Role of Leaders in Change Management

Change management refers to the approaches that can support the individuals in carrying out organizational changes. Change is driven in an organization owing to technological evolution, organizational restructuring and changes pertaining to consumer habit. Change management includes the methods that can redefine use of the resources, business process along with budget allocation (Wang 2015). Changes are becoming dynamic in the present age and organizations should depend on system support approach that can help in bringing about change in a company. Change leadership can help in influencing and enthusing others by taking recourse to personal advocacy. The change leaders have the vision along with drive that helps them in successfully managing change in an organization. The change leaders can access he resources that can help in building solid platform in relation to change. Leadership is an important factor pertaining to changes taking place in an organization. This report discusses about the concept of leadership for change. The report discusses about change management models that are currently in place in the organizations. It also talks about the implications of change leadership in the organizations of the current age. The report also throws light on the recommendations which can help the organization in the event of organisational change.

Leaders in an organization have to play a critical role in managing the change that can help in the successful implementation of change in an organization. The leader has to leverage relationship with the team that can help in addressing concerns of the employees on that of the personal level within an organisation. The leader should be able to ask feedback of the employees so that the leader can respond to the concerns in a manner that is honest and open. The business environment has become very competitive in the present age and organizations should be flexible so that they can stay competitive within the market (Beck and Cowan 2014). It has been brought out with the help of research that universal manager should be capable of managing any kind of situation. Research has been able to bring out the fact that various leaders should have differing characteristics and leader should be such who can serve the needs of an organization. Effective leadership is dependent on the situation and there should be some kind of match between the behaviour of the leader and that of situational characteristics for organization. Leadership for Change lays stress on the aspect of observed behaviour and not on any kind of hypothetical inborn ability (Hargreaves and Ainscow 2015). The managers in an organization should be able to match with that of strategic needs of firms that can prove to be a successful trait in that of Change Leadership. The change leader should be able to identify the situation of the company that can help him in the successful implementation of the strategy of an organization. Strong leadership can act as an important element pertaining to successful turnaround strategy. The change leader should be able to motivate the followers and he should have empathy along with good rhetorical skill that can help him in convincing the other employees in an organisation. The change leader should have high amount of energy and should have strong analytical skills that can help him in coping change in the organization. The change leader should have strong diagnostic skills that can help in handling well the pressure in an organisation (Sharif and Scandura 2014). The change leader should be able to anticipate any kind of predictable problems that can arise in case of organisational change that can help him in finding the solution to the problems in due course of time. The change leader should be capable of communicating so that the organisation can successfully carry out the process of organisational change.

Models of Leading Change

There are various models in relation to leading change that helps in giving lens with the help of which one can see a personal situation in that of a new light. There are various models in relation to leading change like Situational Leadership, Framework for Leadership, Agreement and Certainty Matrix and that of Transformational Leadership (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The change leadership model of situational leadership can help the leaders in matching behaviour with that of the performance needs of the group whom they want to influence.it is on the basis of the relationship that exists between the leaders and the followers. It helps in analysing each situation on the basis of Performance Readiness Level that a follower shows while carrying out a particular task. The change leadership model of situational leadership can help in creating a common language pertaining to performance. This model can accelerate pace along with quality in relation to employee development (Bolman and Deal 2017). The framework for Leadership model of Michael Fullan discusses about core values that can help the leaders in managing change in the company. Effective change leader has determination that helps him in attaining something that would be beneficial for the whole organisation. The change leader model focusses on appreciation of early difficulties that comes up in the process of change management.

The Agreement and Certainty Model pertaining to change leadership focuses on the aspect of communication that can help the change leader in co-ordinating to the subordinates why a particular course of action has been undertaken. This model takes into consideration two dimensions that can help in managing the organization: Agreement along with Certainty. The change leader should be capable of anticipating the conflict which is driven by the risks in relation to a project (Mirriahi et al. 2015). The change leader lays stress on the aspect of collaboration that can help him in communicating important aspects about the employees of the organization.

