Reflections On The Role Of Leadership In Managing Organizational Change

My personal Managing Change Philosophy

Discuss about the Reflections On The Role Of Leadership In Managing Organizational Change.

I have come to learn change management with a positively biased perspective having not been a victim of a huge organizational change and solely experiencing people who were influenced by changing assuming control of their individual destinations by accepting willingly voluntary redundancy. I needed to study more regarding the change management practices and theories with particular emphasis on leadership role in managing change as I little if not no experience in this field.

Reflecting on the approaches and practices taught and learned in this module which buttress organizational change and the need for effective collaborative and shared leadership, my personal change management philosophy hinges on the theory which acknowledges dominant pictures of managing change- Controlling (interpreter; director, and navigator); and Shaping (caretaker; coach; alongside nurturer).

Different viewpoints about change management stayed presented during the course of my change management learning experience that I decided whether to reject or accept. This remained a significant process in assisting me with my validation of my individual beliefs and has since impacted my personal change management philosophy.

I recognize, through this paper, my personal experience working at Organization Y as a key influence on my viewpoint of change management. I have further derived motivation and inspiration from guest tutors that shared identical perceptions to my personal philosophy. The case study event has further been a core learning experience for me that affirmed the significance of leadership in change management process in producing the positive results for the organization via the encouragement and motivation of change management team and the organization staff as a whole to embrace change.

From my personal experience as outlined in the “case study” section in this paper, successful inspiration and motivation of team stood significant in propelling effective change. Another fundamental influence source was module, “Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring” where I gathered all-inclusive feedback regarding myself to coat a Best Self-image of my leadership prospective. Such a replicated best self-image activity assisted me in the recognition of my ability to lead as well as mentor my change management team and to get most out of the team.

I prefer “shaping” organizational change to accomplish “intended” results, with a priority toward “coaching’ picture, stood the utmost efficient image for change management based on my subjective change management philosophy in the course of this duration. Such a viewpoint has remained reinforced over this session, however, I further come to assent that potential for embracing the “director” image exist to guarantee knowledge of results. I hold a belief that, in doing so, “director” calls for the balance of “coach” image to guarantee a lasting benefit for each stakeholder (Cummings and Worley 2014).   

My Managing Change Philosophy Influences

During my entire course of managing change studies, a number of source of influence have buttressed my personal philosophy. I use the subsequent sub-sections to break these sources down:

Organization Y takes the center stage when it comes to my personal experiences whereby a firm emphasis is put on the workers’ development alongside populace leadership. Organization Y’s Chief Executive Officer has embraced a “coach” style of management whereby he is shaping leaders to accomplish preferred results of the organization. My perspective has undoubtedly been shaped as result of working in this organization in the last five years having observed a range of positive outcomes from managing through shaping alongside “enhancing capabilities of individuals within the organization’ via a shared/participative style of leadership and management.

My personal experience from working at Organization Y led me in documenting the latest massive organizational change for a case study. It has become proof that my perceptions about the significance of leaders in shaping managing change process is fundamentally dictated by my exposure to practices of change management at Organization Y. The change management journey is analyzed in the case study from marketing organization to the sales organization and presented identical circumstances to managing change theory along the way.

A novel leader (Victor) with an undoubted strategic capabilities was appointed in the Organization Y internally to deliver the desired organizational outcome designed by the CEO. This was identical Nunes and Breene’s (2011 p. 85) finding in their high-performing organizations’ study that initial inoculation of novel leadership is core to building capabilities essential for growth. Higgs and Rowland (2005 p. 126) similarly backed the leaders’ role in the process of change management by arguing that it can influence fundamentally on the change’s success.

They further added that the mindsets and beliefs of leaders have proved to influence orientation choices as well as approaches to problem-solving. This case study further demonstrated a positive influence on the process of managing change where change is adopted by everyone. Instead of evading change, high performing organizations recognize when change is inevitable to keep pace with times. They also tend to “rethink their strategies as well as reinvent their models of operation long before incapacitating stalls ensure.

The approach assumed by Organization Y for change management encompassed putting emphasis on organization edges alongside market; reshuffling executive team; and retention/maintenance of surplus talent with capacity for growth of novel businesses. I observed, as a worker in the Organization Y, substantial organizational growth within a short duration. The sales staff for instance, grew from 16 to 30 personnel within a single year. This organizational change influenced positively on the culture of Organization Y, its staff as well as level of inspiration or motivation of each staff.

Personal Experience

Albeit Victor embraced the “director” image- change manager image of control with change outcomes being accomplishable that never reinforced my personal philosophy, Victor acknowledged that successful inspiration and motivation of the change management team would effectively work in propelling change. This stood identical to idea of Kotter (2011 p. 93) on good leaders: “because change remains a function of leadership” ability to successfully inspire or motivate team remains imperative to thrive barriers.

Reflecting back, were this change not been a strategy for growth and needed restructuring leading to employment loss, it is of extreme possibility that my personal perspective would have been adversely impacted. Organization Y’s case thus presented me with an opportunity to view a “director” image differently. I subsequently acknowledged that “director” image is never always about people control and that a “director” lens is able to bring fundamental benefits to the process of managing change via its planned approach and focus (Hayes 2014).

The guest tutor (Mr. Smith) challenged my perspective of change management a great deal. He shared his experiences as the consultant working on M&A as change management consultant. From his shared experienced, it remained clear to me that his practices and process were totally deprived of both human dignity and human element. Surely, it was my truth moment when I acknowledged the unforgiving realism of certain huge organizational change aftermaths. I subsequently interrogated whether I was able to be an agent of change heading the organizational change which might culminate in “removal of barriers to change. Surprisingly, I am definitely barred by my moral conscious to some degree.

