Introduction
By reflecting on my experiences of change, I have identified key change milestones in my personal and professional life. I evaluated these to understand my response to change and the concerns I experience. Based on these evaluations I sought to identify the most prominent concerns I had during my times of change.
I conducted a literature review on academic material referring to the implementation strategies of transformational change within organisations. Drawing on relevant academic theory I encountered during this research, I proposed a hybrid approach for an organisation dealing with transformational change based on the concerns that I felt were most significant.
A snapshot of the change milestones in my life
As a child,
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Although I delight in the stewardship, it has often challenged my values and perceptions.
Personal reflections on change
My response to changes in my life has largely depended on the role I have had to play in each of those changes. Relocating as a child and organisational restructuring were events that made me feel helpless and, although I had no authority over the change, I resisted. Whereas starting a new job and tackling a PDBA, although at times apprehensive, I felt empowered.
I have often felt a sense of achievement planning ahead and from successfully scheduling and implementing tasks. However change has often introduced new variables, which unsettled my sense of control and structure, particularly when the change was unexpected. Many instances of change were exacerbated because I did not trust the leadership or felt that they were incompetent. Such instances have made me feel disempowered and
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When I believed there was a purpose for the change, such as the prospect of greater things, and when I could play an active role in the decision making process, I embraced change.
My life’s lessons from the perspective of the individual and the organisation
Through my experience, I have found that communication and transparency are key elements in a change process. Although it may not ultimately impact the outcome of the change it is paramount to engage with people, to keep them informed and put them in the position to voice their concerns.
A structured plan based on a stated vision provides a strategy to approach and manage the change process. This can be an empowering tool, as individuals have purpose and motive amidst the uncertainty of change.
It is imperative to appoint a change leader or leadership team that is perceived as competent and trustworthy. Individuals must feel that they can trust the leadership to make the right decisions, even if they do not know what the outcomes will
Leaders benefit from building a team to create and implement change, this is a key theme in the Kotter model of change. This teambuilding engages employees throughout the process. Allowing employees to be a part of the change process gives them the opportunity and trust to be creative moving toward the future (Cochrane, 2002). Leaders can create opportunity for employees and leaders to dialogue about the change, which can help troubleshoot the process. Leaders who engage employees throughout the organization from various levels of the organization will receive perspectives from the entire organization helping them make better-informed decisions. Employees want to be allowed the opportunity to help an organization they believe in, in a way that enhances the
For many, change is a cause for ignorance. Most of us fear the idea of change. When one is faced to deal with c...
Bass (1990) states that transformational leadership is identified by different patterns of behavior. Firstly , transformational leadership delivers the charisma to be a leader in order to gain respect and trust. Secondly, the characteristics of a leader show efforts to change a purpose of the transformation process and to effectively communicate. Finally, transformational leadership proposes that leaders treat employees individually to show them attention and provide them coaching and advice to show that you care about your employees. However, Wang and Howell (2010) claim that transformational leadership is in every individual.This means an individual can develop their potential to enhance their abilities and skills to improve and overcome any weaknesses. In relation to group work transformational leadership helps to grow common values and beliefs, and to inspire group members to reach their group goals. In this type of situation, leaders treat equally towards members and to make them feel comfortable. However, on occasions problems occur during team work which puts a leader into a situation to overcome the condition. For example, if one of my team members has no belief in me to lead the group, my attitude towards the group and the member will change as they have shown a lack of confidence and interest in teamwork. According to Novicevic, Harvey, Buckley, Brown & Evans (2006) explains that authentic leadership is when a leader shows their individual responsibility in what they were responsible for in their organization. Novicevic, Harvey, Buckley, Brown & Evans (2006) discusses a particular style of leadership which is the matrix of executive leadership. This style of leadership occurs when a leader has lost confidence in them self. The
In today’s ever changing world people must adapt to change. If an organization wants to be successful or remain successful they must embrace change. This book helps us identify why people succeed and or fail at large scale change. A lot of companies have a problem with integrating change, The Heart of Change, outlines ways a company can integrate change. The text book Ivanceich’s Organizational Behavior and Kotter and Cohen’s The Heart of Change outlines how change can be a good thing within an organization. The Heart of Change introduces its readers to eight steps the authors feel are important in introducing a large scale organizational change. Today’s organizations have to deal with leadership change, change in the economy,
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.
The 7 Levels of Change provides a different way of thinking to enhance behaviors and processes. The author demonstrates throughout the book a seven process of change that builds upon the next. He believes that by thinking differently, being creative and stepping out of the norm is the catalyst to solutions and results beyond one’s expectations. Although the author uses the analogy of a new work environment to expound on the level of changes, the fundamentals can be used in both your personal and professional life.
Kegan, R. & L. Laskow Lahey. (2009). Immunity to Change: How to overcome it and unlock potential in yourself and your organization. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.
Change is something that is necessary for the survival of a company, but can sometimes be difficult to instate. That is what is discussed in the book A Sense of Urgency by John Kotter. The central theme of this book is leadership, and how it is required to initiate change.
Graetz, F., & Smith, A. C. T. (June 2010). Managing organizational change: A philosophies of change approach. Journal of Change Management 10(2), 135–154.
Changing situations throughout the world affect all organizations in business today. Therefore, most organizations acknowledge the need to experience change and transformation in order to survive. The key challenges companies face are due to the advancements in technology, the social environment caused by globalization, the pace of competition, and the demands regarding customer expectations. It is difficult to overcome the obstacles involved with change despite all the articles, books, and publications devoted to the topic. People are naturally resistant to fundamental changes and often intimidated by the process; the old traditional patterns and methods are no longer effective.
Throughout my live, my behavior towards change has evolved into a more mature acceptance of the inevitable. As an adolescent, I failed to contemplate the reasoning behind changes that occurred within my life. I neglected to seek the deeper meaning of why modifications were being implemented. However, as an adult, I consider the rationale and possible outcome of the change taking place. I have grown to realize that the success of each individual situation depends on the attitude it is approached it with (Blais & Hayes, 2011).
The transformation of a company requires hundreds, sometimes thousands of employees to adopt a new view of its future, a future they must regard as essential. Change management involves managing the process of achieving this future state. Change can be viewed from two vantage points, that of the people making the changes and that of the people experiencing the changes. In the top-down, or strategic viewpoint associated with management, the focus is on technical issues such as the investment required, the processes for implementing the change, how soon the change can be realized, and the outcome. In the bottom-up viewpoint of the employee, the focus is on what the change means to the ...
Adapting to change I find is worthwhile in my eyes. I can see myself grow from what I learn and see by working on myself and change the way I use to think about the word change. I’m discovering that change is good for everyone, it breaks up the normal grove that everyone is in making the discover and learn how to adapt to change. The question that I’m going to ask myself is, am I the right person to reach my goal? You bet! I’m going to take the time and work on myself on how to deal with the fact that everything around me is bound to
Change in an organization occurs when an organization identifies an area of where necessary change must be undertaken, examines it thoroughly and adapts to it. This may lead to gaps where employees may not adapt to a certain change and therefore it is important that an organization takes into considerati...
The change process within any organization can prove to be difficult and very stressful, not only for the employees but also for the management team. Hayes (2014), highlights seven core activities that must take place in order for change to be effective: recognizing the need for change, diagnosing the change and formulating a future state, planning the desired change, implementing the strategies, sustaining the implemented change, managing all those involved and learning from the change. Individually, these steps are comprised of key actions and decisions that must be properly addressed in order to move on to the next step. This paper is going to examine how change managers manage the implementation of change and strategies used