When undergoing
change, leadership involvement is imperative to an overall successful and
sustainable change process. Sure, there are other factors which directly impact
the potential effect of change, including (but not limited to) financial
planning, organisational personnel engagement, and familiarity with the
organisation’s industry position. However, preparedness begins at the helm of
the organisation, and leaders represent an important facet of ensuring
effective change.
Without leaders
implementing the correct strategy and execution of ideas, little to no progress
of the change project at hand is undertaken. Organisational personnel are not
given a clear understanding about the expectations involved with the change,
and subsequent procedures become increasingly difficult to operationalise.
Misalignment within leadership creates a disjointed mentality within the
organisation, creating a negative climate amongst personnel which jeopardises
change processes.
Transparency within
leadership is also a key factor contributing to lasting and effective change
within an organisation. When leaders are unwilling to share intellectual
capital with their teams and hold on to their knowledge, they fail to enhance
the intellectual capacity of the organisation. Change is difficult to initiate
if leaders have differing intentions to that of organisational goals,
especially if they prioritise personal wellbeing over building change momentum
and benefitting those involved with the change at hand.
Another aspect in
establishing successful change is if leaders identify a common organisational
language which can be effectively understood and applied across all aspects of
the organisation. For instance, leaders should align the organisation under a
uniform image, either externally or internally, in order to establish change
momentum as well as a consistent organisational image. Through this, the change
process isn’t disrupted by sudden alterations to common objectives or manners
of executing change procedures.
When leaders have
clarity in purpose and focus, and are aligned with the organisational
philosophy and goals, only then can effective change efforts be conducted.
Through the implementation of appropriate strategies, organisational
transparency, and by having a standard system throughout the organisation,
leaders have the capacity to initiate successful and lasting change. The link
below leads to an article which further elaborates on the importance of
leadership clarity and alignment in change management.
Inspiration:
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Source: worldventures.com
Benjamin Lee Cheng Han | Benjamin is a student of International Relations at the University of Nottingham, currently exploring unchartered realms in the Public Relations field. Writing is clearly his interest – a decisive contributor to his foray into the public relations industry. To date, he boasts the proud record of having tamed one of the office cats, and drinking expired tea from the pantry.
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