A631.5.4.RB – Leading System Wide Change
No Respect for “Status-Quo”
It is not
a surprise or secret how difficult it is for a leader to grow into an
individual with the sufficient skills to lead a system-wide change effectively.
There are so many obstacles that will always try to be on the way and interrupt
the progress. And only a few, very few, will defied the odds and will push
forward into the impossible. One of the greatest examples that tried to over
come those difficult times and failed and then succeed again after many
attempts is Mr. Steve Jobs. He truly wanted to be unique in every single way
possible. His ambition pushed others into striving for the impossible.
Nevertheless, his strict demanding persona pushed others to hate him and even
have his on company fired him.
A successful
leader can transmit many different things, but a successful organization is
ultimately linked to monetary performance. The level of impact coming from a
person can determine leadership. Impact is the amount of change coming from an
influence. In this case a leader can be measured by the amount of change that
happens in an organization. Without change, what is the benefit of a good
leader? Therefore, leaders may climb to their positions during periods of poor
performance. Striking out in new ways, a bold leader may make a good name for
themselves and provide many good reasons why they are the leader, but the
application of change management in a struggle is significantly different than
using an organizational intervention to improve efficiencies.
Changes
in a learning organization, for example, are constantly occurring as the
organization constantly observes and corrects where it lacked good performance.
Also predicting where problems can possibly arise, learning organizations
improve where it is not apparently necessary. In cases where a major struggle
is not apparent, bold leadership means implementing change processes when they
are not obviously needed. A good sign of leadership also means conducting
surveys and providing feedback. Constant evaluation allows for problems below
the surface to become apparent where something can be done about it. This means
assessing the state of the organization, policies and procedures, job
satisfaction and morale, and problems that hinder people from doing their jobs
and satisfying customers (Brown, 2011, p. 374).
Reengineering
is a change process implemented system-wide and involves radical change to
processes that hinder top performance. This is a behavior and change process
that can be easier to come to bold leadership. It is, knowing when to use the
appropriate intervention that counts. Rensis Likert provides that a leader can
use a system of survey questionnaires to identify the type of leadership in the
organization (Brown, 2011, p. 380). Working toward empowered employees in the
organization improves their effectively.
As the
apple commercial mentioned, those who are misfit and different, the outcastes;
those are the true leaders. Those who have “no respect for status quo” (1997).
In order to proceed with change processes, one must be fearless. The leader who
is in the constant lookout for the next new “thing” or innovation will find him
or her self turning the impossible into something very possible. Paul Arnold
(2015) suggested that, “To be effective, organizational change must be able to
genuinely transform the business. Yet in the relentless search for new
techniques to revolutionize the way things are done, and in the haste to manage
technological discontinuities, many organizations fail to adequately develop,
communicate and execute their vision for the change” (para. 10). Leading system
wide changes it’s not about knowing what to do in every situation, but knowing that
working a as team would lead to better successes as a whole.
References
Apple - Think Different (1997) (YouTube). Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmwXdGm89Tk
Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to
organization development (8th edition.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall.
Arnold, P. (2015) "Evidence
and leading indicators of change success", Strategic Direction, Vol.
31 Iss: 10, pp.1 – 5 DOI http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/10.1108/SD-08-2015-0128
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