Leadership Styles: The Effects on Change Management - Essay Example

Leadership Styles: The Effects on Change Management Executive Summary Business organizations consist of different levels of management. These managers are the leaders of the business organization and they are the key to organizational change management. Without strong leaders, change cannot take place or be successful. Each leader has their own leadership style that fits well with their personality and comes very naturally to them. Individual organizations as a whole tend to support a single dominant leadership style. This inflexible policy limits the effectiveness of the managements plan for change in an organization. One dominant leadership style does not necessarily provide the best results when leading the company workforce and implementing the plan for change. The use of different leadership styles provides flexibility for the needs of the organization, situation, management, and labor force. In order for organizational change to succeed, flexibility in leadership styles is a must have. Practicing managers should use a variety of leadership styles to encourage and promote change, develop workforce enthusiasm for change, and provide focus and direction for the task at hand. Overview Organizational change management relies on the leaders of the business organization for effective implementation of the plan for change. The organization consists of different levels of management from the CEO of a company down to the lower level of management. These managers are the leaders of the organization and their leadership skills are necessary to implement change and insure its success. Managers need to maximize the efforts of the labor force involved in the implementation of the plan on an individual and collective level. A good leader must “anticipate the initial disorientation caused by change and take steps to help employees overcome it.” (Koehler 16) Managers must develop different strategies for effective plan implementation. Leadership styles directly influence the motivation of the labor force. Managers usually fall into a preferred leadership style because they tend to do best when the leadership style expresses their personality. This allows the managers to effectively use their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. On a larger scale, organizations as a whole tends to support a similar dominate leadership style. However, the use of a single leadership style does not always provide the best result when attempting to implement a plan for change. Leadership is more effective when a variety of styles are used to motivate, encourage, and provide direction for the labor force to accomplish the task at hand. Situational leadership is when managers adopt different styles of leadership for a situation that occurs or when dealing with different workers. Situations and people are different and one leadership style may not provide the best result under certain circumstances. However, a drawback to situational leadership is that laborers perceive fairness in different ways. If laborers feel as if they are being treated unfairly compared to other laborers then the laborers will not be motivated to achieve their task. The situational approach is effective if the leaders can balance instrumental and expressive needs. This will provide for the needs of all involved and contribute to the completion of the task. Steps To Organizational Change Management “A proper balance between specificity and flexibility is key; too much specificity can lead to a plan that does not mesh well with evolving organizational needs.” (Mento et. al. 49) There are relatively six steps to organizational change management. The first step is to define the process and practices for management change. This plan organizes the overall process and procedures of management change. The plan should cover the following information: Procedure for handling change: How are the changes going to be requested and processed? Roles and Responsibilities of Staff: Who is responsible for receiving and processing the request for change? What is the responsibility of each department of the organization in the process? Evaluations: How will the change be evaluated? Resources: What resources need to be used to implement change. Assignment: Who will handle each aspect of the change? Back out Plan: A back out plan should be developed incase the changes are not successful. The second step to the plan for change management is to receive a request for change. A change coordinator is usually assigned to receive change request. Change request usually are requested by filling out a form with the date, time, and request for change. The third step is to create a plan to implement the change. All requests for change must be reviewed and prioritized in order of importance or necessity. Resources needed for the implementation should be researched and provided. An evaluation of the impact on the current technological system being used should be discovered. A time schedule and back out plan for the implementation should be organized. The fourth step is to implement and monitor the plan. The change should be applied to the organization and the results of the change should be monitored for evaluation later. The back out plan should be implemented dif the purpose of the plan is not achieved or if the plan is affecting the system in a negative manner. The fifth step is to create an evaluation report on the change. The report should contain feedback on all the changes implemented and should be submitted to the change coordinator. A report should be made whether the change was a success or failure. The change coordinator is responsible for finding the trend in the implemented change and decides if the change was sufficient or prone to problems and why. The final step should only be conducted if absolutely necessary. The final step is to modify the plan for change management. The plan for change should be reevaluated if changes are not being implemented on time, not enough changes are being processed, to many changes are being backed out on, or the