Leading Change: A Model for Transformation Initiatives in Today's U.S. Army

This research sought to determine the degree to John P. Kotter's 1996 model of Leading Change for transforming businesses could be applied to the Army's current Transformation initiative. The research used three historical examples-Ridgway's Eighth Army during the Korean War, the Pentomic Era of the 1950s, and AirLand Battle development in the 1970s-'80s-as case studies to establish a basis for applying the model to military organizations. Today's Transformation Campaign was then assessed against the model. The case study analyses indicated that the Leading Change model has significant application potential for military organizations, and reinforced many of the model's key points regarding the transformation process. Assessment of the current Army Transformation showed many areas in which the Campaign has aligned with Kotter's model and has achieved a good deal of success over the past three years.