Transformational Leadership and Change Management

Organizational Change and Employee Engagement

Whereas companies must execute effective organizational change for better development, attention must be given to the way change is initiated and processed in the workplace. Essentially, employees are at the center of the process and thus, management must use proficient strategies that engage staffs and other stakeholders. An effective change in a business must address the issue of inclusivity and transformational leadership. The majority of organizational change fails because they lack transformational leaders who are able to fully involve the employees in the change plan[1]. According to Van Dam, Oreg, and Schyns[2], the first step towards a successful institutional change by management is ensuring that employees have trust in the proposed transition. The authors argued that resistance to change, which usually bar management efforts, will automatically reduce if directors can adopt quality leadership skills reflected in the manner they exchange ideas about the project with their members. If leaders develop high-quality relationships with their followers, there are high chances that job satisfaction will improve leading to organizational loyalty and ready acceptance to change.

The Importance of a Democratic Approach

In his analysis of Kurt Lewin and Harwood studies, Burnes concludes that a democratic approach to leading organizational change is more effective than an autocratic approach. The study suggested that a workforce working in a democratic environment is more productive and has a high likelihood of amicably resolving issues arising within the group as opposed to employees working in an autocratic environment. Therefore, management must keenly undertake the process of introducing a change in the organization by ensuring that employees are fully engaged in the process[3]. Workers’ trust and loyalty are key drivers in change management and must elicit any other preference. Preferably, change managers should just participate in the project as mentors and avoid promoting a pre-determined agenda.

Bibliography

Burnes, Bernard. 2007. “Kurt Lewin and the Harwood Studies”. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 43 (2): 213-231. Doi: 10.1177/0021886306297004.

Higgs, Malcolm, and Deborah Rowland. 2005. ”All Changes great and small: Exploring approaches to change and its leadership”. Journal of Change Management 5 (2): 121-151. Doi:10.1080/14697010500082902.

Van Dam, Karen, Shaul Oreg, and Birgit Schyns. 2008. ”Daily Work Contexts and Resistance to Organizational Change: The role of Leader–Member Exchange, development climate, and change process characteristics”. Applied Psychology 57 (2): 313-334. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00311.x.

[1] Higgs, Malcolm, and Deborah Rowland. 2005. ”All Changes great and small: Exploring approaches to change and its leadership”. Journal of Change Management 5 (2): 121-151. Doi:10.1080/14697010500082902.

[2] Van Dam, Karen, Shaul Oreg, and Birgit Schyns. 2008. ”Daily Work Contexts and Resistance to Organizational Change: The role of Leader–Member Exchange, development climate, and change process characteristics”. Applied Psychology 57 (2): 313-334. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00311.x.

3 Burnes, Bernard. 2007. ”Kurt Lewin and the Harwood Studies”. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 43 (2): 213-231. Doi: 10.1177/0021886306297004.