Leadership and Organizational change - A Team-Based approach

Change is never easy; it is in our human nature to resist change - whatever the cause. However, despite this fact, many organizations have managed to overcome the barriers to change and have adopted new models for not only leadership styles, but many other organizational processes as well (Nahavandi, 2003). As you might have already identified, one of the most difficult models to change is intriguing from a typical hierarchical or autocratic style of supervision to a more democratic or team-oriented style of leadership. However, the key to sufficient organizational change is a sound change supervision process (Dudink & Berge, 2006). Part of that change supervision process, is also preparing your firm for a new shift in leadership methods and requires that the organization build a team-oriented culture - beginning from the top and communicating down (Rosenburg, 2001). Managers at all levels must recognize and leverage each person's top skills, and generate sound value-based communications in the middle of team members (Dudink & Berge, 2006).

Change can be the greatest test of a leader. As the leader of an organization, you should implement a solid change supervision strategy in order to effectively manage not only your people, but the firm dimensions of the organization as well (Dudink & Berge, 2006). According to John Kotter (2007) a leading expert in change management, leaders often make any key mistakes - those of which Kotter has specifically narrowed down to eight key steps. As the leader of the organization, you should think taking these eight steps into inspecting in order to make a solid coming and framework for transforming your organizational leadership methods.

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The first step in dealing with change is to make a sense of urgency. Most change begins when leaders look at the firm's current situation, operation and buyer delight (Kotter, 2007). Is buyer delight being affected because of a slow decision development process? Are there "too many cooks in the kitchen" so to speak? This is possibly the most leading step in the process and requires involvement and "aggressive cooperation" by every person in the organization.

Leadership and Organizational change - A Team-Based approach

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The second step is to generate a superior "guiding coalition". But what does this mean? Not only must the group or divisional leader become a key stakeholder and supporter, but so must the top-levels of the organization: the Chief executive Officer and other senior executives. If the most leading citizen in the firm do not buy in, the rest will not either (Kotter, 2007). In a small company, this guiding team may only be three or four people, however in a larger organization, this could be a wide range; twenty to fifty people.

The remaining steps include:

1. Defining a long-term vision;

2. Communicating that foresight aggressively (i.e., ten times more than you initially think);

3. Removing obstacles that do not retain the new foresight and empowering others to retain that vision;

4. Planning for, creating, and celebrating short-term "wins"

5. Consolidating improvements and preparing for more change (i.e., do not assert victory too soon), and;

6. Institutionalizing the new approaches.

But, how do you effectively persuade others to buy-in to organizational change; specifically from an autocratic to a democratic style of leadership? The first request that should be posed to each and every personel in your guiding coalition should be, "What is leadership?" determined listen to each person's definition: one will typically find many separate versions of what each man believes leadership is. However, despite these differences Nahavandi (2003) points out that leadership contains three similar elements: (1) leadership is a group phenomenon; there can be no leaders without followers and therefore is already a team environment, (2) leadership is goal directed, meaning leaders all the time affect or guide teams to a definite course of action to achieve a definite goals, and (3) in the proximity of a leader, one assumes some form of hierarchy or autocratic leadership. However, while this may be the case, it can also be informal, flexible and with mostly equal power.

By addressing these three similar elements, Nahavandi (2003) continues to show that by joining them, we define a leader as any man who guides or influences teams and helps them in establishing and reaching goals and objectives in an sufficient manner; in a non-autocratic fashion. This shows that to be an sufficient leader, one does not have to use a top-down approach, and the responsibilities and responsibility of the decisions can be shared among the team.

But, the next request is, "How do you get them to change their style of leadership?" In order to retain a revolutionary change in an organization, you need to first motivate those in your guiding collation or transformational leadership team. Nahvandi (2003) believes transformational leadership is best achieved through inspiration of your followers, which enables them to "enact revolutionary change". Transformational leadership ultimately includes three original factors: charisma and inspiration (i.e., creating emotional bonds), intellectual stimulation (i.e., intriguing followers to solve problems instead of you), and personel consideration (i.e., developing personal relationships with each follower). When these three factors are combined, they allow a vehicle for change in not only the organization, but in the individuals themselves.

By following these types of steps an organization will consequently produces great ideas while forcing shared responsibility of decisions. The many implication of these actions will be to change the way in which citizen think, act and share ideas; consequently changing the very culture of the firm and how it does business.

In the words of Kotter (2007), "guiding change may be the greatest test of a leader." Human nature is to resist change, and an aggressive and sustained change supervision process for the organization must be implemented as the framework for leading a valuable transformation in organizational culture. Once this framework has been implemented you as the firm leader will have efficiently and effectively persuaded your followers, and the rest of the organization into a new way of thinking. Thus, allowing for better, faster and higher potential decisions that in turn supply your customers with what they need: satisfaction.

References:

Dudink, G., & Berge, Z. (2006). Balancing Top-Down, Bottom-Up, and Peer-to-Peer Approaches to Sustaining length Training. Turkish Online Journal of length Education , 7 (3), 144-152.

Kotter, J. (2007). leading Change. Harvard firm Review , 85 (1), 96-103.

Nahavandi, A. (2006). The art and science of leadership. Upper Saddle River, Nj: Prentice Hall.

Rosenberg, M. (2001). E-Learning: Strategies for Delivering Knowledge in the Digital Age. New York: McGraw-Hill.

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Leadership and Organizational change - A Team-Based approach