Leadership and Change Management - Essay Example

Leadership and Change Management NAME: COURSE: INSTRUCTOR: DATE: LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT Every organization has to have a leader. This leader is basically the head of the organization that spearheads all the operations therein. There may be departmental leaders and/or overall leaders in an organization. Departmental leaders head specific departments while the overall leaders are in charge of the whole organization (Hamm 2012). An inevitable event that occurs in any organization is a change. Change happens on a frequent basis in all organizational sectors. It is therefore the mandate of leaders to make these change initiatives tangible rather than abstract and awaken enthusiasm and ownership of the proposed changes within the corporate milieu. For leaders to qualify as effective and efficient in change management, they should possess dazzling social intelligence, a zest for this change and an exceptional vision. These qualities are what give rise to the six types of leadership according to Dr. Harry Carter (2007). Carter categorizes types of leadership in the fire service into charismatic, situational, contingency, citizen, servant and transformation leadership styles. These styles of leadership also apply to other general organizations. This is because the leadership skill and ability is inherent to individuals regardless of the nature of the people who they lead. Leaders are those individuals in charge of an organization. An organization could be defined as a group of people working towards a specific objective. It therefore follows that leaders lead more than a single person. Without that leader figure being effective, the operations of the whole organization may be drawn to a standstill (Chan 2012). Carter refers to leadership as the oil that lubricates the operational machine. One of the factors that trigger the operations is constant change in the organization. A leader therefore has to embrace the changes, make the other stake holders in the organization to embrace the change too and therefore execute it efficiently. Carter’s categorization of leadership styles leads to the qualities of a good leader. Good leadership is evaluated both in terms of the motivation of those who are led and the effectiveness of the co-ordination and interface with those to whom the leaders report. These activities occur in a continuous cycle. The leader therefore has to have the stamina and patience to navigate these cycles time and again. Other qualities that leaders must possess that give rise to the six types of leadership are: I. Charisma II. Team player III. Outgoing IV. Flexible V. Humble VI. Authoritative These are the six principle qualities of a good and effective leader. Leaders who possess these six qualities and use them to exercise their leadership mandate result in an organization that is effective in production and runs smoothly. We shall look at each of the six qualities and how they affect the overall operation and functioning of organizations. We shall also look at how these qualities are used by Dr. Harry Carter to develop the six types of leadership style. This is because any individual leadership style is based on the leader’s qualities. Afterwards, we will look at the potential barriers to realizing these kinds of qualities in leaders. Charisma in Leadership Charisma has been defined as the ability to communicate to one’s followers in a deep emotional level (Kim 2004). Charismatic leaders are those who articulate a compelling or captivating vision, and are able to arouse strong emotions in the ones they lead. This is definitely one quality that does not come easy for leaders. Charismatic leadership requires a detailed process of interaction between the leader and those they lead. It needs for the organizational members to identify with their leader. It is in situations such as crises that a leader’s charisma is really put to the test. The emphasis is nevertheless put on how they communicate with their subjects. Charisma also entails the leader’s ability to gain his subject’s trust and confidence (Mobley 2012). It calls for a leader to have influence on his followers and the ability to persuade them to follow the example that the leaders have set. Dr. Carter points out various criteria that are used to identify charismatic leaders especially in the fire service. The same features, however, of a charismatic leader are applicable to any organizational setting. Charismatic leadership calls for envisioning, energizing and enabling (Philips & Julien 2005). Envisioning is a fundamental quality required of any charismatic leader if the organization has to be kept at par. Visions entail what the leader wants to accomplish individually or as an organization within a set period. It still doesn’t end there. If there lacks the energy and drive to put the vision into perspective and get it going, it is as well as useless. It is on the charismatic leader’s shoulder, therefore, to exude an enthusiasm that inspires other people around them to join them in pursuit of their vision (Carter, 2007). The last part of the bargain is where a leader’s charisma is really put to practice. A leader has, at this stage, to enable the vision. Enabling any vision calls for wisdom. The leader should also have the capability to assign the best personnel to take up the task of operationalizing the vision. A leader would not be able to pull this without the necessary charisma. It calls for the understanding of every individual’s ability in order to determine the best fit for the task. These three steps that are the fundamental basis of charismatic leadership require a strong leader. Strength of a leader is measured in terms of their ability to counter setbacks. The leader will then need to have the actual vision that needs to be achieved. Research has proved that non-visionary leaders account for the failure of many