Aetna's Cultural Change

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When comparing Aetna’s Cultural Change that Sticks article and Kotter’s approach to anchoring change, they both discuss and agree that cultural change is not easily performed and difficult to pursue. In Leading Change, Kotter explains that “culture is not something that you manipulate easily and it changes only after you have successfully altered people’s actions” (pg.164). Aetna discusses in his article that people should be willing to change their culture and ideas and stick with them. Since change requires someone to perform or act out of their norm, it makes it more difficult to keep following the change that was made.
Another comparison between Aetna and Kotter is that Aetna discusses that it is important to match strategy and culture.
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He goes on to explain that people should not dwell on their past experiences or cultures. Instead, they should look forward to their future expectations. People should also find ways to show existing values in their lives, they need to acknowledge component that they want to focus on throughout each step, and they need to make sure to compel time and effort into their specific changes. Aetna also explains that even if the change is small, people can successfully implement new behaviors. Kotter explains that new practices end up replacing the old cultures. He discusses that the old culture is “killed off” when there are new ones being implemented and accomplished. The book explains that people tend to move and forget about the old cultural ways unless they are brought back into the norm and reiterate themselves into ones’ life. Kotter also mentions that changing the culture may also change people along the …show more content…
He explains that most of the time, leaders try to see cultural change as a last resort. He explains that culture is the only way to overcome a major change that someone is trying to implement. His article stated, “culture has become and excuse and a diversion, rather than an accelerator and energizer” (pg. 8). Aetna mentioned several intervention techniques such a formal and informal ways in order to work towards your intended change. Formal ways included peer-to-peer intervention, changes to resources, meaningful connections, and engagement of motivational leaders. Informal ways included decision rules and rights, business policies, compensation and rewards, events, and training and leadership programs. Kotter explains that cultural change comes last and not first. In the book, Kotter identifies that “most alterations in norms and shared values come at the end of the transformation process” (pg. 166). He describes that if you are not aware of your old cultural ways, you will not be able to creating a guiding coalition for an implemented change. In his book, Kotter explains that changed norms and values are not fully implemented until the last stage in the process of

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