Effective Leadership For A Positive Change Agent

“The images, metaphors, or frames that we hold, both of managing and of change, influence our ideas of what we think managing change is all about” (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2009). As people we all see through our own eyes, we call see a different perspective and have a different reaction to what is coming next. As human beings we react differently to situations. Situations of change are transitions that some are able to adapt to quickly while others have a hard time. Being the leader of that change can be difficult and helping make a change does not come easily or effectively. Keep and Newcomer (2008)

Leaders change systems, structures and policies that have not yet been confronted. They hire, promote and develop employees who can implement the vision for change. In addition, they revitalise the process with a new round of projects or change agents.(Cengage Learning AUS, 2015)

The book Influencer tells us that attempts at implementing change initiatives often fail for 3 reasons. One – fuzzy, un-compelling goals; Two – infrequent or no measures; and Three – bad measure. Some would say that experiencing this is not a privilege, however I will say that I have had the privilege to experience a management change initiative fail first hand in the recent future. Not privileged in the fact that it was a great experience to be in the middle of, however it did provide for a boundless learning environment, showing me exactly how to not go about the process if I aim to be a successful leader. In this paper I will explain the change initiative and how management failed in all three areas listed by the authors, along with one more reason I feel the initiative failed.

In today’s business world, one of the most important contributing factors to the overall success of an organization is the effectiveness of their leadership. Effective leaders carry with them a strong skill set along with a broad knowledge base gained from experience that allows them to effectively and efficiently manage change initiatives. An organization that possessing an effective leadership team is more likely to experience success, especially it comes to creating effective change. The leaders’ role is crucial during a change

Organizations must respond to their internal and external environment. Therefore, organizational success heavily relies on leaderships ability to manage change. Unfortunately, many leaders struggle to effectively lead change initiatives. In fact, Ashkenas (2013, para. 1) reported 60 – 70% of organizational change initiatives fail to meet their objectives.

Leadership is critical when executing a strategic change initiative. By differentiating leadership and management, leadership styles and the key factors of change we can better understand what should be done to successfully lead change. Success is not obtained through leadership alone but by developing a group of individuals from all levels of the organization who work together as a team. . (Leban and Stone, 2007)

“To effectively manage change, leaders have to be visibly involved and consistent in their actions and ability to hold people accountable” (Fickenscher & Bakerman, 2011, p. 67).

In addition, change is a factor within leadership in which a leader acknowledges the continuous change of the environment around them, and then adapts and develops alongside (Rodd, 2013). When change is taken into consideration by a leader and by the team they are able “develop new knowledge and ways of applying and integrating that knowledge with practice” (Rodd, 2013, p.183). Furthermore, to view change appropriately it must be flexible so it can be questioned and practiced within the team environment, where new knowledge and experiences can be learnt and shared, especially within New Zealand’s context where there are several continuous changes in early childhood services, by the way they are organised to the way they are controlled (Fasoli,

A transformative leader is a leader who can bring about influential change in others. These leaders not only transform essential change, they change the way we think and act. Transformative leaders create practices and processes in organizations proactively. In addition, transformative leaders can be found at different levels in an organization. They can hold the title ranging from supervisor to executive director. This essay primarily focuses on the challenges faced by the Training & Development (T&D) Specialist, who is capable of

Another concept that stuck to me was Change Agent. The book, Leadership for a Better World: Understanding the Social Change Model of Leadership Development by S.R. Komives and W. Wagner, defines change agent as “a person committed to a dynamic leadership process, lifelong learning, and relationships” (Komives 400). Being a change agent is very vital to me as a Residential Assistant and future leader in my community because being a leader must mean there must be a need to change. In other words, a leader must find the problem, create a thesis, and solve the problem by leading a team. In addition, it is important to me because it involves every step of the social change model. A change agent must utilize the entire social change model (Consciousness of Self, Congruence, Commitment, Collaboration etc.). Every step of the social is vital because every aspect that is include.

To be successful at organizational change, however, a change leader must use the crisis to shake up the organization. This requires that the change leader "remove sources of complacency or minimize their impact" and take actions that are "bold or even risky."

It is important to identify the characteristics, competencies and skills of change agents (CA); in order to, enhance the potential for success in the process of change. Because change is often associated with resistance and cynicism, it is crucial not to underestimate the human factor; and therefore, determine the essential prerequisites needed to be an effective CA in an organisation with a consultative culture. This essay will identify the characteristics, competencies and skills needed to be an effective CA and discuss how these can be used to strengthen the change prospects in a relational mode of agency. Learning from Schein, a CA can be known as the one or a group, who is instrumental and active in making change occur (cited Jabri, 2017). Change in its self can be difficult as it requires learning, alteration or re-arrangement that can impact our lives both inside and out of the organisation (Lotich, 2011).

The authors explain there are eight stages to implementing change successfully. First, it is important to generate motivation and the sense of importance by ensuring that everyone is on board. This was accomplished by the fear that the penguins home was sinking. Second, there must be a team that is in place and ready to lead the change. Integrity, leadership, communication, and problem solving skills are of the upmost importance for each of the team members to possess (Kotter and Rathgeber 2006).

Competitive imperatives of market forces and customer demands in today’s environment have led to the emergence of less hierarchical and more flexible organisations (Doyle, 2001). In working towards this paradigm shift, a distinction and clarification of the relationship between leadership and management in the change process needs to be addressed. According to Caldwell (2003), change leaders are executives or senior managers at the very top of the organisation who envision, initiate or sponsor strategic change of far-reaching or transformational nature by challenging the status quo, communicating a vision that employees believe in, and empowering them to act. In contrast, change managers are usually middle level managers and functional

As defined by Katzenbach (1995), change leadership is “the process whereby individuals who lead initiatives that influence dozens to hundreds of others to perform differently—and better—by applying multiple leadership and change approaches.” Leadership alone is defined as setting a direction and developing the strategies necessary to move in that direction – that is, creating and achieving a vision – leadership is thus a process to do with change (Kotter 1999). Change leadership is critically important to the continuing success of organizations everywhere. Tennant Company understands and invests in change leadership by employing a Sr. Organization Development Manager named Annelise Larson, M.B.A. whose efforts includes setting direction, developing strategies, and leading initiatives through organizational change efforts. An interview was conducted with Annelise Larson to discuss and learn about her change leadership abilities. For the purposes of this paper, the interview questions will be shared, a summary will be provided, and five recommendations are made for Annelise Larson as a change leader.