Leadership Development & Change Management - Research Paper Example

Leadership Development & Change Management Introduction Organizations of differentiated nature involve leaders who efficiently and effectively traverse complex and fluctuating situations, playing a principle role in motivating employees and ensuring smooth accomplishment of the determined goals. Correspondingly, leadership effectiveness, within an organization, plays an integral role in achieving the desired goals in compliance with organizational values. Leadership management can therefore be depicted as a key mechanism that initiates organization’s success and preserves its growth (Aneckvanich, n.d.). Change management represents a structured method that helps in the transitional process of individuals, teams and the organization on the whole, to a desired imminent state of competency. It is an organizational process that aims at providing empowerment to the employees for accepting and embracing the changes within the current environment of the organization (Ryerson University, 2011). In accordance with this notion of organizational leadership, Ford Motor Company has been focused on the advancement and effectiveness of its employees at all levels in an all-inclusive manner along with practicing effective stakeholder engagement strategies. The change observed within the internal business environment of Ford inculcates preparation for starting a new operation and simultaneously, planning for the execution of advance and latest innovative ideas for success. Additionally, the change management strategies practiced by Ford includes clear perspective that entails effective communication of operations. The leadership practices of Ford also aim towards effective transformation of the cultural change that fosters transparency. Nevertheless, due attention is also rendered towards consistency for framing new strategies and policies that can facilitate creativity and enthusiasm within the organization (SlideShare Inc, 2013). Correspondingly, the objective of the study emphasizes on the aspects related to leadership development and change management, from a critical perspective. In accomplishing the determined objective, the discussion henceforth will provide a clear description of the problem statement to be focused, following further explanations on change subjects that entail Machiavellianism, leader emergence, emotional intelligence and transformational leadership among others, in the background context of Ford. Problem Statement The problem statement of the research study indulges explaining the scope and nature of the leadership development and change management within Ford. Adaptation to change has become a vital framework for any organization today. With respect to all organizational changes, its effects are complex and critical, which requires the support of effective leadership (Paton & McCalman, 2000). Considering the prospects of organizational change, a major challenge often witnessed by organizations is the change resistance deciphered by employees, suppliers, customers and stakeholders. The underneath reasons for resistance to change also inculcates organizational redesigning advocating changes of existing power structure and position of the employees, which might require them to come out of their comfort zone. Creation of advance and latest technological changes that can result in challenges related to procedures, techniques and the desired skills associated with the new technique initiated. Furthermore, it entails apathetic nature of the employees that result in their resistance to desired changes. Thus, for effective leadership development, the leader must mitigate the challenges related to change management for organization’s growth and development (Paton & McCalman, 2000). Critical Analysis Machiavellianism and Ethical Consideration Machiavellianism is a leadership trait that is often practiced to combat the influences of interpersonal relationship of the employees on their acceptance or readiness to change being implemented in the organization. The leadership notion thus followed under Machiavellianism aims at providing indifferences to the persistent traditional values in accomplishing the employees’ goals complied with that of the organization (Mercan, 2013). Machiavellianism is also regarded to be in alliance with ethical leadership, which denotes a value-driven framework for organizational leadership quality. Such an alignment mainly affects the self-concept as well as the belief of the followers to attain organizational goals and objectives, in the course of satisfying their personal desires. As a matter of fact, ethical leadership affects the motivation, behavior and attitude of the employees for organizational development and growth, which further assists in the effective implementation of Machiavellianism approach (Hartog & Belschak, 2012). In consideration with leadership development and change management practices applied in Ford, Machiavellianism and ethical consideration can be observed apparently. The most apparent evidence to the notion is the immense significance delivered by Ford’s management to facilitate employee engagement in organizational decision making, in an objective-oriented manner. This further ensures that employees get ample scope to align their personal needs with the goals determined in the company. Correspondingly, employees tend to understand organizational development needs and mitigate their resistance to change, indicating Machiavellianism approach in the company (Ford, 2012). Motivation to Lead, and Masculinity/Femininity (Gender) Motivation signifies the underlying attributes that motivates employees to perform their work with effectiveness, which further results in the attainment of business goals (Lai, 2011). According to a survey report, it was comprehended that the masculine approach to leadership development entails various skills such as competitiveness, unemotional attributes and hierarchical authoritative influences. On the contrary, the organizations following a feminist leadership approach encompasses cooperation, rationality and problem solving behavior (Eagly & Johnson, 1990). From a critical point of view, each of the motivational leadership styles, i.e. masculine approach and the feminine approach, possesses certain limitations when argued on the basis of situations. It has principally been owing to this reason that Ford has been focused on implementing a mixed leadership approach, inculcating the advantages of both masculine and feminine motivational leadership practices. To be specific, the organization follows an objective-oriented leadership approach rendering due significance in treating its employees with empathy, which further motivates them to interlink their personal goals with that of Ford (Ford, 2012). Emotional Intelligence and Personal Power Profile In the modern day context, emotional intelligence (EI) plays a vital role in the corporate governance system followed in organizations. The concept of EI principally denotes the significance of linkage between the emotions of individuals or employees and the empathetic concerns of organizational leadership style (George, 2000). At often instances, it has been witnessed that an emotional bonding between employees and the organizational goals, motivate employees to contribute a greater productivity and mitigate their resistance to change by a significant extent (Bal, Campbell, Steed & Meddings, 2008). In the similar context, the corporate governance system followed in Ford emphasizes building interpersonal relations at all levels, practicing an open two way communication process. For instance, the CEO of Ford, Mr. Alan Mulally have applied and implemented the strategies of emotional intelligence in building a cohesive team based on strong interpersonal relations (Ford, 2012). Personal Skills Needed To Lead Change Within Organizations and Formulate A Plan to Develop Those Skills The personal skills required by a leader to bring about change within an organization inculcate charismatic traits, commitment to perform the responsibilities effectively as well as communication that frames an important part of leadership quality and differentiated competencies to handle critical situations. As a matter of fact, it involves courage to face critical situations and the capability of the leader to assess not only the positives but also the negatives of practicing the determined leadership strategies. These qualities and skills ensure effective and efficient performance of the leaders upon which the organization solely depends. Considering the leadership skills of Mr. Alan Mulally, the CEO of Ford this particular notion can be examined apparently. On the verge of the global financial crisis 2008, the turnaround strategy taken by him, not only saved Ford from entering a financially depressive situation, but also strengthened its competencies to acquire larger market share in comparison to other rivals. Undoubtedly, various negatives and positives were associated with the strategic practice, but it was the leadership skills and decision making accuracy of Mr. Alan Mulally, to have Ford performing even at such devastating scenario (SlideShare Inc, 2013). Charismatic vs. Transformational Leadership Charismatic leadership denotes the personal characteristics and skills of a leader to inculcate enthusiasm, envision the future and enable the employees or change participants to perform effectively. Correspondingly, transformational leadership reflects the strategy applied to shift the focus of the employees from self-interest towards organizational goals with collective interests (SlideShare Inc, 2013). Analyzing the organizational leadership practices in Ford, it can be observed that the company follows a mixed approach where significance is rendered not only towards encouraging employees in participating in the decision making process, but also assisting them in accepting changes according to situational conditions (Ford, 2012). Personal Leadership Assessment Leadership plays a vital role in every aspect of an organizational function. In an organization, leaders are responsible to ensure productivity from the employees, in the best interest of the organization and also in an ethical manner so that neither the interests of the employees or that of the stakeholders is affected. Leaders and leadership are interlinked. It is due to this reason that the leadership challenges faced by an organization are mitigated by the effectiveness and efficiencies of the leader. These challenges principally include uncertainty and the complexity that emphasizes prevailing and existing trends and strategies of the organization. Furthermore, organizational leadership challenges involve mitigation of external and internal problems related to organizational operations focused towards the acceleration of growth and performance of an organization. Correspondingly, personal skills required to be possessed by a leader for fostering effective organizational leadership inculcate effective communication, commitment and differentiated competencies (Paton, & McCalman, 2000). The linkage between a leader’s competencies and the performance of an organization can also be evidently observed in the context of Ford. Contextually, it shall lead to almost no or least counter arguments, if stated that it was principally the strategies implemented by Mr. Alan Mulally after being appointed as the CEO of Ford that the company could retrieve from its apparent fall. It was the farsightedness of the CEO as well as his capability of building a cohesive employee network within the internal organizational environment that enhanced Ford’s competencies astonishingly and assist in the organization’s turnaround. His optimistic view and ability to channelize vision has also played a vital role in cultivating the organization’s success (Gallo, 2012). Summary and Conclusion It can be comprehended on the basis of the above discussion that leadership development results in effective change management within an organization. It can be ensured that organizational leadership signifies a mechanism that leads to the attainment of organizational objectives and goals irrespective of changes observed in its external business environment. Likewise, effective organizational leadership ensures sustainability and profitability within the competitive market scenario. Adaptation related to change has become an integral part of any organization to gain a competitive advantage over other firms, which can only be accomplished with effective leadership practices. With respect to change, resistance working amid employees to accept change creates barriers in the effective implementation of advance policies and strategies. In order to mitigate such changes, the organizational leadership implements strategies to combat employees’ personal goals with the organizational goals that in turn ensure effective change implementation as well as organizational efficiency in the long-run. Ford has undertaken exceptionally advances strategies and policies to overcome its doom period under the leadership of Mr. Alan Mulally. Ford’s organizational leadership quality signifies Machiavellianism as well as ethical leadership that have given the company a new stand in the global plethora. Furthermore, emotional intelligence and mixed motivational strategies (including feminine and masculine approaches) have assisted the company to achieve greater heights and success by obtaining significant competitive advantages. Contextually, it can be asserted that personal leadership skills of Mr. Alan Mulally, such as charismatic, effective communication, differentiated competencies and transformational leadership among others, ensured better and effective performance of the company. Thus, it can be inferred that effective organizational leadership initiates its development and growth by a substantial extent. References Aneckvanich. (n.d.). Challenging issues of leadership development. Retrieved from http://www.ocsc.go.th/ocsc/en/files/ASEAN_Unit/Challenging_Issues_of_Leadership_Development.pdf Bal, V., Campbell, M., Steed, J., & Meddings, K. (2008). The role of power in effective leadership. Retrieved from http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/roleOfPower.pdf Eagly & Johnson. (1990). Gender and leadership style: a meta-analysis. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=chip_docs&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.co.in%2Fscholar%3Fq%3Dgender%252Bleadership%26hl%3Den%26as_sdt%3D0%26as_vis%3D1%26oi%3Dscholart%26sa%3DX%26ei%3DsagZUpPzJMymrAeO8IDICA%26ved%3D0CC4QgQMwAA#search=%22gender%2Bleadership%22 Ford. (2012). Profitable growth for all ford motor company2012 annual report. Retrieved from http://corporate.ford.com/doc/ar2012-2012%20Annual%20Report.pdf Gallo, C. (2012). Alan Mulally, Optimism, and the Power of Vision. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/04/25/alan-mulully-optimism-and-the-power-of-vision/ George, J. M. (2000). Emotions and leadership: the role of emotional intelligence. Retrieved from http://olms.cte.jhu.edu/olms/data/resource/7446/wk%207%20EI%20and%20leadership.pdf Hartog, D. N. D., & Belschak, F. D. (2012). Work engagement and machiavellianism in the ethical leadership process. Retrieved from http://dare.uva.nl/document/462996 Mercan, N. (2013). Machiavellianism in relation to ethical leadership and a practice. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/3624759/MACHIAVELLIANISM_IN_RELATION_TO_ETHICAL_LEADERSHIP_AND_A_PRACTICE Paton, R. A., & McCalman, J. (2000). Change management: a guide to effective implementation. United States: SAGE. Ryerson University. (2011). Change management leadership guide. Retrieved from http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/hr/management/change_mgmt/docs/ChangeManagementGuide_FINAL.pdf SlideShare Inc. (2013). Case study on ford motors. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/invincy/case-study-on-ford-motors Read More