• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Leadership strategies for managing change

Leadership strategies for managing change

The instinct to do what needs to be done is an essential aspect of leadership. Leaders see problems. They see things that are not working, and they come up with solutions and changes. Leaders look at what is, see what could be, and organize others to move toward the preferred future. They are not okay with “this is the way we have always done things.” Leaders are not content to sit on the sidelines, managing a system yielding tangible results when potential changes are pregnant with more remarkable results.

As the authors of the book The Leadership Challenge put it, “Leaders must be agents of change.” However, the ubiquitous nature of change seems to imply that change comes easily, but this is certainly not the case in most instances. The world of business and information technology requires frequent, and at times significant, change initiatives. The level of technological innovation, globalization, competition, and continually changing governmental regulations and standards requires that organizations of all sizes implement change initiatives to survive, remain competitive, and comply with laws and standards. The changes range from minute to enterprise-wide and bring many challenges and benefits. Organizations that embrace change and utilize it to their advantage receive a comparative advantage that increases their ability to compete and remain efficient in the marketplace.

In managing change, the stakes are too high, and organizations need to dedicate the time and resources necessary to implement the initiatives effectively. Survival often depends on their ability to adapt and effectively change with the quickly adapting global business practices. As stated, prior, change in business remains a constant and continual process.

Change creates a sense of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety for employees, often interpreted as resistance by change agents who are already aware of the change and the results or ramifications

Change creates a sense of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety for employees, often interpreted as resistance by change agents who are already aware of the change and the results or ramifications. The change agents have spent countless hours developing, revising, and strategizing about how the change will improve business operations or advance the organization. However, when the information is presented to frontline employees, they are often surprised and upset by the suggested or required changes. Usually, there is always an emotional reaction to changes, which allows for, and even encourages, the change process. Once the emotional reactivity has dissipated, the organization and employees can move into the change mode. However, according to Balestracci (2003), the ability to respond appropriately requires five essential skills:

1. self-awareness

2. emotional maturity

3. self-motivation

4. ability to show empathy

5. ability to develop and maintain positive relationships

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Displaying these skills and abilities makes the change process much more comfortable and flows more smoothly. However, leadership and corporate cultural characteristics and factors are also essential for a successful change process.

Further, Bejestani (2011) states, “management is partly science and partly art.” Hence, the human side or soft-skills account for a significant change element, even concerning change’s technical aspects. IT systems or applications do not develop, install, and maintain themselves. People are at the centre of change, and the successful implementation of change requires leadership and management acumen.

Therefore, great leaders and managers can overcome resistance, unite employees, create a shared vision, and motivate employees or a team to implement change and accomplish tasks if they model the following leadership characteristics;

a. consistently build confidence in the people

b. observe team members and their behaviours in a positive light

c. make the right decisions and solve problems, especially in critical situations

d. believe in the necessity of training people and provide resources for training

e. build happiness and joy without non-logical stress

f. engage, communicate and have face-to-face interactions with the people

g. take personal responsibility for completing corporate objectives

Also, Bluestone (2011) acknowledged the difficulties associated with change and states that leaders should create a culture where mistakes are allowed and discussed positively, using the mistakes and failures as a learning opportunity. Employees should not be afraid to report errors and failures. The corporate culture should encourage a sense of forgiveness and restoration; employees should not obsess on making the right and perfect decision at the expense of implementing a decision and experiencing an error or setback. We must note, “Cultural change is evolution, not revolution”; this speaks to the continual process of organizational change and change management. Gee and Gee (2011) continued with the same line of thinking by stating the organizations should work to “create a culture of change and innovation…which is one of the best ways to build organizations that can positively and proactively respond to change.”

By implication, the leadership’s actions, behaviours, and the organization’s managers account for up to fifty percent of how employees view an organization. Managers who encourage the following behaviours and attitudes are working to instil a culture of creativity, innovation, and change, which again provides a competitive advantage for their organization:

i. encourage new and creative idea sharing

ii. promote diversity of thinking

iii. support conflicting or opposing points of view

iv. allow time for innovation and provide resources

v. allow people the freedom to make decisions with parameters

vi. nurture risk-taking as opposed to being risky

Finally, organizations that primarily operate from a top-down mentality are punitive. They allow silos to exist, fail to communicate decisions, are overly controlling, and fail to see their employees’ value, severely limit or hinder their ability to react quickly to market trends and implement creative and innovative change initiates. Although the soft side of change requires extensive leadership and interaction, the technical aspects remain vital to the process.