Terry Gau Case Study

Fairest, J. (2014). Leading employees through major organizational change. Ivey Business Journal Online, , 1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1556018438?accountid=12085

& Alban-Metcalfe, J. 2001) asserts that transformational leadership is an approach that causes change in individuals and social systems. The manager and his team, together with the marketing department of Toyota are going o conduct a research and learn of the significance of the breath analyser in the cars. People are going to move away from the stereotype that they can drive under the influence of alcohol and accept the bad effects of alcohol. The leaders in this department are going to motivate, boost morale and ensure there is great productivity ( Wang, G., Oh, I. S., Courtright, S. H., & Colbert, A. E.

Step 4 is to communicate the Vision. When everyone in the company understands and believes in what the company stands for, it creates a sense of unity and will reduce resistance to change. Communication is the key. Training will be implemented, but if there are any additional

Transformational leaders encourage group work, as they connect each follower’s identity and self to the project and collective identity of the corporation. They are role models for other staff and this inspires them and makes them

“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)

For this reason, leaders are culpable for the perceptions of any potential alteration efforts. They should endorse the change as an occasion for employees to enhance their skills and offer guidance after implementation (Nelissen & van Sale, 2009). Not to mention if every meeting begins with communicating the vision of the company, it can advance ownership and pride that will lead to success.

Strong leadership is needed during times of change. For the proposed change to be successful, a clear vision of the proposed change needs to be

I was one of the few employees that were willing to ride the waves and give the new changes time to develop and work themselves out. The leadership could have avoided falling into the same trap of employee turn over, if they had put the effort to provide the necessary support during the stages of change and refreezing. (Nahavandi, p. 284)

One strength good leaders bring is to switch their leadership styles depending on the situation (Darling & Heller, 2012). This is like situational leadership and it is important in organizational change as well. Situational Leadership is a model designed by Dr. Paul Hershey in the 1960s which focuses on how managers can develop competencies to diagnose, adapt, communicate, and advance the situation they are in (The Center for Leadership Studies, n.d.). Hershey stresses the importance of relationship of the approach of the leader and the readiness of the followers for a specific task (The Center for Leadership Studies, n.d.). This is the same as a change manager. Although dominant forces are often the initial go-to for change managers, good change managers must assess the situation and apply the needed ideal change manager to the situation. Because of this, regardless of the dominant change manager, it behooves an effective organizational leader to understand the different images of change and how they can influence a change’s successful

A useful model when looking at different approaches to change is Tannenbaum and Schmidt’s (1958, cited in Leatherbarrow et al, 2010, p414) Continuum of Leadership. This model explains a scale of various levels of delegated freedom and the subsequent effect on the employees. It details ‘telling’ where the manager decides and announces the decision, ‘selling’ where the manager decides and then sells the decision to the group, ‘consulting’ where the manager presents the problem and asks for suggestions before making a decision, and finally ‘joining’ where staff are involved in all stages of the decision making process. The model argues that ‘joining’ is the key to implementing change successfully as when employees are part of the change they are more likely to engage with it in a positive way. At E.ON the change

John Kotter, a leading advocate and educator in change initiatives, expresses two essential characteristics that must be present in any change initiative. First, any change that is considered to be useful and necessary must go through a multi-step process that will transcend obstacles in its way. Second, it is essential that any change initiative must be lead by effective leadership (Kotter, 1996). However, any leader in a change initiate must reconcile the reality that a major component to mankind’s instinctive nature is that people have an inherent need for predictability and order (Hogan, 2007). Leaders must, therefore, consider that initiatives may be experienced in ways that contradict this basic need leading to employee resistance (Bernerth, 2011). Considering such a potential obstacle, Kotter developed an eight-stage change process to guide organizations through initiatives in ways that may retain employee stability and enable employees to maintain a sense of identity and understanding (Huy, 1999).

Change that is frequently unanticipated and is forced on the organization. In a research conduted by Helfat, C. E., Finkelstein, S., Mitchell, W., Peteraf, M., Singh, H., Teece, D., & Winter, S. G. (2009). Modifications in government and alterations in the economy can occur on the spur of the moment. Responsiveness to sudden change requires sacrifices made by the employees for the benefit of the organization. Both arranged and unplanned types of progress in organizations require leaders to be well-equipped to adjust accordingly.

This was highlighted by my evolution from a ‘directive’ leader to a ‘participative’ leader. Due to the changing situation, I found that I naturally adapted my leadership style. This was because of changes in the environment and followers themselves, reflective of the path-goal theory (Robbins et al. 2015, p. 347). For example, the environment shifted from a virtual to physical medium and the follower’s attitude changed from disinterested to engaged. As a result, I shifted my leadership style to match this. Now that I am aware of the impact these internal and external factors have, I will actively try and influence them in the future to achieve the optimal

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.

In order to move forward and keep ahead, I believe an organization need change leaders who have capabilities to have their workforce go from change avoidance to change acceptance. “One of the most significant strengths of an effective leader is the ability to create a positive work climate where people are energized to do their best work, free of unnecessary distractions” (Cronkite, n.d.). During this part of the change process I feel the change leader would have better success if he would be tactful and harness the skills of others by working in a collaborative rather than hierarchical way. Leadership in an organization involves instilling motivation and enthusiasm in the employees. An effective leader knows how to manage and tackle difficult situations and people. Many reasons can cause a force of change in organizations but I feel it’s up to change leaders to manage these planned and unexpected changes. (Word count: 548)