changes are affecting the system. In these cases, the plan for change needs to be modified to be more effective. This plan does not necessarily have to be the plan for change in all companies. There are many plans for change and a company should create a plan that is best suited for their changing needs. “We can learn to manage change so that it helps move people forward rather than set them back.” (Lawrie 87) Five Leadership Styles1 There are five types of leadership styles. These styles are authoritative, political, evaluative, participative, and laissez-faire. The authoritative leadership style is when the leader commands the workforce to do a task. The leader does all the discussion making himself/herself. The leader discovers the problem at hand and comes up with solutions for that problem. Then the authoritative leader decides which solution is best solution for the problem. When the authoritative leader has a plan for the problem set, the leader tells the workers what task to do to implement the plan. The authoritative leader doesn’t always take the ideas or feeling of the staff into consideration. It is usually an “I told you to do it, and how to do it so just do it” attitude. The political leader tends to “sell” his/her decision about an idea, problem, or solution to those involved in the situation. The political leader resorts to persuasion to get others to join in on the idea, plan, or solution to a problem rather that just telling those involved that they have to do it his/her way. This leader convinces the other that their considerations were kept in mind when the decision was made and it benefits them as well as the management and the company. The political leader convinces the workforce that it is their best interest as well to participate in the task. The Evaluative leadership style is the next leader being discussed. This leader evaluated the problem after it has been identified. This leader tends to seek out the people who are to be involved on the various aspects of the task and generates ideas and opinions on the task form these other people. The leader then evaluates all the information and decides on the best course of action based on everyone ideas and concerns. After the evaluative leader evaluates the information, he/she makes a final decision based on the information. The fourth leadership style is participative. Mehta, Dubinsky, and Anderson quoted: This type of leadership style is analogous to participative management in which subordinates share a significant degree of decision--making power with their superiors (House and Mitchell, 1974; Robbins, 1996)(pg. 52). This leader allow the other people involved in the project a chance to be a part of the decision making process. The participative leader presents the problem to the other participants and listens to their ideas and concerns. Then the leader decides on the best course of action based on the ideas and concerns of the other participants. The laissez-faire leader is the last leader being discussed. This leader tends to “join” in on the decision-making. The laissez-faire leader listens to what the others propose to do and just goes with the flow. This leader decides to do whatever the group feels is the best course of action. As you can see, the authoritative leader and the laissez-faire leader have some leadership skills that can prevent productivity. The authoritative leader tends to be closed off to the ideas and concerns of others while the laissez-faire leader tends to refrain from the decision-making process and goes along with the crowd. The productivity of a company and the success of the plan for change depend on the leaders involved to initiate the plan and motivate the workers. A company must discover the best place for each leader to make change successful. Leadership Styles and Change Management Now let’s combined the plan for change and the leadership styles discussed in management, leaders with a certain style or a combination of leaders with different stages of the plan for change. When defining the process & practices in the planning process, a group effort of appropriate management level should be used. In the group should be at least one of each leadership styles. An authoritative leader can peculates the process and keep things organized and moving as well as suggested ideas for the process. The evaluative, political, participative and laissez-faire leaders also all participate in generating a process. Each leader could generate different ideas based on their styles of leadership. Collectively they can decide on a process that will guide the implementation of change. This process usually doesn’t change unless the plan proves ineffective for change coordinator usually receives request for change and implements a plan of change. A good leadership style for this coordinator might be predominate authoritative leadership style with a tendency for evaluative style. This leader will be able to prioritize and schedule a plan for implementation and create a back out procedure using the authoritative leadership style. At the same time this leader will be able to evaluate the resources needed for implementing the plan and effects on the technology system already in places. Again, the fourth step of implementing and monitoring the plan will require all styles of leadership. The authoritative leader can get things started, and will be able to decide if the company needs to back out of the plan fast. The political leader will be able to” sell” the workforce on the idea of change by convincing the workforce that it is for their benefit as well as the managements and companies needs. Change tends to denominational workers if they feel that is unnecessary of being forced upon them. The political leader can hear their concerns and convinced the labor force that to change is a good idea. The evaluative leader will be able to evaluate the problems in the process, generate information, and come up with solutions to problems as the plan moves along. The participative leader will be able to involve the workforce in the change management by causing the labor force to feel