This is where the Emotional Intelligence (EI) of a leader becomes critical (McEnrue, Groves, Shen, 173, 174). To the extent a leader can nurture and create trust with their subordinates is to the extent they can create a positive perception of change, where employees identify and even own parts of the processes critical for change to strategies, systems, processes and procedures to be successful. It is in the approach leaders take to managing change and gaining ownership among employees that lasting change can be successfully managed. Resistance to change cannot be accomplished through formal channels; there must be a more transformational role to managing organizational change that is more dependent on a leader's ability to inspire confidence in their judgment and abilities than blind faith in their position level in the organization.
Trust in Leaders is Critical for Lasting Organizational Change
The ability of a leader to have a transformational effect on any organization is more dependent on their ability to be transformational and charismatic in their approach to managing (McEnrue, Groves, Shen, 168, 169). This refers to the ability of a leader to help employees learn through the process of change how they can improve their own talents, abilities and skills over time vs. being merely directed to do their jobs' duties even in the midst of major upheaval and change. To be a transactional leader is to embrace the concept of using only authority as a means to get to organizational goals. Transformational...
For true organizational change to occur it must emanate from the employees themselves and this can only be achieved by leaders who are transformational in their approach and engender and keep trust.
Conclusion
The pace of organizational change is increasing, with the need for leaders to be more transformational in scope. To overcome resistance to change, leaders must also concentrate on earning the trust of their subordinates over time and stay true to their commitments.
References
Robert Gandossy, Robin Guarnieri. (2008). Can You Measure Leadership? MIT Sloan Management Review, 50(1), 65-69. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1570723551).
Tom Karp, Thomas I. Tveteraas Helgo. (2009). Reality revisited: leading people in chaotic change. The Journal of Management Development, 28(2), 81-93. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1632344561).
Mary Pat McEnrue, Kevin S. Groves, Winny Shen. (2009). Emotional intelligence development: leveraging individual characteristics. The Journal of Management Development, 28(2),…