organizations. The last requirement is of the leader to be able to give energy to the group. Achieving target objectives is not an easy fit. It calls for teamwork, commitment and hard work. The group therefore needs to be energized in order to achieve the set objectives. Charismatic leadership, however, encounters very many barriers. This barriers stem from the fact that the leader is at a higher position compared to the rest of the group. The tendency to feel intimidated will therefore be nigh in the group even as much as their leader tries to bond with them. They also feel alienated by the virtue of ranks are tenure disparities (Briggs 2013). There also are very tight schedules that rob leaders of their precious time to communicate with their followers on an emotional level. It therefore calls for charismatic leaders to try as much as possible in breaching the gap between them and their followers. This could be achieved through optimism and a sense of humor even when in very serious crises. Team Playing In Leadership The ability of a leader to rationally and consciously think about the impact of small and big decisions on everyone in an organization constitutes team playing. This is what Dr. Carter puts in the perspective of situational leadership. It is more of an accountability mechanism. A leader who is a team player accounts both for what is said and what is not said. It lies in the leader’s ability to understand and read the readiness of their followers in any given situations. Team playing also constitutes a leader’s ability to play on another team with the agreed upon rules. This puts the idea of flexibility into context. There should be a great deal of daily interaction between the leader and followers to cultivate the appropriate atmosphere for readiness when the day comes to act (Carter 2007). It is the mandate of the leader to endeavor to make each participant regard themselves as part of a collective effort and not to be working in isolation. This also calls for the leader’s ability to delegate duties diligently and with caution. When a leader works in a team environment, an atmosphere of mutual respect, accountability and support is created. The leader should focus on the relation between them and their followers while in the team setting. This will enable them to deduce their weaknesses as team players and get working on them. The delegation aspect of team playing, on the other hand, requires that a leader has an understanding of the role of each follower and their own role in creating effective followers (Arvey & Rotundo 2006). There also needs to be a strong communication framework established between the leader and the subordinates. This will bind any follower to create the greatest impact for all situations encountered. The aspect of team playing as a leader, however, is not a walk in the park. Barriers to team playing in leadership are drawn by the leaders prioritizing their personal interests than work. Selfishness and egocentrism is a recipe for failure of any organization. The leaders might also not be clear about the team’s roles and responsibilities of each participant. This creates discordant teams which will ultimately lead to failure. Effective team playing leaders should also communicate and discuss with the team frequently (Stodgil 2006). This gives them an insight of what could be happening beyond their scope. The leaders then instill a sense of discipline and punctuality in the team members. All these, however, begin right from the leaders themselves. Outgoingness in Leadership Outgoingness in leadership has got to do with the personality of a leader. This refers to how extroverted or introverted a leader is. The trait of being extroverted is relative. Still, it has been measured on a percentage scale by an American research group, Loner Wolf. The scale of being extroverted on a percentage basis has then been presented as follows: Effective leadership definitely calls for extroverted individuals. It should, however, be moderated just like any other personality trait in leadership should. Typically, any leader has a lot of people they must talk to. They are sought after to clarify issues, receive complaints and pass information. The leader will have to understand the demand of all tasks at hand. All channels of communication then need to be open for continuous flow of information. This type of leadership, referred to as contingency leadership by Dr. Carter, increases the morale and psychological well-being of the individual work units. Regular communication between leaders and followers gives the latter a sense of satisfaction derived from their work. This is because communication with a leader will, most probably, involve approval for work well done. The leader will then induce the spirit of competition with the motive of strengthening teams and show a genuine concern for each individual. Outgoingness in leaders also encounter a number of barriers. Among them is a tendency by their followers to regard them as not serious. The result of such a notion is a spirit of complacency among members of the team (Arvey & Rotundo 2006). It therefore lies on the shoulder of an outgoing leader to show their serious side while at the same time, being outgoing and extroverted. The leaders’ ability to work hard is exuded and they earn the full respect and admiration of their followers. However, it does not mean that the leader should become all fuzzy and avoid light-hearted conversations. Contingency and hard work goes a long way in yielding productive organizational results. Flexibility of Leaders Often, leaders have to handle unexpected situations. The organizational setting is the most dynamic one. It will therefore not help for a leader to remain rigid to particular mindsets and way of doing things. Instead, flexibility and ability to adopt new ideas and methods faster go a long way in ensuring tremendous success in any organization. Different problems