Effective Leadership and Organizational Change
Successful Changes May Depend on Leadership Style
Sep 19, 2009
Effective leadership in the change management process is particularly important because of all the factors involved in organizational change. According to McShane and VonGlinow (2004), a leader must be able to “influence, motivate and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organization.” Stabilizing the organization after the change process begins is critical to continued success.
McShane and VonGlinow (2004) outline seven competencies to effective leadership. Those competencies include emotional intelligence, integrity, drive, leadership motivation, self-confidence, intelligence and knowledge of the business. Leaders with this set of competencies and skills should be effective in their leadership ability regardless of the leadership style that they favor
Selecting the Right Leadership Style
Selecting the right leadership style to influence the effectiveness of change is important if large organizational change is to be successful. Different leadership styles to consider include visionary/inspirational leaders, commanding leaders, situational leaders, people-oriented and task-oriented leaders. The right leadership style might change as the situation changes within an organization.
A visionary/inspirational leadership style should be used when a leader is trying to move people towards a shared dream. However, a coaching leadership style might be used to effectively connect what a person wants with organizational goals. A commanding leadership style gives clear direction and is useful in cases of emergency. The situational leadership model suggests that leaders change their style of leadership based on how ready their followers seems to be.
When drastic organizational changes are involved, having leaders who are people-oriented as opposed to task-oriented will be better able to anticipate the needs of the employees as they motivate and enable them to change. Also, by using Kurt Lewin’s three-stage model for change which involves initiating change (unfreezing), managing the change (changing) and then stabilizing the change (refreezing), a leader can effectively manage the change process and the employees involved in the change.
Steps for Leading Change
Kreitner and Kinicki (2004) outline John Kotter’s eight steps for leading organizational change as another model to follow when attempting to manage the change process. Kotter suggests establishing a sense of urgency, empowering groups of people to lead the change, and developing a vision or strategy. Kotter also recommends eliminating barriers to change, generating short-term successes, reinvigorating the change process and finally anchoring or stabilizing the new approaches.
Effective leadership in the change management process is particularly important because of all the factors involved in organizational change. As situations shift, leaders must be able to adapt and motivate employees to reduce fear, uncertainty and loss of employee morale. Anytime an organization goes through major changes, using the most effective leadership style can directly impact the success of the change and impact to the organization.
References
Kreitner, Robert and Kinikci, Angelo. (2004). Organizational Behavior. Chapter 19, Managing Change and Stress, Ch 19. Retrieved August 20, 2005 from the University of Phoenix Online Library.
McShane, Steve and VonGlinow, Mary Ann. (2005). Organizational Behavior: Emerging Realities for the Workplace Revolution (3rd ed.) New York. McGraw-Hill. Chapter 14: Leadership in Organizational Settings. Retrieved August 19, 2005 from the University of Phoenix Online Library.
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