LEADING CHANGES

WEEK # 10

Dr. Tazeem Ali Shah

Change Leadership Definition

• Change leadership is the ability to influence and enthuse others through personal
advocacy, vision and drive, and to access resources to build a solid platform for
change (Higgs and Rowland, 2000).

• Leadership is often viewed as key to successful change (American Management

Association, 1994).
Relationship between leadership and change
• Change has been a challenging area and has affected many organizations.
Organizations have to endure such significant change in order to survive in the
dynamic and competitive business environment.
• The change must be aligned according to organizational culture, values, people
and behaviors to encourage the desired results. Therefore human leadership plays
a key role in making change a success.
• Such transformation is difficult and will definitely result in resistance and
resentment by employees. The social and psychological fear of change and the
lack of technical expertise will affect the change process.
• Therefore Leaders should be equipped with skills that would enable effective
strategic change.
Conti….
• David (2004) also emphasized how leadership could help overcome resistance to
change. He indicates that “In order for World Class Organizations to survive,
management must understand that change is inevitable and that they themselves
are responsible for overcoming employee resistance through sound management
and change-oriented leadership” (David, 2004).
• Globalization, technological changes, knowledge management and cross
boundary collaboration are the four major forces affecting organizational change.
• Change could occur either in the external environment or macro environment.
Organizations are in need of innovative and creative visionaries who understand
how to make decisions in such changes Tappin (2009).
 Levels of Change Leadership
• Because change leadership is a process of binding the energies of different people at different levels of
an organization, it requires three different orientations:

• Self.
• Before beginning to bring together a group of people around a shared challenge, leaders should first take serious
looks at their own attitudes and capacities.
• This level of change leadership training takes stock of personal tools as well as individual biases that may stand in
the way of effective leadership.
• It takes a strong leader to recognize weakness and blind spots as well as strengths and to delegate as needed.

• Others. 
• To truly lead an organization through change, a leader must take stock of the feelings and dynamics that could
get in the way of achieving synergies and working collaboratively toward goals.
• This interpersonal managerial skill should be independent of personal judgments and geared mainly toward
creating harmony and inspiring staff to get on board with changes with as few reservations as possible.
Conti…
• Organization.

• The importance of leadership in management grows out of a company culture and

collection of shared resources that are available for taking the planned next steps.
• These may be internal capabilities such as infrastructure, equipment and companywide
training.
• It can also extend to external circumstances such as the regulatory and political climate
or the availability of necessary materials.
 Leadership and Internal Change
• It is usually easier to manage change that your organization sets in motion intentionally
than to integrate unplanned changes encouraged by external forces.
• The process of leadership for internal change works well when a long-term vision is
widely shared and shorter-term goals are aligned with this narrative. 
• Clarity and communication are key for both logistical and interpersonal reasons. People
work effectively when they know just what to do and also when they have a stake in the
company's outcomes.
• Internally planned change can give a leader the luxury of getting staff ready and checking
in with them about preparedness and possible resistance. You know what's coming or at
least what you're aiming to achieve, so you can build support and manage expectations.
• You can engage a team to act rather than react and to take pride in outcomes and
responsibility for shortcomings. You are making the change happen rather than having it
happen to you.
Conti….
• The processes that bring about internal change can be coordinated across
different levels of an organization because you see the shift coming and can
visualize and manage possible outcomes.
• Although you can't always predict precisely what will occur, you can be ready for
different scenarios with a series of plans and backup plans.
Leadership and External Change
• External change that comes from circumstances beyond your control can be more
difficult to manage than carefully planned transitions, but these challenges make the
leadership role even more important.
• The uncertainty of an unplanned major change such as a management confusion or
the failure of a critical product line may take your organization by surprise, creating the
need for a leader to quiet distressed nerves or develop a critical plan without sufficient
time to work through all of the details.
• As with leading a team through internal change, communication is critical for
navigating through unplanned upsets.
• When disturbance strikes, nobody will know precisely what to expect, but transparency
on the part of leadership can at least give the message that everyone is working
together to address the situation
Conti….
• . Open communication builds trust and community, while secrets and withheld
information create division and dampen employee willingness to stay with the
company despite uncertainties.
• In times of unplanned and difficult change, a leader can't always make the
situation better, but the leadership role in change management can keep
employees working together as a team rather than spreading distrust and
discord, which will only make the situation worse.
• If employees know that their concerns and opinions matter, they're more likely to
weather uncertainty.
• If an organization is poorly managed, and its lack of leadership leads to even
greater unpredictability, their loyalty will wane.
Importance of Leadership and
Management During Change
• Although leaders are often managers, and managers are often leaders, these two
functions aren't necessarily the same. Managers deal with logistics, while leaders deal
with people.
• It is the job of a manager to make sure that all of the physical, mechanical and
technical aspects of the change process have been effectively coordinated, and it is the
role of a leader to bring the team into the equation with engagement and motivation.
• Leadership is connected to company culture. A business that cares about its employees
and treats them as partners rather than puzzle pieces will have an easier time
managing change in ways that benefit both management and staff.
• Employees will be invested in the leader's efforts to effect change gracefully, and
leadership will take extra steps to connect and communicate with staff.
Conti…
• A business that sucks its employees dry and provides disproportionate rewards to
its upper tier will be unlikely to address employee concerns during a period of
ongoing change and in return will likely lose their loyalty.
• In contrast, management takes care of practical necessities, making sure the
timeline flows smoothly, and the physical infrastructure is in place.
• Leadership and managerial roles in the change process overlap because transition
is even more difficult without the personnel to do what is needed.
• Leadership plays the role of keeping these staff members on board as vital,
contributing participants in the process.
 How Does Leadership Influence Change in an
Organization?
• Leadership can have a positive or negative influence on change, depending on the
change methods used and their effectiveness within the organizational dynamic.
• The National Health Service in the United Kingdom characterizes leadership
influence: “Strong and clear leadership is critical in inspiring people to make
changes…”
• Planning
• Leaders must show employees that the change improves the organization and the
employees’ ability to complete work in an efficient manner.
• It is certain that employees will meet any change with some level of resistance;
leadership must plan for resistance.
 Conti….
• Education

