Organizational Change Converting Theory †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Organizational Change Converting Theory. Answer: Introduction Change management is important for an organization including planning, organization, direction and control. However, what is even more critical is change leadership for successful introduction of change. Successful change leadership requires not just a vision and a strategy but also that the organization develops a culture of shared values that support that vision and strategy while at the same time motivating, empowering and inspiring those who have been affected by the change. This reflects the spiritual, behavioral, cognitive and emotional dimensions of leadership (Gill, 2002 p 307). Change leadership requires having a vision for the future and then developing strategies to take the organization in to that future and then aligning everybody in the organization in order for them to put their energies towards the same goal (Hooper Potter, 2011 p 17). Management causes things to work efficiently while leadership causes useful change. Change results in creation of a new system which in turn demands change (Kotter, 1995 p 60). Decision makers may ignore critical information without even realizing it according to social science research (Bazerman and Chugh, 2006 p 48). For change to achieve the desired results, leadership is required and thus a change leader. This paper will discuss the key characteristics of an effective change leader and reflect on my own strengths and limitations as a change leader. Key Characteristics of an Effective Change Leader Change leaders should not panic during the transition stage if things do not go well as planned. During the implementation process, change leaders must be clear of the specific strategies and measurable goals at this stage. They must also be skillful in monitoring process and be ready to offer any support that is required. They also need to implement the plans in a manner and speed that takes care of the needs of the people who have been affected by the change. They must also be willing to modify the plans throughout the change process to make sure they are relevant to the current realities of the organization (Mecca, 2004 p 16). Change leaders are energetic, have passion and hope. They must have the big picture in mind and have ability to transform the organization through people (Fullan, 2011 p 11). Change leaders display five important qualities which include having a moral purpose, ability to understanding what change is, be able to enhance relationships, be knowledgeable and coherence sharing (Fullan, 2002 p 17). By having a moral purpose, it means they have a social responsibility to other people and to the environment the organization operates in. They are out to make a positive difference and improving things. To create and to share knowledge is very critical in change leadership. Information becomes knowledge through sharing. People must be willing to give as well as seek knowledge leading to continual growth. To lead change they understand that having the most innovative ideas is not as good as having a collective meaning and commitment to new ways. They welcome criticism and recognize that doubters sometimes have important points. Then they look for a way to address resistance. They understand that change is not just a checklist but a continuous day to day hard work. The leader encourages people to share new ideas. Ability to improve relationships is an important quality of a change leader. Change leaders must therefore form good relationships with diverse groups of people. Some administrators may focus on the traditional management of change which is the technical and operational aspects and forget they important human element (Fossum, 1989, p3). If relations get worse or even remain the same, then the change objective is affected. When change leaders are emotionally intelligent, they are aware of their own emotions and are sensitive to inspire others (Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, 2002 p14). By focusing on relationships, the change leader is laying a foundation for success for the future. Effective change leaders must have the ability to make coherence. There has to be checks and balances in the interactions in the change process. Leaders ideas will usually be challenged during the change process leading to give and take relationships. Ideas are generated and new knowledge created. The leader has to continuously strive to achieve coherence throughout the process (Fullan, 2011 p 21). Reflection of my Change leadership: Strengths I have strong qualities in change leadership which I would consider as strengths which can be useful in an organization when enhanced. To begin with, I am very passionate and energetic in my work and I am always ready for challenges. Change in an organization is always a challenge and for a leader to be successful, one has to be very passionate and interested in the change process. I also manage to motivate teams for them to align with the objectives of the change and handle any objections well. Due to my commitment and energy, I manage to convince teams to join in efforts that are beneficial to the company and thus we can together effect change appropriately. My infectious passion for the job runs across departments and the whole organization. I would consider this as a strength that is useful for organizations during change management. I am also knowledgeable and I often generate good ideas. I read a lot to get ideas and I also listen to people so that they are free to share their ideas. I am also able to get people to cooperate and