vision and gave them the tools and resources they needed to succeed. For example, when Dalton hired the musician Cody, who has a talent for fixing sound systems. Dalton empowered Cody to improve the sound by giving him the resources he needed to improve the sound system, which ultimately lead to an increase in the bar's popularity and profitability.
This shows that Dalton trusts his team and gives them the autonomy to handle situations as they arise. You need to do the same thing in your organization. Give your people the autonomy and support they need to make the vision a reality.
Step 6: Create Short-Term Wins
Dalton celebrated short-term wins along the way to show progress was being made. For instance, Dalton successfully cleaned up the Double Deuce bar on his first night as a bouncer. He threw out the troublemakers, fired the corrupt staff, and set the tone for the new management team. This was a short-term win that showed progress towards the overall goal of transforming the bar into a safe and respectable establishment.
Dalton celebrated this victory by congratulating his team and setting the stage for the next steps in the transformation process. You need to celebrate small victories and use them as fuel to keep going.
Step 7: Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change
Dalton didn't stop once the bar was transformed. He kept pushing for more change and worked to consolidate the gains he had made. For example, he saw the potential in hiring local musicians to perform live music, which would not only improve the bar's atmosphere but also bring in more customers.
You need to keep building on your successes and use them as a foundation for even more change.
Step 8: Anchor New Approaches in the Organization's Culture
After cleaning up the Double Deuce and turning it into a successful bar, Dalton made sure to anchor the new approaches he had implemented into the culture of the establishment. He trained the staff to continue running the bar in the new way and made it clear that this was the new standard. He also made sure to communicate this to the customers by posting new rules and expectations in the bar.
By anchoring the changes in the culture of the Double Deuce, Dalton ensured that the improvements he made would be sustained over time, even after he had moved on to his next job. You need to make sure the changes you've made become a part of the fabric of your company, so that they endure over time.
Conclusion
By following these eight steps, you can lead your organization through the changes it needs to thrive in today's fast-paced business environment. And who knows, maybe you'll even feel inspired to kick some butt along the way.
Interested in learning more about John Kotter and his incredible work on change management? Check out my two favorite books on the subject: Leading Change by John Kotter, and the much more fun version, Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter.