The Role of Leaders in the Combating the Change Fatigue in the Modern Organizations - Coursework Example

Change Fatigue Name Institution Date Introduction Change fatigue is one of the issues that face most of the organizations when implementing the changes within the organization. The change fatigue is characterized by staling of the changes at some point after it has been implemented. This plays a role in the failure of the change and hence the failure of change management. The leaders play an important role in terms of the implementation of the law. The failure of the change also has some relationship with the effectiveness of the leader. Lack of leadership efficiency is one of the factors that contribute to the change fatigue (Shin, 2012). Combating the change fatigue requires a lot of efforts from the leaders to ensure the success of the change initiative. On the other hand, it is important to note that change fatigue does not take place immediately. It is also difficult for the leader to predict when the change fatigue will occur. This is because there are no immediate indicators or methods of forecasting the time that the change fatigue will occur. On the other hand, the fatigue may lead to the immediate failure of the company. Change fatigue also affects the employees as well as the management. It is thus important for the leaders to ensure that adequate measures are put in place to combat the change fatigue. The paper thus discusses the role of leaders in the combating the change fatigue in the modern organizations. Roles of leaders in combating change Monitoring change Change is a gradual change and it requires a step by step implementation for it to succeed. This requires a lot of efforts by the leader in order to ensure the success of the change. The fatigue however occurs at a critical stage when the company may not be ready to take the necessary initiatives. The leader of the organization has a role to play in the terms of combating the change fatigue. A leader can ensure that the change fatigue is dealt with by fully taking charge of the change process and monitor the progress of the change. Through monitoring the progress being made in regard to the change, it is easier for the leader to identify the signs of change fatigue. According to Beaudan, (2006), the identification of the signs of change fatigue is important in terms of avoiding it. It is however important to note that the leader may not be in a position to fully monitor the process. This is because the leaders have other roles that they should play in the organization. It is thus important for the leader to establish the mechanism of monitoring the process. This can involve the allocation of the duties to the other members of staff. However the leader has to get a report on the progress. Through these reports, the leader will be able to identify the progress being made in the change implementation. It is through such a measure that the leader will be able to combat change fatigue by providing a solution whenever the fatigue is noticed (Diefenbach, 2011). Enhancing communication Communication within the organization is very important when it comes to the implementation of the change. A change fatigue is more likely to occur when the employees do not understand the need for change. It is also important to note that change resistance is developed by the employees when they feel that they are not accorded the adequate support by the leaders. Adequate support does not necessarily mean that there should be financial implications. The employees may be ambitious and may fully embrace the changes during its initial stages. However the stagnation may start at the mid of the process and hence leading to the fatigue. This may also occur at the management level and hence leading to the fatigue. When the leadership does not update the employees and the managers about the progress regarding change, the chances of change fatigue are usually high. This is because the employees may feel that their efforts in embracing the change are not appreciated. It is thus important for the leaders to ensure that there is a proper communication channel that has been put in place to enhance the change process. Flow of information should ensure that the employees are aware of the actions and directions that they should take regarding the change implementation. An efficient communication process within the organization is a role that should be initiated by the leader in order to combat change fatigue (Varkey, 2010). Understanding the team members implementing change The chances of fatigue occurring at the midcourse phase are very high within any organization. This is due to the challenges that may start occurring at this point or the cumulative challenges since the beginning of the process. A leader should thus develop that evaluates the change and the progress being made. It is important for the leader to first identify the people who are resisting the change and hence leading to the change fatigue. This is important in terms of determining how to deal with the people resisting the changes within the organization (Botschen, et al, 2013). This is because it may prove difficult for the leader to deal with the resistance to change when the people resisting the change have not been identified. Some of the members of the management may also be resisting the change and hence the failure to identify them may not solve the problem. It is also the role of the leader to focus critically on the factors that are diverting the changes. This includes the factors that are preventing the company from achieving the goals and objectives of the change and hence leading to the fatigue. Identifying the factors is an important step in combating the change fatigue as it is easier for the leaders to address the factors as most of the factors can be solved by the leaders. An analysis should also be done by the leaders to identify the casualties. This includes the side effects of the change fatigue. A leader should determine the areas that would be highly affected by the fatigue and the areas that may not be affected by the change fatigue. This is for the purpose of ensuring that adequate measures are put in place to combat the change fatigue. The approach taken by a leader in terms of combating the change fatigue determines its success (Fullan, 2011). Directing change Directing the change is the most important role that the leader has to play in terms of ensuring the success of the strategies. In order to fully combat the changes, it is important for the leader of the organization to ensure that the changes are directed in stages. It is always common for the employees to perceive the long term goals as unachievable as the momentum may be lost during the implementation process. However, directing the change in phases plays an important role in changing the perception of the employees in regard to the change process. This is also important in terms of ensuring that the employees see the need for the change and how productive it is. Other employees always view the long term goals as unachievable and hence the loss of interest regarding the change process this automatically leads to the change fatigue. It is thus important for the leader to put in place measures that will ensure that the long term change strategy is broken in order to combat change fatigue. This can be achieved by the leader through dividing the timeline of the change. The change direction can be dived by the leader according to the function. This is important in terms of combating the change fatigue. The success of the first step of the implementation will also play an important role in ensuring that the employees are motivated and realize the importance of the change. The measures taken to combat the change depend on the leadership quality of the leader and it determines its success (Romanaggi, 2010). Identifying the sustainability measures Sustainability of the change is important in terms of putting up measures that will ensure that the change fatigue is combated. The sustainability of the change process is what has impacted negatively on most of the organizations. During the initiation of the change process, most of the organizations take of at a high note. However, the change fatigue always results at the mid process due to the lack of sustainability measures. It is thus important for the leaders to put in place measures that ensure that the changes being introduced are institutionalized. This is important in terms of ensuring the sustainability of the change process. It is therefore important for the leader to determine the most suitable means of ensuring that the most important strategies are used for the purpose of sustaining the change. The speed of change is also important in terms of putting in place the sustainability measures as well as combating the change fatigue. The speed of change implementation is important as it determines the rate at which the employees will respond positively to the change. Change fatigue can be witnessed when the rate of change implementation is too slow. This is because most of the employees will not see the real benefits of the change. Achieving the targets may also be difficult for the employees if the rate of implementation is too fast. This can also contribute the change fatigue. It is thus important for the leader to play an active role in ensuring that the speed of implementation is comfortable with al the employees. Appropriate implementation speed as well as sustainability measures play an important role in ensuring the success of the process (Stensaker, et al, 2011). Identifying threats and opportunities The identification of the opportunities and threats is important during the process of implementing the change. The opportunities are important in ensuring the success of the change. This is also important in terms of combating the change fatigue. However the threats on the other hand consist of the factors that lead to the change fatigue. A leader should be in a position of identifying these two factors in advance for the purpose of ensuring the success of the change. It is important for the leader to ensure that the threats as are not more than the opportunities. This is because when the threats outweigh the opportunities, the chances of success are very low as change fatigue will definitely be faced during the implementation period. It is for this reason that the leader should ensure that there is a right mix of people in the implementation period. Wrong people in the team will definitely contribute to the failure of the change implementation. This is because the wrong people in the team may have negative attitudes towards the implementation process. As a result of this, the organization may end up experiencing change fatigue and hence the failure of the strategies. When implementing the change, it is important for the leader to ensure that experts are involved in the process. The experts are useful in terms of ensuring that the issues of change fatigue are addressed. This is usually achieved through the provision of expert and technical advice with regard to the change fatigue (Graetz, 2012). Understanding the change concepts It is also important for the leaders to not that all changes always runs into resistance at on e point. This should thus be expected by the leaders when implementing the changes. This is regardless of the massive support that the initiative may face at the beginning. It is also important for the leaders to note that the individuals will always become passive or neutral at one point during the implementation of the change. The issue of change management can be compared to politics when analyzing the individuals. This is because most of the individuals will always change their political affiliations at one point depending on the prevailing condition. It is also important to note that the shift in the organizational culture of power has impacts on the organizational change process. In most cases the change fatigue is caused by the change in power or organizational culture. A leader should thus be focused and ensure that measures are in place to combat the change fatigue incase of any uncertainties. However, it is also important to not that the initiatives put in place to combat change in future may not necessarily guarantee success. This observation is compared to the military strategies where the military have come to a conclusion that there is no plan that can survive the contacts with the enemy. It is thus important for the leader to be aware that the every measures put ton combat the change fatigue will always face challenges (Oswick, et al, 2012). Empowering the employees Empowering the employees to be responsible in terms of implementing the changes within the organization is important. Empowerment therefore plays an important role in the process of combating the change fatigue within the organization. This means that a leader has to ensure that the employees are empowered so that they can be responsible for their actions within the organization. This reduces the chances of change fatigue as the empowerment is important in terms of motivating the employees and developing a sense of ownership within the organization. On the other hand, it is important to note that visible leadership also plays an important role in the organization in terms of combating the change fatigue. A leader should thus ensure that he goes out of the office and make frequent contact with the employees to ensure that the changes being implemented are successful. The public appearance of the leader is important in terms of boosting the morale of the employees. It is also important in terms of showing the concern that the leader has in terms of implementing the change. The leader should also anchor the change in the organizational culture. This will ensure that the employees are prepared for change and hence combating the change fatigue. It is important for the leaders to be prepared in advance in order to combat the change fatigue before it becomes a problem in the organization (Cameron, 2012). Conclusion In conclusion leadership plays an important role in the change management process. It is evident that combating change is dependant on the leaders within the organization. The initiatives taken by the leader determines the success of combating change fatigue in the organization. Visible leadership plays an important role in inspiring the employees and hence the success of the strategies aimed at combating the change fatigue. Resistance to change will always occur at some point within the organization due to the unpredictable nature of the change. The speed and direction taken during the implementation of change plays an important role determining the rate of success. The monitoring and evaluating process should also be enhanced by the leader in order to ensure the success of the process of combating the change fatigue. The implementation of the change combating strategies is also determines the rate of its success. It is however, evident that combating change is a difficult process that requires a lot of leadership strategies due to its unpredictable nature. On the other hand, it is also evident that it may prove difficult to predict when the change fatigue is likely to occur. However, implementing the changes in steps plays an important role in combating the change fatigue. References Beaudan, E, 2006, Making change last: How to get beyond change fatigue, Ivey Business Journal. Ivey Management Services. Shin, J, 2012, Resources for Change: the Relationships of Organizational Inducements and Psychological Resilience to Employees' Attitudes and Behaviors toward Organizational Change, Academy of Management Journal, 55(3), 727-748. Diefenbach, T, 2011, Employee emotions during organizational change—Towards a new research agenda, Scandinavian Journal of Management, 27(3), 332-340. Varkey, P, 2010, Change management for effective quality improvement: a primer, American Journal of Medical Quality, 25(4), 268-273. Fullan, M, 2011, The six secrets of change: What the best leaders do to help their organizations survive and thrive, Jossey-Bass. 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