Are you faced with leading a significant organizational change and need options for successfully making it happen? If so, then take a moment and consider a variety of approaches detailed below. You might also consider a blended approach that provides the structure and energy to dramatically change your business organization.
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Experienced change leaders know there rarely is any single theoretical organizational change solution that addresses organizational change with practical ease. Planning for effective organizational change is not as simple as clicking your heels together or jumping on a flying carpet. Planning for effective organizational change is more like Merlin mixing the right ingredients into a carefully concocted blend to create the desired result. Change in the business world is unavoidable, and a competitive necessity for a business enterprise to survive. "There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things" (Machiavelli, 1532). Since the time of Machiavelli's quote, considerable scholarly effort has been invested studying approaches to change management, developing theories, and building models for change. There are dozens of theatrical models worthy of your review on an extended basis. For now, let's look at just a few of the theoretical models to gain perspective, and then take a look at a practical blended example. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs The central theme of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theory posits five fundamental human needs progressively ranked hierarchically from the most basic need (psychological) to (self-actualization) (Whittington, 2005). Understanding this model of human needs and motivators is useful in considering the implementation of technological change and the impact on the human needs of safety, esteem, and self-actualization.
Kurt Lewin's Change Model
The essence of the organizational change model presented by Kurt Lewin suggests an approach where the organization is unfrozen from the current level, moved or changed to a new level, then refrozen at the newer level (Buchanan et. al., 2005). The Lewin model offers advantages in planning for organizational change by providing a simple approach to making and sustaining organizational change. Michael Porter's Five Forces Model The Five Forces Model (FFM) presented by Michael Porter describes a competitive marketplace characterized by contending forces (Porter, 1980). These forces are:
The threat of new entrants to the marketplace
The bargaining power of suppliers in the marketplace
The bargaining power of customers in the marketplace
The threat of substitute products or services
The industry itself as a whole
Leaders applying the concept of the FFM position an organization for the development of targeted strategic initiatives which holistically address the marketplace.
Victor Vroom's Contingency Model Victor Vroom's Contingency Model presents a framework for describing leader behavior. Central to the model's concept is the expectation that leader behavior and style situationally vary, and that the leader can learn and adapt leader styles to meet the requirements of the situation. The Contingency Model was validated through primary research documented to illustrate the concept with real leader situations (Vroom, 1976). Leaders with a clear understanding of the concepts described through the Contingency Model are positioned to adapt to organizational change and provide direction and decision making.
Peter Senge's Learning Organization Model
Peter Senge's Learning Organization Model highlights the organization's ability to learn and adapt through approaches to leadership, management, and the distribution of authority (Senge 1993). Validity for this approach to leadership can be readily found in recently notable reorganizations in larger well-known companies where traditional forms of hierarchical organizations were transformed to flatter distributed organizations. The value and utility of this approach provides financial savings by eliminating unnecessary layers of bureaucracy, empowering decision-making at multiple distribution points throughout the organization and creating a distributed learning environment enabling greater organizational flexibility to competitive demands.
Just because your organization has weathered change in the past does not mean future change has to be equally as difficult. Change management is both an art and science paying dividends for the organization that employs serious change management practices. Now, let’s look at that blended practical example mentioned earlier.
A blend of John Kotter’s eight steps for Leading Change combined with the power and influence represented by Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence (EI) will provide a deliberately powerful blend of structure, high energy, and dependable results. Let’s look at each independently, then, blend the concepts together into a practical, effective approach for affecting successful organizational change.
The eight steps for leading organizational change put forward by Kotter are:
Create a sense of urgency by examine market and competitive realities. Use a Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis to target opportunities and targeted strategic plans. Put together a guiding team by assembling a group with the power and influence to lead a change effort encouraging the team to work together and set the behavioral example. Create Visions and Strategies providing direction to change initiatives combined with tactical strategies building a “road map” and “trip plan” to others in the organization. Communicate to achieve buy-in using a multi-media approach, which indicated the new behaviors that will be expected and rewarded. Empower others to act upon the Vision and Strategies by removing obstacles, changing systems and structures that undermine the vision. This is a time to encourage and reward prudent risk taking and unconventional approaches, ideas, activities, and actions. Produce short-term wins that highlight the desired behaviors and performance, which will lead to the realization of the vision and organizational change. Build momentum by leveraging the credibility of visible change to reinforce continued change and continue to reward the adoption of new behaviors. Hire and promote those that adopt and exemplify the desired change behaviors.
Nurture a new culture by promoting and rewarding alignment with the changed organization, focusing on the value of the connections between the new behaviors and organizational successes.
Now that you have the benefit of John Kotter’s structured eight-step approach, let’s look at the concepts behind Daniel Goleman’s emotional intelligence. Once you understand the theoretical concepts, you will likely be able to identify someone you know within your organization as a master of these skills.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive and express emotion, assimilate emotion in thought, understand and reason with emotion, and regulate emotion in yourself and others (Mayer &Salovy, 1997). In business settings, we usually see or describe the characteristics and behaviors of EI leaders as inspirational, empathetic, charismatic, motivating, compelling, or enigmatic among others. This personal characteristic and ability is stronger in some business leaders than others. Perhaps now, you are thinking about specific business leaders you know who were stronger or weaker in the use of this leadership trait and ability. As an organizational change leader, EI traits, skills, and abilities combine harmoniously with John Kotter’s eight steps for Leading Change. Both are vital to creating and maintaining effective organizational change.
Finally, we’re ready to put it all together. Like a well-written baroque sonata, we have been through the allegro beginning, the deeper, ominous, theoretical middle, and are ready for the lively finale! As an organizational change leader, your role throughout the eight-step change process is to blend the traits, characteristics, and behaviors associated with EI to provide a sure-fire, high-energy approach to successfully choreographing organizational change. Your investment in the deft use of EI abilities will be the adhesive that binds the structure of the eight-step approach with the emotional intensity and enthusiasm of the EI approach.
Neither structure nor charisma alone will carry the day when it comes to making the high stakes organizational changes required to be innovative, remain competitive, or provide shareholder value. Let you passion, intensity, excitement, and enthusiasm for the changes show. Recognize, inspire, and reward others through your own sincere expressions and feelings. Evangelically deliver the vision and strategies along with a message of empowerment and action. Lead or participate in celebrating the early wins and their direct relationship to the desired change-related behaviors and outcomes. Exuberantly share the credit for a successful transformation with all the affected stakeholders with the joint charge of sharing the responsibility for sustaining and building upon a sure-fire, high-energy successful organizational change.
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