Leading Managing 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.

Real change leaders are not found among the top executives within an organization. Although, top executives participation is important to change within an organization, the real change leaders are middle and frontline managers, and he or she influence how the majority of people perform within the company. "The most difficult aspect of major change has little to do with getting the right concept, core process redesign, or even a team at the top. Major change lies in changing the people system – the skills and behavior of hundreds of employees down the line. Major change relies

Step 2 is forming a powerful guiding coalition. Leadership will have to be on board and on the same page in regards to the change. Kotter and Cohen reveal the core problems people face when leading change. Their main findings are that the central issue concerns not structure or systems but behavior and how to alter it (Farris, 2008). The success of the changes will depend on the ability of the managers to show their commitment to change and motivate the employees to do the same. Without any process to track the implementation, the change can also fail.

There are many metaphors for change. I had been challenged one time at my church gathering to view change as a journey, from one place to another. It is easier to focus on where the journey started, and finally where it ended and forget any lessons learned while travelling. I have often heard it said, “When one door closes, another one opens”. What they don’t tell you, is that between the closed door and the open one is a long dark hallway. I think whether in an organization or in my personal life, change can feel like stumbling around in the dark. The familiar is left behind, and we venture into the unfamiliar. I believe the biggest challenge is not getting lost on this

The environment of an individual including culture of the company, management style, level of stress at work, etc…are also very important factors.

This book presents an array of practical procedures which can assist the prudent practitioner in preparing for change and how to handle all of the up’s and downs which accompany change. The two strengths in this book revolves around asking the right diagnostic questions which pave the way for change and the many characteristic of leaders who lead.

Organizational readiness for change is subject to theoretical development and can be extensive. Strategies for creating change come in a various types and promising approaches to deliver forms of change that affect decision making, work flow, staffing, communication and collective behaviors (Metcalf and Benn, 2013). According to Metcalf and Benn (2013) when readiness for change is high, employees show persistence, give more effort and are cooperative the end result is more effective. Environmental changes can be a threat when organization cannot learn to adapt or have the knowledge to stay impartial with operations. Strategies need to be constant with change and adapting to continuous changes

The watching of the videos “The Principal Story” and “North Grand” in combination with reading the textbook “Leading in a Culture of Change” by Michael Fullan and our class discussions have provided me with many insights about my future as a high school principal. I have served as a mathematics teacher for almost twenty-three years and have served in many leadership roles throughout my career, however my participation in this course has verified that, although I have a strong foundation of knowledge, I still have much to learn about leading a school. I am coming to understand the position of principal is a monumental task and should be entered with into with much thought. Holding this role as principal requires that I use this position to

In this assignment, leadership will be defined and analysed, then explore different approaches and traits to leadership and its importance in the context of Social housing specifically referencing Cardiff community Housing Associations as case study and then summarise with conclusion.

Goggin and Mitchell (2010) states that “Comparing the various definitions of innovation, it can be seen that there are several common elements what is changed (such as product or process changes); how much is changed (whether it is completely new or only perceived as such); the source of the change (sometimes technology); the influence of the change (for example, its social or commercial value)”

Leading and managing change require a solid theoretical foundation. This assignment will research the theoretical elements of change and change management. Addressed will be the following: Organic Evolution of Change, Formulating Strategic Development Approaches, Leadership and Management Skills and Gathering and Analyze Data. As societies continue to evolve and changing demand creates the need for new products and services, businesses often are forced to make changes to stay competitive. The businesses that continue to survive and even thrive are usually the ones that most readily adapt to change. A variety of factors can cause a business to reevaluate its methods of operation. According to literature from the past two

Trait theories were first of the four most common leadership theories. The foundation of trait theory is; leaders are born with the innate ability to lead. In essence, leadership traits are inherent in the genetic makeup of an individual and are natural, not learned predispositions. On the contrary, current research has found leadership traits to be external behaviors emerging from development of cognitive discipline and knowledge growth.

[4] Kotter International. (n.d.). The 8-Step Process for Leading Change. Retrieved January 2013, from Kotter International: http://www.kotterinternational.com/ourprinciples/ changesteps/changesteps

Change is a double-edged sword (Fullan, 2001). Change is a word that might inspire or put fear into people. Leadership is challenging when it comes to dealing with change and how individuals react within the organization to the change. Marzano, McNulty, and Waters (2005) discuss two orders of change in their book School Leadership that Works; first and second. Fullan (2001) also adds to the discussion in his book Leading in a Culture of Change, with regard to understanding change. In Change Leadership, Keagan and Wagner (2006) discuss many factors of change and the systematic approach to change. Change affects people in different ways. Leaders need to be able to respond to the individuals throughout the change process.

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.