they are contributing to the change and the company. The workforce tends to get uneasy and fear change. A few good ideas to include the workforce in the change, talk to them about the change, and answer any concerns or questions they might have. The participative leader has the ability to get the labor force involved and ease their mind and fears about change in the company. A high labor turnover does not look good to a company on their financial statements and analysis. Getting workers involved and comfortable decreases their desire to leave a company for a job that makes them feel secure. The laissez-faire leader will “join” in on the implementation of the plan. This leadership type tends not to make decisions of his/her own but just lets the others decide while he/she follows. This leader will help the other leaders to implement the plan and motivate the labor force in the plans success. The fifth step to managing change is to evaluate and report on the change even if the change was unsuccessful. The evaluative leader with a tendency towards participative leadership style would be ideal for this task. The leader will be able to consult with others involved, evaluate, and generate feedback for the change coordinator to look over and identify the trends. This leader works well with the evaluation process that is necessary in this final step. If managers are placed strategically when implementing a plan for change according to the proper leadership style for the task, then the changes are very likely to be successful. If the changes turn out to be successful then the final step in the plan is not necessary. It is not necessary to modify and change a plan that is working extremely well. A responsible practicing manager will take the leadership styles of his/her leaders into consideration when placing them in charge of a particular task. Strategic change can it be explained in a variety of steps as demonstrated. It is better to organize change in steps and develop a plan for change. Developing a plan will insure a way to check and balance an aspect of the plan that fails to be successful. Discussion and Conclusion Wal-Mart uses these practices on a daily basis. The employee are made to feel like they have a vested interest in the company so they know that any positive change is for the benefit of the company and themselves. The employees are encouraged by management to purchase stock in the company and the investment comes straight out of their paycheck every week. A political leader/manage in the company usually lets the employees know about this benefit and “sell” them on the idea to purchase stock. The practicing manager convinces the employees that buy purchasing stock in the company you become part owner of the company and therefore are working in your own corporation. The workforce then feels important like they have a vested interest in the company and its workings. When employees have this feeling they are more likely to do their jobs in a timely manner. The company also has an “open door policy”. This policy allows employees to bring up any ideas, concerns, or issues to the management to allow the employees to have a voice. The employee usually talks to a manager whose leadership style is the participative leadership style. The management takes into consideration the concerns of the workers and then makes a decision. Sometimes that decision is to do nothing and this discourages the workers because the management fails to explain why they did nothing. If nothing is done for a handful of workers, then it gets around the company to everyone that management is doing nothing for them and the next thing management sees is their labor force slowly walking away from the company. This is the case for Wal-Mart at this moment. Lately workers have been feeling discourage because Wal-Mart management is making them feel unimportant. There is currently a site create December 8, 2005 created by Wal-Mart discouraged employees. Employees are claiming that management is yelling at them and lying about schedules and they are planning to quit after the holidays.2 Telling employees (authoritative leadership style) what to do and how to do it without giving them a say in their own job or yelling at them to do there job because you are not sure what they are doing and believe they are slacking off does not make the employees happy about the management. A happy employee stays with the company and a discouraged or angry employee leaves the company. A company would rather have their employees stay then to leave because it takes time, money, and resources to find new workers. Making sure employees are happy and feel like they have a vested interest in their job will keep the inner workings of the company running smoothly. The cornerstone of Wal-Mart’s success over the years has been their excellent leadership. Leadership: … it is relatively easy to theorize that Wal-Mart’s primary strengths lie in the area of Operational Excellence. Specifically, Wal-Mart’s ability to coordinate a complex information management and distribution network, and to efficiently manage supplier relationships is the cornerstones of its success. (Bender et. al. 3) If Wal-Mart starts slacking in their excellent leadership then we will be seeing a downward trend for Wal-Mart. The practicing manage can use leadership styles in the company to improve relations between employee and management in order to keep the company running smoothly and avoid disgruntled employees. The project manager should seek to select the situations that would best match his/her own inclination or style, and to avoid projects that are likely to present him/her with situations that are counter to his/her default preference. (Lee-Kelley 462) The above quote explains the situation well. If manager work well with their preferred style then they should work with situations that best complement that style. The manager can discover the leadership styles of his/her managers by having them take a short survey that allows them to discover their leadership styles.3 Then the practicing manager can strategically place his/her leaders in