The Role of Leadership in Bringing Organizational Change And Innovation - Research Proposal Example

The Role of Leadership in Bringing Organizational Change And Innovation 11/12 Dejia Meng Berry Executive Summary This research proposal provides a brief layout of the main research that encompasses the role of leadership in bringing organizational change and innovation. The underlying aim behind this research is to shed light on the crucial aspects of leadership and its impact in enhancing organizational performance through change and innovation. The research has both qualitative and quantitative elements where the researcher endeavors to conduct semi structured interview with senior managers from two reputed companies based in the US. In addition to that a survey will also be conducted with junior employees from the same organizations. The interview feedbacks will then be used in order to learn about the perceptions of the senior managers regarding the importance of leadership in their respective organizations. The feedbacks from the interview will then be evaluated in accordance with the survey feedbacks provided by the junior employees. The survey feedbacks are expected to reveal crucial details regarding the ways in which effective leadership has brought about organizational change and innovation. The research outcomes will then be evaluated against the theories that have been set forth in empirical researches in order to identify the degree of resemblance/difference. The researcher expects to identify a significant positive relationship between leadership and organizational change and innovation. Table of Contents 1.Introduction 4 1.1. Research question 4 1.2. Research objective 4 2.Literature Review 5 3.Methodology 5 3.1. Research philosophy 5 3.2. Research approach 6 3.3. Data collection 6 3.4. Sampling 6 4.Ethical consideration 8 5.Timeline 8 References 9 1. Introduction Academic scholars all over the world have explained the ways in which organizational strategy, culture and several aspects related to management enables the managers to enhance operational efficiency and gain significant competitive advantage (Battilana, et al, 2010). Empirical researches have revealed that innovation, creativity and favorable working environment within organizations some of the important determinants of competitive advantage for organizations that operate in the 21st century (Yukl, 2006). Despite such important revelations not much has been discussed about the role that leadership plays in fostering creativity and brining change as well as innovation within organization. It is widely known that leadership has a considerable contribution towards enhancing engagement level of employees but its contribution towards organizational change and innovation is still unclear. Organizations which are considered as innovative do not just achieve such status by chance (Feldman & Pentland, 2003). Innovation and creativity within such organizations are triggered by the presence effective leaders and their subsequent implementation of an appropriate leadership style. They are largely responsible for paving the way for organizational growth and development Bass & Avolio, 2000). It is with regards to the facts that have been mentioned in this section, that the researcher endeavors to conduct an in-depth research regarding the role of leadership in bringing about organizational change and innovation. To conduct this research in a proper manner, the following objectives need to be achieved. 1.1. Research question Why is organizational change and innovation necessary? What is the importance of leadership in bringing organization change and innovation? Which leadership style is appropriate for bringing organizational change and innovation? Which aspects of leadership have a significant impact on organizational change and innovation? 1.2. Research objective In order to provide an explanation to the above mentioned questions the following objectives needs to be achieved: To conduct a literature review on leadership style, organizational change and innovation. To conduct a primary research by adopting a mix method approach with participants belonging from two reputed companies in the US. To learn the importance of leadership in bringing organizational change and innovation. To investigate the leadership factors that significantly impact organizational change and innovation. 2. Literature Review The theme of leadership and its equivalent importance in bringing organizational change and innovation has been discussed in a considerable number of literatures published in the field of leadership and organizational change management (Burke, 2002). Organizational change is an extremely important requirement for companies in order to stay alive and prosper in this strongly competitive business environment (Carter, et al, 2013). It requires enhanced commitment and collaboration between employees whereby they can adapt to any circumstances and strategically preserve the most effectual constituents of their routine and incorporate them with new methods of work. Employees often find it extremely difficult to achieve such integration between their previous performance and the new work methods implemented in order to adapt to changing organizational circumstances (Feldman & Pentland, 2003). This is where the relevance of an appropriate leadership style lies. Majority of empirical researches have concluded that transformational leadership style has a significant role in bringing upon organizational change and innovation. The major challenge faced by leaders in the contemporary business society is to bring upon profound organizational changes that has the potential to take the organization towards a brighter and prospective future (Battilana, et al, 2010). According to the author, it requires the leader to modify the functional process followed within the organization on the basis of pre-planned objectives in order to direct these processes towards achieving fruitful outcomes. These outcomes at a later phase become the fundamental determinants of the degree to which organizational change and innovation is brought about within a company (Berson & Avolio, 2004). There has been continuous research in this field where researchers have endeavored to identify the most appropriate leadership style that facilitates organizational change and innovation (Yukl, 2006). A considerable body of literature has identified transformation leadership style as the most appropriate leadership style that has proven to be a major source of organizational change and innovation (García-Morales, Jiménez-Barrionuevo & Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, 2012; Bass & Avolio, 2000). The following section provides a brief explanation about transformational leadership style. Transformational leadership endeavors to establish a robust emotional interconnectivity between the leader and his/her subordinates as well as promote enhanced values. Leaders, by means of adopting this leadership style, convey the significance of having mutual belief and an alignment in objectives between employees (Bass, 1999). This in turn enables the leader to instill purpose among the employees that directs their effort towards a certain organizational goal. Transformational leadership has long been considered as the powerhouse behind innovation in organization. This leadership style has the potential to disseminate knowledge appropriately in order to achieve the optimal performance from the organization (García-Morales, Jiménez-Barrionuevo & Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, 2012). That is why the researcher is intrigued in studying the aspects of this leadership and its importance in bringing organizational change and innovation. 