Defining leadership is not an easy task, because it is a complex concept and one that goes out of the business world and into all aspects of everyday life. An attempt to define leadership will likely point to some of the main characteristics of the process and of the leader. As such, Chemers mentions that leadership is "process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task" (Chemers, 1997). This is certainly an encompassing definition, whereby the leader aims to put together a group of individuals, motivate them and present them his vision as a leader and them take them towards that particular goal.
¶ … images managing change. These images change represent ways managers view effective strategy bring change. Each represents a mindset unique a manager summarize key components change.
Images of management
In the context of a dynamic business climate, economic agents have to continually devise new means of dealing with the emergent challenges. What this virtually means is that the companies across the globe strive to develop and implement changes that help them to better address the new tests. Economic agents are as such undergoing a constant change process, but this is in itself intricate and difficult to complete.
The success of any change process depends on a wide array of elements, such as the nature of the change, the benefits it would generate -- both real as well as perceived -- or the role played by the manager. In other words, the means in which the leader manages the change is pivotal to the ultimate success of the change process.
Application analysis
There are generally six types of change images, as follows: the director, the navigator, the caretaker, the coach, the interpreter and the nurturer (Chowdhury). Each of these change management images deals in its own specific manner with change and impacts its team in a certain manner.
At the current organization, the change process was necessary in order to further increase the competitiveness of the firm as its overall profitability. The manager decided to increase the productivity of the employees by increasing their workloads. Within the same time span then, the employees were asked to work more.
The reaction of the employees was rather shy, but clear -- they did not embrace the change, not because they did not want the firm to become more competitive, but because they were already stressed and overworked. Such a change process further adds to the already existent personnel problems (Parkes, 2010).
Still, the response of the manager was not the one hoped by the employees. The manager assumed the role of the director, and strived to control the employees into working harder.
"The image of this change manager is based on images of control as change management principle and the change manager believes in the notion of achievable change outcome through control" (Chowdhury).
The manager did not listen to the arguments of the employees, but categorically told them that the change is necessary for the company. To a limited degree, he heard the complaints of the staff members, but minimized them with trivial arguments. The stand taken by the manager was that more work needed to be done and the employees had no choice but to follow his orders.
Within this setting, the manager himself became more involved in the increased workload and spent extra hours in the firm to help it become more competitive. Still, this decision did not have a positive impact on the staff members.
3. Lessons learned
In the context of the rapidly changing business climate, organizational change is no longer an option, but a daily necessity. Still, its success is pegged to the means in which the change is implemented and managers should focus more on the image they wish to portray, the benefits of the change or its necessity.
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