a setting that will work well for them and the employees based on their leadership style. The practicing manager can assign managers to certain task or talk to certain employees in different situations base of their leadership style. This can cut down on the number of employees that feel discouraged about their company by insuring proper leadership for the proper situation. Appendix4 Leadership Styles Handouts SELECT YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLE This instrument is designed to help identify your typical pattern of leadership behavior. While leaders must be somewhat flexible in dealing with various situations, most have a primary style of leadership that reflects their activities and beliefs and has proven successful in the past. Instructions For each of the six categories on the instrument, there are a series of statements. Consider each statement and mark the one that best describes you. If, in one or two situations, you cannot indicate only one response, mark your first choice, then your second choice. DOMINANCE I belong to several groups but only attend when something especially interests me. (c) I like to work on committees but dont like to take the chairmanship. (d) I lose interest in groups when they go along in the same old rut and dont listen to my suggestions. (a) I consciously seek, and obtain, leadership in many of my groups activities. (b) I am often selected as leader of groups without seeking it. (e) TACT People frequently misunderstand my comments. (a) My acquaintances tell me that I am noted for handling many difficult situations without arousing ill will. (c) People seldom resent it when I must correct what they are doing or must criticize them. (d) I consciously study how to handle people tactfully (e) Before I try to get others to accept my point of view, I first try to find how they feel so I can adapt my ideas to theirs. (b) COMMUNICATION I always assume that other people will be friendly and take the initiative in meeting them halfway. (e) People tell me they come to me with problems they would not even discuss with their own families. (d) I always try to give the other person some incentive or some reason for doing what I want done. (b) When a conversation lags at a party of strangers, I try to fill in the break by trying to find a topic of general interest. (c) I have some definite ideas about the failings and problems of youth and dont hesitate to express them. (a) MATURITY I want what I want when I want it, regardless of consequences to myself or others. (a) I have been told that I can take well-meant, constructive criticism graciously. (d) I believe in telling others the truth if it is for their own good. (b) I take a stand on issues in which I believe, after looking into the pros and cons, even if it is unpopular. (c) ATTITUDES I get annoyed when people dont do things my way. Sometimes, my temper gets the best of me. (a) I try to show the attitude toward the other person that I want him/her to show toward me. (b) I believe I should make every effort to accept change and try to keep changing with the times. (e) I patiently listen to people with whom I disagree. (d) I vacillate when it comes to making a decision; sometimes I wait so long, circumstances force a decision upon me. (c) COOPERATION When people have a misunderstanding, I try to intervene and help them resolve it. (d) In dealing with coworkers, I try to put myself in their shoes and act toward them the way Id like them to act toward me. (c) I am willing to accept the help of others, provided it does not interfere with their work. (e) When I need information from others, I feel I have a right to demand it because it is important to completing my work. (a) If my director says to me, "Tell So-and-So I want this right away," I change both the message and voice tone to, "The director would appreciate this as soon as possible." (b) SCORE It is most desirable for you to arrive at a final decision on your choice of response in every case. However, if in one or two instances, you found this choice especially difficult to make, add up your score based on the second choice column. Make two lists of your leadership styles--   1st Choice 2nd Choice No. of as No. of bs No. of cs No. of ds No. of es   This is your predominant style You have tendencies in this direction *(Adapted from materials used by Leadership Resources, Inc. and the American Management Association).   KEY TO LEADERSHIP STYLES   a--Authoritative b--Political c--Evaluative d--Participative e--Laissez-faire (Tells) (Sells) (Tests) (Consults) (Joins) Work Cited Bender, Andrew; Howell, Ann; Levin, Amy; David, Torgeson. “Walmart.com: A case study in managing Technical Transactions” Managing Technical Transitions: February 24, 2001. http://www.duke.edu/~dat6/Wal-Mart.htm Herzog, John P. “People: The Critical Factor in Managing Change” Journal of Systems Management. Cleveland: March 1991. Vol. 42 Iss. 3; p. 6-12 Horak, Benard J; Campbell, David J; Flaks, Jeffery A. “Strategic Positioning: A case study in governance and management” Journal of Healthcare Management. Chicago: November/December 1998. Vol. 43 Iss. 6, 9. 527-541 Koehler, Kenneth G. “Managing Change” Small Business Reports. New York: Jun 1989. Vol. 14, Iss. 6; p. 15-18 Lawrie, John. “The ABCs of Change Management” Training and Development Journal. Mar 1990. Vol. 44, Iss. 3; p. 87-90. Lee-Kelley, Liz. “Situational Leadership: Managing the virtual Project Team” The Journal of Management Development. Bradford: 2002. Vol. 21, Iss. 5/6; p. 461-477. Mehta, Rajiv; Dubinsky, Alan J; Anderson, Rolph E. “Leadership style, motivation and performance in international marketing channels: An empirical investigation of the USA, Finland and Poland“ European Journal of Marketing. Bradford: 2003. Vol. 37, Iss. 1/2; p. 50-86 Mento, Anthony J; Jones, Raymond M; Dirndorfer, Walter. “A change management process: Grounded in both theory and practice” Journal of Change Management. London: Aug 2002. Vol. 3, Iss. 1; p. 45-60. The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Website (CSAP) http://p2001.health.org/ctw10/handoutS.htm#Select. Read More