3. Methodology 3.1. Research philosophy Both positivism and interpretive research philosophies have been considered appropriate for this particular research, as the study involves both quantitative and qualitative elements. The application of positivism research philosophy will enable the researcher to interpret factual information obtained through research observations (Research Methodology, 2014). On the other hand, the implementation of interpretive research philosophy will allow the researcher to analyze and understand the perception of participations from their interview feedbacks on the research issue. The combination of both these research philosophies will allow the researcher to integrate the objective as well as subjective approach to this research and translate the research outcomes into strong conclusion. 3.2. Research approach As far as the research approach is concerned, deductive approach will be considered in this particular study. The adoption of this research approach will allow the researcher to examine generalized aspects of the research issue and following that, accentuate on the intricate aspects of the area that is being studied (Mukherji & Albon, 2009). Moreover, the application of deductive approach will serve as a guidance tool for the researcher enabling the individual to conduct deductive reasoning after obtaining the data from primary research. By doing so, the researcher will be able to make sure that the study is rigid and robust in its construction and presentation. Adoption of this approach will allow the researcher to talk about various leadership styles in general and then study intricate details regarding the aspects of leadership that brings about organizational change and innovation and to what extent. 3.3. Data collection Data collection is enormously vital in a study like this which involves both qualitative as well as quantitative element. Precise data extraction, whether it is primary or secondary, paves way for a superior quality paper as well as helps a researcher ensure that the study is authentic and valid. That is why it becomes imperative to collect data from reliable sources. The primary research data will be collected with the help of semi-structured interview which will be conducted with middle managers of two reputed US based companies and through close ended questionnaire survey conducted with subordinate employees of the same two companies. Secondary data will be obtained through review of empirical research findings reported in journals, books, relevant online sources and company databases. Combination of primary and secondary research will allow the researcher to make sure that the research is comparative in nature. 3.4. Sampling As far as the sampling strategy is concerned, the researcher will be adopting random sampling strategy as a part of probabilistic sampling where the researcher will be choosing the research participants for the survey at random. Each and every research participant will have equal probability of participating in the survey. This sampling strategy will enable the researcher to make sure that the sample population is a representative of the overall population. On the other hand, in case of the semi structured interview, the researcher will be adopting the convenience sampling strategy on the basis of convenience with which the research participants can be accessed. 3.5. Research model The application of research model is only limited to the quantitative element of this research. A regression model will be implemented in order to determine the factors of leadership that has a statistical significance on organizational change. The aspect that best describes organizational change will be considered as the dependent variable whereas the leadership traits will be considered as the independent variables. The regression model will be run in MS Excel. 4. Ethical consideration In order to ensure that the research is conducted in an ethical manner, the identity of the research participants as well as the name of the companies in which they belong will be kept entirely anonymous. The feedbacks from the survey and the interview will be stored in a secure location and will not be revealed or passed on to any interested third party. The participants will be informed about the objective of the researcher prior to the initiation of the survey and the interview process. The participants will have the right to refuse to participate and disagree to continue at any point during the research process. The questions of both the survey as well as the interview will be drafted in such a manner that they do not pose any mental or physical harm to the participants. 5. Timeline References Bass, B. M. & Avolio, B. J. (2000). MLQ multifactor leadership questionnaire technical report. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Battilana, J., Gilmartin, M., Sengul, M., Pache, A. C. & Alexander, J. A. (2010). Leadership competencies for implementing planned organizational change. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(3), 422-438. Berson, Y. & Avolio, B. (2004). Transformational leadership and the dissemination of organizational goals: A case study of a telecommunication firm. Leadership Quarterly, 15, 625−646. Burke, R. J. (2002). Organizational change: Theory and practice. California: Sage. Carter, M. Z., Armenakis, A. A., Feild, H. S. & Mossholder, K. W. (2013). Transformational leadership, relationship quality, and employee performance during continuous incremental organizational change. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(7), 942-958. Feldman, M. S. & Pentland, B. T. (2003). Reconceptualizing organizational routines as a source of flexibility and change. Administrative Science Quarterly, 48, 94–118. García-Morales, V. J., Jiménez-Barrionuevo, M. M. & Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez, L. (2012). Transformational leadership influence on organizational performance through organizational learning and innovation. Journal of Business Research, 65(7), 1040-1050. Mukherji, P. & Albon, D. (2009). Research Methods in Early Childhood: An Introductory Guide. London: SAGE. Read More