Alaska Airlines: Navigating Change and Kotter's Steps 5 and 6

Alaska Airlines: Navigating Change
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Alaska Airlines: Navigating Change
Kotter’s Steps 5: Removing Obstacles
Kotter's change model outlines a series of steps that organizations ought to follow as they endeavor to implement change (Galli, 2018). The change process proposed by Kotter is on the basis that change does not come easy and is instead a gradual process than a one-time thing. In Kotter’s change model, the fifth step demands that the organization remove obstacles and empower employees to implement change successfully. According to Alaska Airlines’ case study on the turn of events that occurred in the wake of the new millennium, forces, barriers, and hindrances can be pinpointed from the organizations' attempt to implement the various step of Kotter's change model.
Forces, Barriers, and Hindrances
The case study depicts some of the driving forces that necessitated initiating and implementing a change process. Intermittent strikes by flight attendants, pilots, mechanics, and ramp attendants signal a breakdown in management that forced the company to initiate change. Also, the crises of 2000 and 2001 completely shattered employee morale. Other driving forces for the organization's change can be attributed to economic factors such as the rise in fuel prices. These factors led to a complete breakdown in the company and an operational crisis, especially in the company's main hub in Seatle.
Aware of the company's mayhem, the management tried to initiate change to salvage the situation. However, the change process was inhibited by some barriers and hindrances. Management moved quickly to renegotiate wages and compensation for employees to address the company's economic situation. However, the labor unions were adamant about wage cuts, proving to be a significant barrier to the change process. To address the operational problems that faced the main hub in Seatle, the Mad Dog Taskforce was established. However, there were some hindrances to the effectiveness of the MD Taskforce: the task force had not been given real authority and mainly focused on the outcome rather than addressing the root cause of the problem (Avolio et al., 2017).
Resistance
While the management tried to implement change, the employees portrayed some form of resistance to the changes proposed by the management. Some employees participated in the change processes and improvements proposal but failed to implement these changes adequately. Departures and luggage delivery in the central hub remained a major issue despite the company having formed the MD Taskforce to address the issue. Following the company’s decision to outsource the workforce, the remaining employees were resistant to collabo...