The transformational leader motivates the employees for creating change that can help in shaping future success in relation to a company. The transformational leadership model lays stress on the creativity of the employees that can help in shaping future course in relation to an organization. This model lays stress on encouraging motivation along with positive development of the followers. He exemplifies the moral standards in an organization that can provide encouragement to other employees working in an organisation. The transformational change leadership model helps in the fostering of ethical work environment that can help in setting the values and the priorities in an organisation (Wagner 2016).  This model helps in the building of company culture that can provide encouragement to the employees working in an organisation.

The Importance of Learning and Engagement in Organizational Change

The change leader can help the organization in learning that can help in the growth of an organization. Learning is a continuous need within an organization and in the workforce. Technology is changing at a rapid pace and the workforce has become more diverse in the present age. The change leader can help the organization in successfully adjusting to the change taking place within an organization. The organizations should act as an ongoing learning environment that can ensure success of organization. Engagement can prove to be an important factor pertaining to success of an organization. The change leader can help an organization in creating an engaged workforce that can pave the path for development of organization. The change leader can help the organization in focussing on top talent that can help it in adjusting successfully to the world environment (Svendsen and Joensson 2016). The poor performers are also provided with encouragement by the change leader that can help in overall development of an organization. The change leaders engages the entire workforce for helping the organization in attaining success. The change leader helps the employees in adapting to the quickly changing scenarios that can help in the creation of a supportive environment at the workplace. The change leader can help in ensuring that the processes are systematic that can aid in growing of an organization.

The culture of an organisation has interlocking set of the goals along processes that can help an organisation in being sustainable within that of the competitive environment. In the event of organizational change, organizations impose greater degree of consent which reduces the freedom of the individuals in making decisions. The change leader helps in providing motivation to the employees that can help the organization in paving path so that the changes can take place in an organization. The change leader provides extrinsic motivation to the employees that can help in increasing the efficiency of the performance of employee during the times of organisational change (Heifetz and Linsky 2017). The change leader can also be said to be instrumental in encouraging the employees with intrinsic motivation that can help in active engagement of the employees when the organisation goes through a process of organisational change. The change leader helps the employees in going through the process of change that takes place within the framework of an organization. The employees in an organisation have the tendency of resisting the aspect of change and the change leader can help the employees in adjusting to the changes within an organisation (Carnall 2018). The employees in the case of organizational change feel that their lifestyle is being threatened by the policies of the organization and the change leader can play an important role in helping the employees going through the process of organizational change.

The Role of Culture in Organizational Change

The change leader should involve the people who would be affected by the change in planning along with implementation process. The change leader should invite the employees in joining plan that can be useful in handling the change in an organisation. The change leader should co-opt with that of the opposition that can help him in bringing about change in the organization. The change leader should communicate vision that can act as driving force that can help in persuading the employees in working out through the process of change (Hayes 2018). The change leader should be involved in sharing the information regarding the change with that of a wide audience. The change leader should be honest regarding benefits along with pain of changing that can help the subordinates in understanding significance of change in an organisation. The change leader should listen to the advice that is given by other employees in the case of organisational change and the complaints of the employees should be listened to by the change leader that can help in successfully managing process of change in an organisation. The change leader should show the element of humanness that can help team members in facing change taking place within the framework of an organization (Cameron and Green 2015). The change leader should encourage employees for articulating loss that can prove to be an important factor for success of an organization. The change leader should give opportunity to the employees for showing their sadness that can help in creating a culture of openness within the organisation.

Conclusion

Change management is indicative of approach that can provide support to individuals at the time of organizational change. Technological evolution along with restructuring help in steering the growth of an organization. Changes in relation to consumer habit pave the path for the organisational changes. Leader has to create effective relationship with that of the team that can help in addressing the problems that the employees face within an organisation. Employee feedback should be asked for by the leader that can help the leader in maintaining effective relationship with the subordinates with framework of an organisation. The relationship between the leader and the subordinates should be open that can pave the way for developing of an organization. Strong leadership can help a company in finding the right way that can help in dealing with change management. The organisations should engage in continuous learning that can help employees in understanding change in an organisation. Change leader should be instrumental in creating an engaged workforce that can help the organization in developing. The people on whom change would have an effect should be talked to at the time of planning. Change leader should talk with the people who have opposing views that can help leader in successfully carrying out change in the organisation.

References

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