arise too in organizations and the nature of the problems changes every day. Effective leaders should therefore be flexible in adopting a new problem solving skills. This also calls for creativity on their part. Problems have to be solved in a series of steps shown in the table below. Leaders ought to be flexible enough to adopt the models in suiting the new problems that may arise in organizations. Flexibilty among leaders also prompts their followers to become flexible. Leaders, therefore, need to treat all their followers equally and make sure all the decisions are made. This will be achieved by creation of total transparency between the leader and the surbodinates. Communication channels should be kept open and leader should be open to developing goals and visions. Very flexible leaders also encounter challenges. These are barriers to effective, flexible leadership. These barriers include rigid members. Change is a process that involves all the team members in an organization (Fullan 2004). Conservative members tend to want to maintain the status quo. This inhibits the leaders efforts to exude flexibility and embrace positive change. Humility in Leadership No virtue has been encouraged for those in leadership positions over the history like humility. Dr. Carter calls this servant leadership. Leadership need, at times, to come down to the level of their subordinates and get a feel of operating at the lower cadres. Leaders need to take positive criticism and adopt suggestions from the lower staff. In essence, every individual in an organization should be valued for their ability to make valuable contributions to the organization. Discrimination and contempt have destructors of major prolific organizations in the world’s history. Proud leaders who lack the enthusiasm and authencity required of them in delivery lower the morales of the workers (Whelenan 2007). They result in demotivation of the lower staff who start to feel useless and looked down upon. The contary is a humble leader who is always present and accepts corrections and suggestions. The latter are types of leaders who spearhead their various organizations to greater heights of achievement. Barriers to this kind of servant leadership stem from the need to satisfy self interests other than having the needs of the whole organization at heart. Greed and egocentrism inhibit servant leadership and demoralizes the lower staff who feel they are being taken advantage of. All leaders therefore need to strive for effective servant leadership. Authoritative Leadership The final quality required of leaders in managing change is to be authoritative and take control of all affairs. Authority is a daunting task that calls for exceptional confidence and commitment to the undertaking at hand. Authoritative leaders also own the power to give orders and guidance to those being led (Depaul 2013). Failure by the followers to go by the guidelines should be met with correction and even a form of punishment in extreme cases. Authoritative leadership transforms the organization and steers it to even higher levels of achievement. Followers who are aware of an authoritative leader will not show any tendency to lag behind. Instead, there is a concerted effort to meet deadlines and deliver quality. These kinds of leaders set objectives and plans, then create orders that will see these objectives being realized (Carter 2007). There therefore needs to be a greater understanding of the organization’s needs then creation of an environment wherein these needs will be satisfied fully. Such authoritative leaders in the end inspire loyalty and drive forward positive changes. Barriers to transformational leadership include organizational customs and expertise of the followers. Some customs that were long established and embraced by organizations limit the actions of its leaders. Unexperienced or unqualified surbodinates are also a great hindrance to steering positive change and exercising authority. Conclusion In conclusion, to be a leader and manage change effectively is quite a daunting task that requires a great deal of effort. Leaders need to have the necessary charisma, flexibilty and authority. They also need to be humble, outgoing and team players. These qualities when exercised effectively will work perfectly in managing change alongside the concerted efforts to overcome the barriers that come with them. References Arver, R & Rotundo, M 2006, The Determinants of Leadership Role Occupancy:Genetic and Personality Factors. The Leadership Quarterly,17,pp.1-20 Briiggs, M 2013, Change Management, viewed 26thApril 2014 from http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/change/management2.html Carter, 2007, Approaches to leadership: The application of theory of development of fire Service Specific Leadership Style, Journal of Management and Leadership, Vol.1. No.1, p. 28- 37, ISSN 1554-3439. Viewed 26th April 2014 from http://fpp.ifsjlm.org/Pasts%20Edition%20PDFS/IFSJLM%20Vol1_Num1.pdf#page=30 Chan, C 2012, Leadership at the Crossroads, New York, ABC-CLIO. ISBBN 027599760X. Depaul University2013, Leadership and Change Management, viewed 26thApril 2014 from http://www.depaul.edu/leadership-and-change-management Fullan, M 2004, Leading in a Culture of Change, New York, Jossey-Bass. Hamm, H 2012, Change Management vs Change Leadership, viewed 26thApril 2014 from http://www.forbes.com/change-management-vs-change-leadership Kim, W 2004, Tipping Point Leadership, Harvard Business School Publishing Company Mobley, W 2012, Advances in agalobal Leadership, New York, Emerald Group Publishing Philips & Julien, R 2005, Enhancing the Effectiveness of Organizational Change Management, Human Resource Management, 22(1-2), p. 183-199. Stogdil, R 2006, Personal Factors Associated with Leadership: A Survey of the Literature, Journal of Psychology, 25, p. 35-71. Whelenan, S 2007, Capturing a Moving Target: Change Management, Consultant News. Read More