Features of Effective Change Leadership (Research Paper Sample)

Features of Effective Change Leadership
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Features of effective change leadership and justification of their effectiveness
Literature and case studies have provided several features of effective change leadership with the resulting impact of their implementation (Change First, 2011). Conversely to what various scholars deem, change leadership is an organizational aptitude that can be gauged within a firm and enhanced ultimately. From a definitional perspective, "Effective change leadership happens when leaders of change provide direction, guidance and support to the people who are implementing the change.... as well as those having to adapt to change" (Change First, 2011, p.1 ). According to Marsee (2002) such features of effective change leadership include but not limited to embracing change, protecting agents of change, minimizing resistance, problem definition, aligning style of leadership with organizational culture, assigning obligations to individuals(engaging people), Creating a sense of urgency among others. This part will only focus on resistance minimization, change embracement, and protection the agents of change, plus their resultant significance.
* Embracing change
In his journal, Marsee (2012) stipulates three approaches that can be engaged while effecting change leadership namely:
Technical: splitting down the change into a chain of efficient tasks and results. Typically, most leaders particularly in the military context exhibit autocracy or dictatorship, aggressiveness, and ignorance while attending their subordinates. Such characters would sooner than later lead to long-term resentments and pitfalls. Therefore, embracing change in organizations characterized with dictatorship of leaders would bring new dawn to the leadership.
(1) Emotional: this type of change should equip the leaders with capability to appeal to the minds and hearts of the workforce, without the necessity for an apposite structure to the invention. A wide range of leaders tend to enact changes within the force prior consulting other stakeholders and concerned bodies, which later result to dangerous consequences. When embraced, effective change leadership will tend to lead the entire team force through the whole process, leaving everyone satisfied.
(2) Bolt-on: this entails situation where agents of change are anticipated to perceive through a change ahead of their normal job. Marsee (2012) quotes a previous research by HRM Society which depicts the high level of resources deficiency while handling change. Therefore, in this perspective leaders practicing change leadership are mandated to consider putting financial inducements in place to remunerate change adoption, and adequate time should be set aside for that. Prevalent significance includes simplicity while adopting the change by the leaders as well as the subordinates, hence resulting to a team-culture which leads to increased performance.
* Minimizing Resistance
As a leader, it is vital to comprehend that resistance can be thwarted upon matching the change process to the eagerness of the taskforce, plus endorsing strategies that engage all the stakeholders. According to Marilyn (2015) and Maj (2014) there exist extra techniques that can be engaged to minimize resistance. Through getting acquainted with change as an extremely individual experience, the leaders stand a chance of informing other team-members of the benefits accompanying change implementation and success. In order to minimize resistance, there is the urgent need to eliminate any present barriers upon identifying them. Empathy is considered a vital virtue for leaders practicing change leadership. In addition, leaders should incorporate acceptance concept, hence taking into consideration some of the other stakeholders’ proposed ideas. The significance of resistance reducer tool is that one as a leader can either consider engaging all stakeholders in the process, or can equally scheme how the participants will respond. In addition, this tool can be a non-threatening source of direct reaction from the stakeholders and members of workforce. This eventually minimizes any anticipated barriers plus equips the leader with the comprehension regarding the employees’ viewpoints.
* Protecting your agents of change
Change First (2011) defines change agents as the people who consider initiating possible actions as a way of improving the effectiveness of an organization (p.3). Such agents prosper in a background where transformation is the norm, typically placing them at odds with the upholders of the organizational culture. A wide range of leaders fail to protect such agents of chance. Therefore, it is critical to avoid the tendency of overusing agents of change, but rather protect the burnout of change agents through visibly setting change agenda, engage personal obligation while establishing change, and make it known that obstructionists will be retrenched and replaced by individuals who fully comprehend the significance of change leadership.
Role and significance of ethics in change leadership and decision making
From a personal perspective, I deem leadership being an approach which converts behavior instead of a set of distinct qualities or skills, weather acquired or innate. According to Mullane (2009), leadership and ethics go hand in hand, and ethics is the hub of leadership. The author further stipulates that the power that accompanies leadership can be employed towards good or evil doing (Mullane, 2009). Therefore, good ethics entail a significant role in promoting decision making and change leadership.
* Ethics in change leadership
For change leadership to be fully implemented and fruitful, leaders and administrators must uphold high standard ethical professionalism at all times, regardless whoever being attended to. For instance, in the military change leadership, the code of ethics within change leadership must be adhered to by the leaders in authority and disregard previous cases such as autocracy, aggressiveness, and ignorance during mandate execution. It is therefore the role of ethics to ensure that the implemented change leadership strategies are adhered to accordingly. Yukl, (2012) quotes Mullane (2009) and depicts that ethics is hub to leadership due to the temperament of the leader-followers relationship. Leaders tend to always influence their followers or subordinates, which entails how leaders would either impact their followers from a positive or negative perspective.
Hesselbein (2014) illustrates five principles that play significant roles in establishing professional ethical leadership. They include service to others, respect for others, honesty towards others, developing community with others and justice for others. Typically, these principles are highly employable in the forces. This chapter discusses two of the uttered princ...