A practical study guide to using change-management theory to understand how an organisation can manage a transition towards carbon net zero.
AC 2.3 asks learners to refer to at least one model or theory of change management and explain how the case-study organisation can manage its transition towards carbon net zero.
The key command word is explain. The model should not simply be described. Show how its stages or principles can help make sense of actions that could support the transition.
A transition towards carbon net zero can involve changes to strategy, technology, manufacturing, working practices, skills and employee behaviour. This makes it an organisational change issue as well as an environmental objective.
Change-management models provide a framework for considering how organisations prepare for change, involve people, implement new ways of working and reinforce change over time.
Kotter’s change model describes a sequence of activities intended to support organisational transformation. Its eight steps broadly involve creating urgency, building a guiding coalition, developing a vision and strategy, communicating the vision, enabling action, generating short-term wins, sustaining acceleration and embedding change.
For AC 2.3, the value comes from applying relevant stages to the transition rather than reproducing a textbook description of all eight steps.
Change is easier to understand when employees know why it is necessary and what the organisation is trying to achieve. A clear sustainability objective can provide direction, while leadership involvement can help establish the importance of the transition.
Using Kotter’s model, learners can consider how urgency, a guiding group and a clear vision could help connect environmental ambitions with organisational priorities and employee understanding.
Major change affects people differently, so communication should help employees understand what is changing, why it matters and what it may mean for their work. Two-way involvement can also help identify operational concerns and practical ideas.
The case study states that the Evolve strategy was developed following extensive consultation with employees. This provides a relevant starting point for considering how participation and communication can support the transition.
Employees may need appropriate skills, resources and authority to work differently. Barriers can include capability gaps, uncertainty, unsuitable processes or a lack of supporting systems.
In the case-study context, changes associated with electric-vehicle production, manufacturing upgrades and sustainability may create new capability requirements. Learning, job redesign and practical support can therefore be considered as ways of enabling change.
Long-term transitions are unlikely to be completed through a single initiative. Progress may need to be reviewed, visible achievements recognised and further changes introduced as the organisation learns.
Kotter’s later stages draw attention to sustaining momentum and embedding new approaches. In a carbon-net-zero transition, this can mean ensuring sustainability becomes part of routine decisions, capabilities and ways of working rather than remaining a separate project.
The assessment requires at least one model or theory, so Kotter is one possible framework rather than the only acceptable choice. Other established change-management theories may also be suitable if they are explained accurately and clearly connected to the organisational transition.
Avoid including several models merely to increase theoretical content. A well-applied model is generally more useful than multiple models that are only briefly described.
Use the facts actually supplied in the case. Relevant details include the carbon-net-zero goal for 2036, the Evolve strategy, prior employee consultation, sustainability across manufacturing and support functions, electric-vehicle development and the need to upgrade manufacturing plants for EV production.
Connect these facts to relevant change-management principles. The purpose is to explain how theory can illuminate the management of the transition, not to invent a detailed implementation programme that the case study does not provide.
Useful research areas include organisational change management, Kotter’s eight-step process, employee participation in change, communication during organisational change, change readiness, sustainability transitions, green skills and embedding change in organisational culture and practice.
Use credible academic and professional sources to understand the chosen model and its limitations before deciding independently how it applies to your assessment.
This resource explains change-management concepts and a study approach relevant to AC 2.3. It is not a completed assessment response. Learners should complete their own independent work and follow the academic integrity and assessment requirements provided by CIPD and their Study Centre.
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