NewsTrain instructor Meg Downey helps journalists manage and survive the constant change in the newsroom. She discusses how those in the media industry can use John Kotter's eight steps to managing change. Downey, a two-time Pulitzer finalist, is the former managing editor of The Tennessean in Nashville. She gave this presentation as part of the NewsTrain workshop in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 22-23, 2014. Please see associated handouts: Eight Steps in Managing Change from John Kotter, Four Tips for Changing Culture by Steve Buttry, Facing Change Questions to Ask by Kristin Gilger, Managing through Change by Kristin Gilger, and Sarasota Model for Project Management. For more information about NewsTrain, a traveling workshop for journalists sponsored by Associated Press Media Editors, please visit http://www.apme.com/?AboutNewsTrain.

1. Managing Change & Surviving!
Meg Downey
Mark Stevens

2. Managing
Change
• 70% of all major
change efforts fail.!
• Solution? !
8 steps to help
manage change. !
✴ Based on research
and analysis from
Dr. John Kotter of
Harvard Business
School.
Bobcatnorth

3. But first…
Let’s hear some of your experiences.
Per

4. Managing Change
1. Establish a sense of urgency: Examine market
and competitive realities. Identify crises and
opportunities.
2. Form a powerful guiding coalition: Assemble a
group with enough power to lead change
effectively. Encourage group to work together as a
team.

5. Sense of urgency, guiding coalition

6. Let’s talk
1. Establish a sense of urgency: Examine market and
competitive realities. Identify crises and opportunities.
• How do you stay on top of the changes in your market now?
• How do you rally the troops to act?
2. Form a powerful guiding coalition: Assemble a group
with enough power to lead change effectively.
Encourage group to work together as a team.
• How do you decide who should be in your guiding coalition?
• What should the mix be?

7. What did you learn?
Blue Mountain Local Studies

8. Managing Change
3. Create a vision: Create a vision to help direct the
change effort. Develop strategies for achieving that
vision.!
4. Communicate the vision: Use every vehicle
possible to communicate vision and strategies. Teach
new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition.

9. Effective Visions
• Imaginable: They convey a clear picture of what the
future will look like.!
• ! Desirable: They appeal to the long-term interest of
those who have a stake in the enterprise.!
• ! Feasible: They contain realistic and attainable goals.!
• ! Focused: They are clear enough to provide
guidance in decision making.!
• ! Flexible: They allow individual initiative and
alternative responses in light of changing conditions.!
• ! Communicable: They are easy to communicate and
can be explained quickly.

10. A good vision statement
Help more journalists cover business better.!
— Reynolds Center, businessjournalism.org

11. Strategy may be
right;
communication
may be wrong
• What was the best way
to teach video?
Christine und Hagen Graf

12. Let’s talk in groups again
3. Create a vision: Create a vision to help direct the
change effort. Develop strategies for achieving that
vision.!
• What has your organization done to create a vision?!
• What strategies made it effective?!
4. Communicate the vision: Use every vehicle
possible to communicate vision and strategies. Teach
new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition.!
• How did you promote the vision? Did it work?

13. What did you learn?

14. Managing Change
5. Empower others to act on the vision: Get rid of
obstacles to change. Change systems or structures
that undermine the vision. Encourage risk taking and
nontraditional ideas or actions.
6. Plan for and create short-term wins: Plan for
visible performance improvements. (What does
success look like?) Create those improvements.
Recognize and reward people involved in those
improvements.

15. Change the work!
first, not structure
• Lead by example!
• Train staff. Make sure
people have the tools
they need.!
• Start by doing.
City of Thunder Bay Archives

16. Back to our discussion…
5. Empower others to act on the vision: Get rid of
obstacles to change. Change systems or structures that
undermine the vision. Encourage risk taking and
nontraditional ideas or actions.
• What gets in your way?
• Is risk taking encouraged? Give an example.
6. Plan for and create short-term wins: Plan for visible
performance improvements. (What does success look
like?) Create those improvements. Recognize and reward
people involved in those improvements.
• How do you regularly reward those who improve?

17. What
did
you
learn?

18. Managing Change
7. Consolidate improvements and produce still
more change: Use increased credibility to change
systems, structures and policies that don’t fit the
vision. Hire, promote and develop employees who
can implement the vision. Reinvigorate the process
with new projects, themes and change agents.
8. Institutionalize new approaches: Articulate
connections between new behaviors and
organizational success. Develop the means to ensure
continued leadership.

19. Sarasota’s mindset change
Restructured the newsroom: Made it more
horizontal and priorities-based, with more focus
on projects.
• Replaced the city editor with a projects editor.
• Empowered a senior editor and visuals editor to be
project collaborators, eliminating silos.
• Had reporters pick teams and pitch proposals to a
team of editors, designers and digital developers.
!!

20. thestolenones.heraldtribune.com

21. Sarasota’s Agile Model
DECIDE: What are the challenges? What’s the timeline?
Who needs to be involved? Who are the champions?
!
DESIGN: Sarasota breaks into informal teams to
determine every aspect of the project. The team uses
Basecamp to unify communication and planning. A
project editor and project champion is selected.
!
DEPLOY: Sarasota explores partnerships. The team
builds awareness of the project before publishing.

22. Discuss last steps…
7. Consolidate improvements and produce still more
change: Use increased credibility to change systems,
structures and policies that don’t fit the vision. Hire, promote and
develop employees who can implement the vision. Reinvigorate
the process with new projects, themes and change agents.
• How do you keep the effort to change from stalling?
8. Institutionalize new approaches: Articulate connections
between new behaviors and organizational success. Develop
the means to ensure continued leadership.
• How do you prove that the new way is superior to the old?
• How do you reinforce the culture?

23. Steps 7-8: What did you learn?
June Marie

24. Observations? Revelations?
Poughkeepsie Journal