The Role Of Organizational Leaders In Implementing Change Strategy To Drive Success

The Role Of Organizational Leaders In Implementing Change Strategy To Drive Success

Change management refers to the systematic approach and application of tools, knowledge, and resources to withstand change. It involves defining & adopting corporate strategies, procedures, structures, and technologies to handle changes in external conditions and the business environment.

Effective organizational change management goes beyond project management and technical tasks being performed to enact changes in an organization. It usually involves leading the “people side” of major change in an organization. The primary objective of change management is to successfully implement new procedures, products, and business strategies while minimizing negative results.

Organizations often need to implement enterprise-wide changes influencing their processes, products, and people to keep pace in an ever-evolving business world. Change is inevitable in businesses today. Unfortunately, it can often be difficult, and people resist it. However, organizations should follow a systematic approach to deal with a significant change to create an agile workplace culture. Organizational development experts have recognized strategies for successfully navigating through change.

Steps in the Change Management Process

Organizations must systematically prepare for and implement significant organizational change. Their approach to managing change should include the following stages:

Building a Guiding Coalition:

When employees feel a sense of urgency, leaders should establish a group with enough power to lead the change. Members need substantial authority based on position, credibility, expertise, leadership, effective management skills, and proven leadership abilities. This coalition must work together based on trust and set a common goal.

Creating a Sense of Urgency:

Successful transformation efforts begin when leaders examine the market for changes that may lead to new competitive realities for the organization. These changes may stem from demographic shifts, new technology, social trends, market or competitor changes, or new government regulations. The leaders must explain that a potential crisis is inevitable. So, they should encourage open discussion across the organization.

Enabling Action by Removing Barriers:

To empower employees to support change and act on the vision, organizational leaders should identify and remove obstacles, including:

• Formal structures, which made it difficult for employees to act
• A lack of needed skills
• Personnel or information systems
• Supervisors who discourage actions toward implementing the new vision

Creating Strategic Vision & Initiatives:

The guiding coalition should craft a clear vision for the future, encourage people to take appropriate actions, and coordinate their activities. A practical vision is imaginable, feasible, desirable, focused, flexible, and communicable. Creating a compelling vision takes time and can be challenging; however, the end product provides a clear direction for the future. Something to consider in creating vision statements is also if they are measurable. Many organizations develop elaborate vision statements and values however they do not measure their success or progress according to these vision statements or company values.

Generating Short-Term Wins:

Successful change takes time, which can be discouraging to workers at all levels of the organization. Leaders should create conditions supporting early successes and visible improvements to maintain urgency. The key is to search for opportunities to score early achievements and recognize & reward those who made these accomplishments possible. Good short-term wins have definite results, are visible to many people, and are related to the change effort.

At KW Productions, we ensure organizations are able to deploy tools and techniques to cope with change both in the internal and external environment. Let us help you achieve your full potential as an organization that successfully implements change and drive success in the long run.