share information which in turn becomes new ideas which can be implemented in the change process. Whenever faced with challenges in an area that I did not have full information, a search for more details from all sources available is done. I read a lot of relevant material from magazines, journals and even online. This keeps me informed in areas regarding y career and the organization and also the competition. I already know what competitors are doing ahead better than our organization and strive to gather knowledge on how we can out compete. This gives me an upper hand when faced with challenges as I will always get an idea to respond to any challenges. Another strength regarding change leadership is my ability to improve relationships and interact with people easily and form relationships and enhance them to be better. All problems are viewed from a relationship point of view and consider how they will affect people and their relationships. Business is about relationships either with colleagues, customers or other stakeholders. It is therefore very crucial to maintain them and actually improve them through out any change process. They are therefore central to my considerations at all the time. Consulting people and caring to find out what their needs are and what they think of every step of change process is key to me. Their ideas are then incorporated in the process and this makes them to own the process. The effects of any change to the stakeholders are always put in to consideration before implementation and the best options considered. I am well aware that any change that leaves relationships at work worse than they were is not worth it and thus strives to improve on this skill all the time by requesting for feedback and considering it in my leadership. Reflection of my Change leadership: Limitations One of my limitations as a change leader is inability to handle the management part of change very well. There is also tendency not to have the patience for the step by step management by focusing on the end picture and this sometimes makes me miss out on the small things that need to be focused on at the moment. Like many other leaders, there is tendency not to see the right information at the right time (Bazerman and Chugh, 2006 p 88). Another limitation is handling objections and office politics very well. According to Buchanan (2008) it is naive to remain unaware of the office politics and expect to grow and be successful. While it is easy to form relationships and leading people to one direction, should there be people who are opposed to one thing for one reason or the other, its not taken very well. Therefore there is need to start taking opposition as feedback and understand that opposers can sometimes have very good ideas that if implemented will lead to better results. There is need also need to improve on ability to be strategic. As a leader, it is crucial to get to the level of being strategic and not operational to lead the team well. Without understanding the strategic direction of an organization very well, the teams might get lost in the change process and end up implementing ideas that do not take the company in the desired direction. Overcoming the Limitations Enrollment in a professional leadership course by the end of the year to improve on some of the leadership skills is top of my plans. This will include continuous short courses every three months meant to inculcate skills that are crucial for leadership. This will allow for new skills impart and discussion after evaluation with skilled professionals to help me overcome the weaknesses highlighted above. Another plan is to enroll for membership in leaders forums and networking that are available in the city. This will give me a chance to interact with other leaders who are good at what they do and continue to learn from them as well as get mentored. I will be able to look for a mentor within the groups who can be helpful when to me faced with challenges. Conclusion Leadership is very important during the change process for successful implementation of the change. A good leader is therefore required to steer teams in an organization through the steps and objectives to the desired vision. The change leader must also involve other people on the ground and incorporate their ideas as they are relevant to the current times. This paper has identifies some qualities of a good change leader. It has also reflected on my own strengths and limitations as a change leader and given some actions to take in order to improve on my change leadership qualities. References Bazerman, M.H. and Chugh, D., 2006. Decisions without Blinders.Harvard Business Review,84(1), p.88. Buchanan, D.A., 2008. You stab my back, I'll stab yours: Management experience and perceptions of organization political behavior.British Journal of Management,19(1), pp.49-64. Fossum, L., 1989.Understanding Organizational Change Converting Theory to Practice. Crisp Learning. P 39-47. Fullan, M., 2002. The Change.Educational Leadership,59(8), pp.16-20. Fullan, M., 2011.Change Leader: Learning to do what Matters Most. John Wiley Sons. Gill, R., 2002. Change Management--or Change Leadership?.Journal of Change Management,3(4), 307-318. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R.E. and McKee, A., 2002.The New Leaders: Transforming the Art of Leadership into the Science of Results(p. 14). London: Little, Brown. Hooper, A. and Potter, J., 2011.Intelligent Leadership. Random House. Kotter, John P., 1995. Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review, 59-67. Mecca, T.V., 2004. Basic Concepts of Organizational Change for Administrative Leaders.Pacific Crest, Lisle.