Reading The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (2019) by social writer and philosopher Eric Hoffer made me reflect on how leaders enact change in organizations. While Hoffer exemplified contexts in politics, activism, and religion, the same psychological forces play in a corporate setting. His thoughts are aligned with change management guru John Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model (1995). Let’s explore how Hoffer describes mass movements and how Kotter suggests enacting change. In this exploration, let’s qualify Kotter’s model to propose a corporate action similar to a mass movement.
Step 1: Create a sense of urgency that is logically sound, emotional, and hopeful.
Kotter: Your top leaders must describe an opportunity that will appeal to individuals’ reasoning and emotions and use this statement to raise a large, urgent army of volunteers.
Hoffer: A rising mass movement preaches immediate hope. It intends to stir its followers to action and the around-the-corner brand of hope that prompts people to act.
Step 2: Build an influential, well-represented, yet compact guiding coalition.
Kotter: The coalition must consist of members from multiple layers of the hierarchy, represent many functions, receive information about the organization at all levels and ranks, and synthesize that information into new ways of thinking.
Hoffer: For a mass movement to succeed, it must develop at the earliest moment a compact corporate organization and a capacity to absorb and integrate all comers.
Step 3: Form a strategic vision that is challenging yet achievable & initiatives that are replicable and practical.
Kotter: Strategic initiatives should be targeted and coordinated and designed and executed fast enough to make the vision a reality.
Hoffer: Dreams, visions, and wild hopes are mighty weapons and practical tools. The practical-mindedness of a true leader consists in recognizing the practical value of these tools.
Step 4: Communicate the vision not with discontent but with hope.
Kotter: Large-scale change can only occur when significant numbers of employees amass under a shared opportunity and drive in the same direction. A vision that rallies individual and collective support must be painted vividly to take action.
Hoffer: They (mass movement leaders) must know how to kindle and fan an extravagant hope. It matters not whether it be the hope of a heavenly kingdom on earth, of plunder and untold riches, of fabulous achievement, or world dominion. If the communists win Europe and a large part of the world, it will not be because they know how to stir up discontent or infect people with hatred but because they know how to preach hope.
Step 5: Enable action by removing barriers and creating a climate for collective advancement instead of for personal interests.
Kotter: By removing barriers such as inefficient processes and archaic norms, leaders provide the freedom necessary for employees to work across boundaries and create real impact.
Hoffer: A mass movement attracts and holds a following not because it can satisfy the desire for self-advancement but because it can satisfy the passion for self-renunciation.
Step 6: Generate short-term wins communicated by change leaders (the “men of words”), generated by the changemakers (“the fanatics”), and solidified by change stabilizers (the “men of action”).
Kotter: Wins must be collected, categorized, and communicated–early and often–to track progress and energize volunteers to drive change.
Hoffer: A movement is pioneered by men of words, materialized by fanatics, and consolidated by men of action.
Step 7: Sustain acceleration by enlisting relentless change stabilizers
Kotter: Increasing credibility can improve systems, structures, and policies. Be relentless with initiating change after change until the vision is a reality.
Hoffer: If allowed to have their way, the fanatics may split a movement into schisms and heresies which threaten its existence. Even when the devotees do not breed dissension, they can still wreck the movement by driving it to attempt the impossible. Only the entrance of a practical man of action can save the campaign’s achievements.
Step 8: Institute change through leaders who are articulate and well-equipped with change management skills.
Kotter: To ensure behaviors are repeated over the long term, it’s crucial to define and communicate the connections between behaviors and success.
Hoffer: It is evident that the presence of an educated and articulate minority is probably indispensable for the continued vigor of a social body.
Kotter never mentioned an intended counterproductive form of change: change for the worse. As a management guru, he assumes that companies always want to change for the better. If they do otherwise, either it was unintended, or there was a wrongly-executed step in the model. On the other hand, Hoffer suggested that mass movements can have bad intentions and result in blind fanaticism. He urged readers to think critically and be conscious of their potential vulnerability to manipulation.
SOURCES
K. I. (n.d.). 8 Steps To Accelerate Change In Your Organization. Kotterinc.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.kotterinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/8-Steps-eBook-Kotter-2018.pdf
M. T. C. T. (n.d.). Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model. MindTools. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.mindtools.com/a8nu5v5/kotters-8-step-change-model
Hoffer, E. (2019). The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements. Harper Collins Publishers.
Migo Aguado 