• Leaders should ensure that all employees understand the need and reason for the change.
• Fully address concerns to avoid problems.
• Identify work pattern changes that may cause employee confusion and disorientation.
• Educate and train employees on new systems; ensure they feel comfortable and can perform well.
• Communication

• Leaders should design a communication process that acknowledges change and the potential for
employees to feel threatened or become fearful for their job.
• Communicate employee implications; ensure the staff understands the vision for the future and
their role within the organization.
• Communicate every step of the change clearly and often.
Conti…
• Participation

• Leaders can make employees active participants in the change by bringing employees
into the decision making process.
• Allow employees to participate in solving potential problems.
• Support
• Leaders should provide new skills training as needed.
• An organization's leadership should also review the organizational structure to ensure it
aligns with the change.
THE LEADER’S ROLE FOR MANAGING CHANGE
• Leaders have a critical role to play in managing change, the following chart
provides an overview of how leader role can impact the change obstacle.
• Change Obstacles Leader’s Role
• Employee Resistance - Leverage your relationship with your team to
address employee concerns on a personal level.
Ask for their feedback and respond to their
concerns honestly and openly.
Review the section on Managing Change in this
guide.
Conti…
• Change Obstacles Leader’s Role
• Communication breakdownCommunicate key information to employees on an
on-going and consistent basis.
Review the section on Communication in this guide.

• Staff turnover Engage your team by involving them in the

initiative.
Coach, Mentor and enrich their roles.
 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR CHANGE

