Leadership Approaches in Managing and Sustaining Change

MANAGING AND SUSTAINING CHANGE

Change Management and Change Leadership

Change management is a systematic method or process by which an organization implements change (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015). It encompasses standardized techniques and procedures meant to support employees and leadership teams to transition from one point to another. The change process has a discrete end and beginning, and the manager’s role is to direct employees to follow the standard processes in achieving the desired end (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015). Change leadership, however, goes beyond standard practices and processes. It involves inspiring and influencing employees to agree on what needs to be done to collectively achieve shared objectives in times of uncertainty (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015).

The change leader adopts a people-focused approach and thrives by integrating the change among employees rather than imposing it (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015). According to Kotter (n.d), they achieve this by helping the employees understand why the change is necessary, getting them to own the change, and then collaborating with them to develop a strategic shared vision. Differently from a change manager, a change leader removes barriers such as inefficient hierarchies and processes and gives employees the freedom to exercise independent decision-making to realize the shared vision. Basically, in change management, the leader single-handedly establishes the need for change and what needs to be done, and then directs the employees to work in line with the established plan and instruction (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015). Conversely, a change leader guides the employees through the change process and motivates them to commit to their jobs and use their talents to achieve the shared vision (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015).

Leadership Approaches and the Evaluation and Sustaining of Change

Evaluation of change has to do with analysing what changed as a result of a certain initiative, and what the outcome of that change has been. Sustaining change, on the other hand, has to do with getting a change to be adopted as the standard of doing things (Hodges & Gill, 2014). For instance, a healthcare organization may decide to implement a quality improvement such as conducting initial risk-assessments on elderly patients to assess and minimize the risk of falls. Evaluating the change will involve determining the extent to which the change has reduced the incidence of falls among the target population. If the organization establishes that the change has been effective, initial risk assessment is sustained and adopted as standard procedure.

Available literature contends that different leadership approaches may be effective at different levels of the change process (Hodges & Gill, 2014). Transformational leadership (people-focused leadership) may be the most effective in the evaluation of change. The voice of the employee as the chief implementer of the change is necessary at this level as the leader assesses how well they measure up to the change and what they could do to better contribute to the change process (Hodges & Gill, 2014). At the evaluation stage, therefore, the clarity and commitment to the vision, commitment, satisfaction, and well-being of employees is crucial to ensure that all give their best and make maximum use of their talents for the change to succeed.

At the level of sustaining change, however, it may be beneficial to combine the transactional and transformational approaches to leadership to help employees integrate the change into their standard operations or way of life. The transactional approach is task-oriented and focuses on delivering rewards to employees in exchange for good performance. A transactional-transformational approach to sustain change would involve rewarding employees who demonstrate commitment to the set standard through say bonuses or other forms of recognition, and at the same time, offering training opportunities for them to improve their effectiveness on the job in light of the change. Such an approach would demonstrate a commitment to both performance and employees’ satisfaction or well-being, and would provide a platform for employees to integrate the change more effectively (Hodges & Gil, 2014).

The Leader’s Role in Evaluating, Maintaining, and Sustaining Change

Leadership plays a fundamental role in evaluating and sustaining change in organizations. The leadership approach adopted determines the organizational culture and the atmosphere within which employees adopt and implement change. The organizational culture dictates the values and beliefs that guide innovation, creativity, and independent decision-making in an organization (Hodges & Gill, 2014). Ultimately, these elements determine how well employees can adapt and sustain change in the organization. For instance, an organizational culture that focuses on performance while giving little attention to the well-being and satisfaction of employees may demotivate employees and stifle innovation, making it difficult for employees to own the change and give their best to its success. Ultimately, it may be impossible to sustain a change effort that may have been beneficial to the organization.

Further, the leadership manages technology and the reward system, both of which motivate employees to realize superior performance. Thus, to effectively sustain organizational change, the leadership has to put in place an effective training and reward program to help employees integrate the change. According to Hodges and Gill (2014), an effective organizational climate empowers employees to continually grow their skill and make independent decisions in the area of work, and it is the leadership that creates such an environment.