A second guest tutor, on the contrary, Mr. Rolf painted a comprehensive humanistic image. Rolf argued that the “director” image is never an efficient strategy when managing change. Rather, “shaping” images of management including the “Nurturer” stood out. Rolf alluded to the philosophy that Semco Group has embrace in which active employment engagement and participation are the driving forces to successful change management. Rolf further referenced the 14 points for management highlighted by Deming to buttress his personal perspective that criticizes the “director” image.

I greatly learned from Rolf as his perspective reflected my personal philosophy of managing change. Rolf’s contribution was a reassurance as I heard him validating alternatives to “director” image approach and that “removal of barriers” is never always the appealing solution. From this learning experience, I saw a further relevance on the Rylatt (2010) quotation that held that a true leader is when a person exits the room their impacts still stays in the room.

Case Study: Organization Y Change Management

I simultaneously undertook change management and “leadership; coaching and mentoring”. The MBA studies surely had unwavering influence on my philosophy (personal) from standpoint of being a leader who is morally accountable. I was challenged to assume bravery to query the status quo. It was evident from our last session that large-scale layoff were never efficient except the survival of the organization remains at risk many options to redundancies exist. This additionally buttressed my philosophy of change management (Burke 2017).

Albeit I recognized that not each change management initiatives leads to lay off, my assumptions of massive organizational change remain that it characteristically encompass M&A were layoff seem to be solution of a great deal of CEO and board of directors (BOD). This was further affirmed by several “group poster presentations” we held in the 12^th week of change management classes that reported layoff in massive organizational change case studies.

The “Reflected Best Self” event was another fundamental opportunity that focused on Leadership; Coaching; and Mentoring”. It greatly contributed towards my personal perspective pf change management as it assisted me in identifying my leadership capabilities alongside my leadership style. I unraveled that in working with the change management team, I tended to make individuals feel increasingly valued, supported as well as being at ease via my shared and collaborative leadership style (Kuipers, Higgs, Kickert, Tummers, Grandia, and Van der Voet 2014). I always engage full my team in the entire process of decision making as well as putting great significance on the development of my fellow team members both personally and professionally.

I remained humbled by the realization that my team members acknowledged that I made the development of the team my top notch preference and that I genuinely cared for each member of my team. Against this backdrop, I have since related these qualities to the “management “coaching” style.

I have read a range of texts and articles on change management as integral part of my study for the case study. This has since backed my personal perspective on the significance of leaders in outcome shaping with respect to massive change initiatives. Scholars like Higgs and Rowland (2005 p. 126) argued that the mindset and beliefs of a leader shall impact their strategies and approaches to change and its effective implementation (Cameron and Green 2015).

Theorist including Kotter, Tushman and Nadler have argued that key to successful change management implementation is the central role played by leaders. I have as well drawn motivation and inspiration from such humanistic change management theories outlined in Graetz and Smith (2010 p. 138)  that have clearly illustrated a desire amongst the leaders of the organization to query the status quo, surge risk-taking as well as ingenuity; and eliminate restrictions via effective information sharing and collaborative management teamwork (Benn, Dunphy and Griffiths 2014).

Guest Tutor

Based on the implemented change management in Organization Y, I have since concluded the case study acknowledging that change management is most efficient with image of change management images. As a “coach” in this case, the CEO derived the best in change agent that embraced a “director” image approach to managing change to accomplish desire results. The “coaching” management style has positively impacted others during the course of professional working experience that I intend to uphold (Goetsch and Davis 2014). I recognized that a “director” image is useful in propelling massive organizational change. If I were in the Chief Executive Office’s place, I might recruit somebody with required competencies to accomplish success.

Conclusion

My change management philosophy emphasizes managing change images bases that acknowledged 2 images of management (shaping against controlling) alongside 3 images of change results (intended, unintended and partially intended). I am a believer in intended change results for propelling change, with personal priority towards “shaping” tasks utilizing “coaching” image to guarantee human-dignity respect.

I recognize that “director” image could as well propel success change results, however, it must be balanced with “coach” image to impact positive change outcomes for lasting gain of the organization and staff (Bolman and Deal 2017). I have not shifted my perspective over the course but various influential learning experience have reinforced my belief in “responsible” change management practice. I will always uphold shared and collaborative people-oriented management and leadership approach and draw lesson gained from a range of experiences to guarantee successful change for everyone.   

References   

Benn, S., Dunphy, D. and Griffiths, A., 2014. Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge.

Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

Burke, W.W., 2017. Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.

Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.

Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014. Organization development and change. Cengage learning.

Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.

Graetz, F. and Smith, A.C., 2010. Managing organizational change: A philosophies of change approach. Journal of change management, 10(2), pp.135-154.

Hayes, J., 2014. The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan.

Higgs, M. and Rowland, D., 2005. All changes great and small: Exploring approaches to change and its leadership. Journal of change management, 5(2), pp.121-151.

Kotter, J. 2001, “What Leaders Really Do”, Harvard Business Review, December 2001, pp 85-96.

Kuipers, B.S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J. and Van der Voet, J., 2014. The management of change in public organizations: A literature review. Public Administration, 92(1), pp.1-20.

Rylatt, A. 2010, ‘Week 6 guest lecture’, UTS.