• Understanding the roles and responsibilities that you and others play in the
change effort is essential.
• They will provide clarity on the expectations, project scope and responsibility for
each contributor.
• Typically, there are four key roles: the Sponsor (Senior Leaders), Champion
(Leader), Change Agent (Human Resources) and Stakeholder (Employees).
 Conti…
• The Sponsor is usually the Director/Dean in the department/faculty and:
• Has the overall responsibility for the department or faculty.
• Is the person who has authority over the project and over the individuals who will implement the
change.
• Provides funding, resolves issues and scope changes.
• Approves major deliverables and provides high-level direction.
• Has a clear vision, identified goals and measurable outcomes for the change initiative.
• The Champion is usually the Sr. Manager/Chair in the department/faculty that:
• Has the overall day-to-day authority.
• Provides the Sponsor with information about the issues and challenges.
• Engages and involves the right people on the ground.
• Brings the change vision to life.
• Encourages (and sometimes enforces) new and desired behaviours.
Conti…
• The Change Agent is the person or group that assists the department/faculty to
implement the proposed change i.e., Human Resources.
• Their role is to advise and guide the Champion and Sponsor throughout the change
initiative and:
• Focus on assisting, advising and coaching the Sponsor and Champion in the change effort.
• May act in a number of roles – data gatherer, educator, advisor, facilitator or coach.
• Has no direct-line authority to or over the Sponsor or Stakeholders.
• Act as subject-matter-experts in the change management process.
• Stakeholders are those employees who will be impacted by the change.
• It is critical that they are involved in the process and understand how the change initiative
will impact their current state.
 Successful Change Management Comes From
Strong Leadership
• One of the biggest flaws in the concepts behind change management, 
change leadership, and transformational leadership is that they boil down to
change-driven leadership binges.
• Most of the processes found in change management and change leadership
models should be standard operating procedures, integrated into your day-to-day
operations and reinforced by strong leadership regardless of change initiatives.
• Change is universal so you must position your organization to prepare for change
as a constant rather than a series of solitary events.
• In our fast-changing world, the strategic imperative to change is often clear:
Without doing things differently, our company is unlikely to succeed, or last.
Conti….
• To put it simply, stop looking upward in the organizational hierarchy for answers to
implementation and start empowering your stakeholders to own it.
• There is no question of how individual buy-in affects the outcome of change initiatives,
but this buy-in shouldn’t be tied to organizational opportunity.
• It should be earned year-round through effective leadership and open, collaborative
communication.
• Flawless Execution equips organizations with a framework to do this, providing process
structure that empowers leaders to earn the commitment of their teams.
• It establishes a method that allows top-level leadership to plan within the appropriate
purview—enterprise strategy and direction-setting—and defer to the expertise of mid-
and lower-level leaders and their teams to establish ownership of planning and
executing the supporting missions that ultimately determine success. This is how you
transform team members into change leaders.
 Conti…
• We know that effective leadership is essential to successful change. But we wanted to understand
the differences in leadership between successful and unsuccessful change efforts.
• That’s why recently conducted a study where asked from 275 senior executives to reflect on
successful and unsuccessful change efforts they’d led.
• The goal of study to characterize “change-capable leadership,” define the key leadership
competencies necessary for change, and better understand leadership behaviors that could
contribute to change failures.
• The executives surveyed were all participants in our Leadership at the Peak program, which
targets executives with more than 15 years of management experience, responsibility for 500 or
more people, and decision-making authority as members of top management teams. All of them
were seasoned leaders.
• Results of the study, revealed 9 critical leadership competencies of successful change efforts.
• The 9 change competencies can be further divided into 3 main categories — what we call “the 3
C’s of change,” leading the process, and leading people.
 The 3 C’s of Change Leadership
• Researchers found that 3 skills provide the necessary connection between the process part of
change and the people part of change. These 3 C’s unite effective change leadership:
• 1. Communicate. Unsuccessful leaders tended to focus on the “what” behind the change.
Successful leaders communicated the “what” and the “why.” Leaders who explained the
purpose of the change and connected it to the organization’s values or explained the benefits
created stronger buy-in and urgency for the change.
• 2. Collaborate. Bringing people together to plan and execute change is critical. Successful
leaders worked across boundaries, encouraged employees to break out of their feed storage,
and refused to tolerate unhealthy competition. They also included employees in decision-
making early on, strengthening their commitment to change. Unsuccessful change leaders
failed to engage employees early and often in the change process.
• 3. Commit. Successful leaders made sure their own beliefs and behaviors supported change,
too. Change is difficult, but leaders who negotiated it successfully were resilient and persistent,
and willing to step outside their comfort zone. They also devoted more of their own time to the
change effort and focused on the big picture. Unsuccessful leaders failed to adapt to
challenges, expressed negativity, and were impatient with a lack of results.
 Leading the Process of Change
• Strategic change doesn’t happen on its own. Effective leaders guide the process from start to
finish. Here are the 3 key competencies that are part of leading the process:
• Initiate. After understanding the need for change, effective change leaders begin by making the
case for the change they seek.
• This can include evaluating the business context, understanding the purpose of the change,
developing a clear vision and desired outcome, and identifying a common goal.
• Unsuccessful leaders say they didn’t focus on these tasks enough to reach a common
understanding of the goal..
• Strategize. Successful leaders developed a strategy and a clear action plan, including priorities,
timelines, tasks, structures, behaviors, and resources.
• They identified what would change, but also what would stay the same.
• Leaders who weren’t successful said they failed to listen enough to questions and concerns, and
failed to define success from the beginning.
Conti…
• Execute. Translating strategy into execution is one of the most important things
leaders can do.
• In our study, successful change leaders focused on getting key people into key
positions (or removing them, in some cases).
• They also broke big projects down into small wins to get early victories and build
momentum.
• And they developed metrics and monitoring systems to measure progress.
• Unsuccessful change leaders sometimes began micromanaging, got delayed in
implementation details, and failed to consider the bigger picture.
 Leading People Through Change
• While formal change processes might be well understood, too many leaders neglect the
all-important human side of change.
• The most effective leaders devoted considerable effort to engaging everyone involved in
the change and remembered that people need time to adapt to change — no matter how
fast-moving the change initiative.
• They exhibit these 3 critical qualities of leading people:
• Support. Successful change projects were characterized by leaders removing barriers to
employee success.
• These include personal barriers such as wounded egos and a sense of loss, as well as
professional barriers such as the time and resources necessary to carry out a change plan.
• Leaders of unsuccessful change focused exclusively on results, so employees didn’t get the
support they needed for the change.
 Conti…
• Sway (Authority). Influence is about gaining not only compliance but also the commitment
necessary to drive change. It is also about mapping out the critical change agents and defining
what “buy-in” looks like from each stakeholder that will lead to a successful outcome.
• Effective leaders identified key stakeholders — including board members, C-suite executives,
clients, and others — and communicated their vision of successful change to them.
• Unsuccessful leaders told us they were more likely to avoid certain stakeholders rather than try
to influence them.
• Learn. Finally, successful change leaders never assumed they had all the answers.
• They asked lots of questions and gathered formal and informal feedback. The input and
feedback allowed them to make continual adjustments during the change.
• In the case of unsuccessful changes, leaders didn’t ask as many questions or gather accurate
information, which left them without the knowledge they needed to make appropriate
adjustments along the way.