Based on assigned readings (ORG515 Module 2), this journal entry reflects on the rationale for the author’s strategies as a change management consultant in motivating and influencing behavioral change, both as a leader and as a follower. To gain additional perspective, the discussion then considers the relative effectiveness of a study partner’s strategies to assess their potential for motivating and influencing behavioral change in the author’s organization.
Organizational Roles and Responsibilities
As an external change management consultant, the author acts both as a leader and as a follower (Vecchio, 2007) in motivating and changing the behavior of others within a client organization. The follower role develops from “subordinate” responsibilities for guiding the leadership team in processes of diagnosis, design, and deployment of strategies for organizational change (Cummings & Worley, 2009), which includes influencing change in leaders’ mindsets and behaviors (Schein, 2004). The leader role derives from ensuing responsibilities as a change agent for guiding the organization’s workforce in the implementation of strategic change initiatives (Spector, 2010), which involves motivating and influencing change in employee performance behaviors (Schein, 2004).
Determining Strategies for Behavioral Change
Correspondingly, the author’s strategies for influencing behavior change in leaders differ from those used for followers. This difference in approaches derives from the relative directional efficacy – upward versus downward – of various influence tactics (Falbe & Yukl, 1992; Yukl & Tracey, 1992), and the degree to which motivational techniques (Vecchio, 2007) align with individual needs, abilities, and motivational attitudes ...
... middle of paper ...
...er, T., & Vandenberghe, C. (2004). Employee commitment and motivation: A conceptual analysis and integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(6), 991-1007. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.89.6.991
Pierce, J., & Newstrom, J. (2008). Leaders & the leadership process: Readings, self-assessments & applications (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Schein, E. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Spector, B. (2010). Implementing organizational change: Theory and practice (2nd ed.). Boston: Prentiss Hall.
Vecchio, R. (Ed.). (2007). Leadership: Understanding the dynamics of power and influence in organizations (2nd ed.). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
Yukl, G., & Tracey, B. (1992). Consequences of influence tactics used with subordinates, peers, and the boss. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77(4), 525-535.
Pierce, Jon L. and John W. Newstrom (2011) 6th edition. Leaders and the Leadership Process.
Spector, B. (2013). Implementing organizational change: theory into practice. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ
... Vandenberghe, C. (2004). Employee commitment and motivation: A conceptual analysis and integrative model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(6), 991-1007. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.89.6.991
Often times when one hears the word “change” in any aspect of life, they are often, put off, and intimidated by the word itself and the intended implication. This is a normal and understandable reaction for anyone engaging in any type of change. In terms of organizational change, this type of behavior often seen as, but is not limited to pushback, resistance, lack in productivity, turnover, drop in overall customer service, etc by team members. Thus, as organizational leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that any change management implemented is smooth and has lasting benefits; by considering the impact on the organization as a whole and most importantly, the impact it will have on the team members within the
In his book, Leading Change, Dr. John P. Kotter communicates why organizations fail or succeed based on ten years of conducting research on more than 100 companies to see what contributed to their successful transformations and what hindered those transformations. “In October 2001 Business Week magazine reported a survey they conducted of 504 enterprises that rated Professor Kotter the number one “leading guru” in America.” The two significant aspects I took from this book were the reasons why change initiatives fail and an eight-stage process to lead the organization through a successful transformation.
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B., (2007). The leadership challenge, (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
This paper will be broken down into six sections profiling each critical part of implementing and managing change in an organization. The sections included are; outline for plan creating urgency, the approach to attracting a guiding team, a critique of the organizational profile, the components of change, and how to empower the organization.
Based on assigned readings in Module 5 (“Colorado State University,” 2012), this journal entry reviews the author’s strategies as a change management consultant for building and improving relationships in client organizations. The discussion then considers the effectiveness of these strategies relative to the author’s workplace environment including the author’s approach for mitigating relationship issues in the event the strategies prove ineffective.
Change affects more than just a program or a process within an organization, change affects employees, collecting data on employee’s readiness and willingness to accept a change will help leaders know if the organization is socially ready for change (Cole, Harris, and Bernerth, 2006). A change might be positive for an organization but if the employees who will be affect by the change are lost in the process then it could create a greater issue than not making the change. Leadership needs to communicate and inspire the employees to be positive toward the change, seeking to enhance their job satisfaction not make changes that will increase their desire to leave. This data is best collected early in the change initiative allowing leadership to properly cast the vision while addressing concerns. This requires leadership to create platforms for employees to engage in the change initiative freely (Ford, 2006). Employee attitudes can be measured through these dialogues providing leadership with necessary measureable data (Hughes, 2007).
In this time of transition and uncertainty, research suggests that transformational leadership is highly effective (Straight, 2006). Leadership research has drifted from emphasis on the competence of leaders to “manage change” to the ability to “transform” organizations. Transformational leaders have attributes and behaviors needed to successfully motivate and empower employees. According to Bernard Bass (1990), transformational leadership occurs when a leader transforms, or changes, his or her followers in three important ways that together result in followers trusting the leader, performing behaviors that contribute to the achievement of organizational goals, and being motivated to perform at a high level. Transformational leaders can achieve greater performance by stimulating innovative ways of thinking and transforming follower’s beliefs and aspirations. Maxwell (Maxwell, 2007) articulates that most of the time, influence is more important than formal power or authority. I agree with him. Influence is very important in organizational and co...
Raymond W. Cox III, Gregory K. Plagens, and Keba Sylla, “The Leadership-followership Dynamic: Making the Choice to Follow,” International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences 5, no. 8 (December 2010): 46, Academic Search Complete, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=73343622&site=ehost-live (accessed March 1, 2014).
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
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Leaders are those who have a great influence on the lives of many people. This is especially relevant in today’s organizations, which face extreme time changes and an increasingly growing complexity (Yukl, 1998).
Lussier, R.N. & Achua, C.F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, application, skill development (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western.