Verified Document

Change Process Authority And Leadership Have An Essay

¶ … Change Process Authority and leadership have an enormous influence on an organization that is going through change.

The strong authority figures that embrace transformation leadership styles of management within an organization are very likely to be successful in bringing along the rest of the organization. By reviewing plans and goals carefully and fully with staff and other executives, the transformational leader can take the organization well past the old concept of status quo and infuse a "broad shared vision of the future" instead (McKnight, 2013, p. 103). In the peer-reviewed Journal of Leadership, Accountability & Ethics, the author asserts that the transformational leader can provide an enormous source of support through identifying the exact steps an organization will need in order to successfully transition through changes in the goals of the organization.

The transformational leader will be "…creative and inclusionary," McKnight explains (103), and will be totally open for "personal and organization continuous learning" as the change components are encountered. The leader -- and this paper suggests that the transformational kind of leader is most apt to enjoy success when guiding an organization through change -- must show his or her authority through: a) the building of consensus with staff; b) uniting the company behind achievable plans and goals that the employees believe in and are willing to work towards; c) maintaining sustainability and accountability; d) charismatic interactions with employees; e) strong "human value systems" that help to motive others; and f) connecting the organization with "the external community that it serves" (McKnight, 104).

The authority figure that hopes to move an organization through dramatic change must have the ability, as McKnight explains on page 104, to "…create a collective vision, act in a sense of oneness, be…authentic and engaged," and also that leader must "loosen authority and control" at the right moments to the point of getting down on the level that...

The idea that change can take place in an organization when the company's strongest leaders adhere to a hierarchy (totem pole) mentality is wrong, McKnight insists.
A strong authority figure is absolutely imperative in a situation in which change is being implemented, and work activities are being assigned in the new configuration, McKnight explains. The transformational leader will set "high performance expectations" and that leader will be certain to "reward behaviors that are directed towards the vision…" that the leader has outlined (McKnight, 105). Once clear responsibilities and priorities have been set through "extensive communication" with staff and executives, McKnight asserts, the freedom to improvise must be granted to the workers (105).

Moreover, if the change is "punctuated," meaning there needs to be a rapid, urgent change, there are additional responsibilities that fall into the lap of the transformational leader. These responsibilities actually manifest themselves as "external pressures," McKnight puts forward on page 106. The first external pressure that must be successfully dealt with is the "reconfiguration" of the "value stream" which is being repositioned in the organization; secondly, the leader must assist in redefining the "driving force" of the organization, which is basically developing a new mission or goal or strategy (McKnight, 106). And the third external pressure in a punctuated change is to actually "redefine the value proposition to the existing or the new customer"; this means the leadership must guide activities within the organization to meet new market challenges and to identify and please a new customer base (McKnight, 106).

TWO: Why do people resist change? How can managers overcome that resistance?

Psychologists explain that "…human resistance to change is a perfectly natural process," according to a peer-reviewed piece in the Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series (Mariana, et al., 2013). However, just because there are…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Mariana, P., Daniela, B., and Nadina, R.R. (2013). Forces that Enhance or Reduce Employee

Resistance to Change. Annals of the University of Oradea, Economic Science Series, 22(1),

1606-1612.

McKnight, L. (2013). Transformational Leadership in the Context of Punctuated Change.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Microsoft Change Implications for Leadership and Management
Words: 2193 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Microsoft Change Implications for Leadership and Management in Designing and Controlling Innovation and Change: The Microsoft Case No organization can hope to remain competitive today without carefully and efficiently managing the pace of innovation within that organization in response to changing consumer needs, industry trends, and internal capabilities. Communications technologies and other new mechanisms of conducting and creating business that have come about in the Digital Age have increased the pace of

Leadership Theory in a Changing and Globalizing
Words: 5806 Length: 20 Document Type: Essay

Leadership Theory in a Changing and Globalizing Marketplace Modern business practice is permeated by the complexities of a changing world. The impact of globalization on the cultural makeup of companies, the effects of the global recession on the conventions of daily business and the evolutionary shifts brought on by emergent technology all call for an orientation toward simultaneous stability and adaptability. Only under the stewardship of a qualified, communicative, flexible and

Leadership in Organizations Organizational Leadership
Words: 12322 Length: 40 Document Type: Capstone Project

Leadership, according to La Monica (1938), is when a person has authority that is recognized by others, and the person has followers/subordinates under them, who believe that the person will assist them in attaining certain goals (carrying out specific objectives for the followers). Furthermore, anyone that is willing to assist and help others could be referred to as a leader (p.8) Leaders see what others do not Most leaders have

Leadership Characteristics of Administrators to
Words: 9690 Length: 30 Document Type: Term Paper

Most conclusions on this approach were vague or indecisive in terms of social, psychological or mental significance (Rice, 1978, 1981; Graen et al., 1972; Ashour, 1973). Furthermore, over the years, many scholars have come to the realization that leadership is situational and hence there are many realistic settings like the environment, the employees, the resources, etc. that determine the characteristics needed in a leader as well as his/her business approach

Leadership at the Core of Leadership Is
Words: 2959 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Leadership At the core of leadership is the interaction between the leader and the follower. Much of leadership theory can be understood in terms of how leaders and followers interact and what the underlying assumptions are with respect to the roles and nature of leadership. Because of the many different types of leaders, and successful examples thereof, leadership scholarship has developed multiple branches that seek to explain leadership, but no one

Leadership Theory Has Undergone Significant
Words: 2315 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Organizational transformation, once seldom required, is now required frequently in many organizations. This places increased emphasis on the importance of leaders with transformational skills. The other way in which globalization has impacted leadership is the increased need for "soft" skills. The human element of leadership was virtually irrelevant during the early 20th century, as labor was viewed as little more than a commodity. However -- and in particular in

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now