Transformational leadership and organizational change theories in modern management

Lifeline Management

Principles and Theories

Stark (2004) discussed the transformational elements present in the state of leadership in his article. This article attempted to strike a balance by understanding leadership as more of a state of mind than a state of action. Five major conclusions were highlighted in this reading. The first suggests that strong and positive organizations are direct reflections of the collective state of the workers of that organization. The next suggests that leadership is not related to power and is a state of being. The third conclusion the author discussed that the fundamental state of leadership is results driven. The fourth conclusion mandated that leaders need to experience deep and serious change to enter a state of fundamental leadership. The fifth conclusion suggested that change is contingent upon the leadership's ability to accept and engage in change.

Lawler & n Golden's (2003) article embraced the idea of organizational change by developing a Built to Change (B2change) model that consist of three processes that help to identify an organization's true character and constituency. These authors suggested that orchestrating, or the manner in which an organization conducts its business is the most important aspect of this model. The B2change model is implemented in three phases and aligns the strategic outlook of an organization of firm with an appropriate leadership design. The endgame of the model is to create a virtuous spiral which " exists when everything comes together in such a way that critical configuration and dynamic alignment equally coexist for extended periods of time." Competitive advantage is promised if this model is properly applied in a balanced and deliberate manner. One disadvantage of the B2change model is that organizations are often changing too fast for this model to be applied in any reasonable manner.

Van Fleet & Van Fleet (2007) offered an explanation for the role of the boss in the workplace while highlighting ways to avoid sustaining a poor relationship with a supervisor or boss. The article is helpful because it demonstrated how and why all jobs are not tailor made for each individual. Both bosses and workers can both hold negative characteristics and it is up to the individual to decide if this relationship is beneficial for either person and the organization itself.

Reardon (2005) presented a rather bleak picture of the political nature of the workplace. The article is essentially a playbook on how to play the political game at workplace while defending the validity and effectiveness of this approach. Deception and wit are required to play this game according to the article and one must be aware of the political power structures that will inevitably exist at work.

Gigerenzer (2007) appealed to the more subtle forms of intelligence in his article to help reveal how intuition can assist people in their workplace lives. The unconscious mind is discussed as a reserve power that can greatly affect how one thinks and acts. Logic is dismissed as a sole beacon for guidance and gut feelings should replace this outdated mode of action according to this author.

Lennick & Kiel (2005) wrote that moral intelligence is one of the most important, yet overlooked aspect of workplace management. The article is premised on the idea that there is a universal right and wrong as we are born with these instincts. An alignment model is presented to demonstrate how one would match upon their actions with this dogmatic idea.

Kidder (2009) wrote about how a dearth in ethical behavior at the workplace is the root of many of the problems we are facing today. The idea that the ethical behavior is countercyclical to the economy reflected this author's principles of a call for ethical reform and creating a culture of integrity and honesty that is lacking in many areas of our environment. The author called for a revolution to turn towards ethical behavior as its main principle.

George (2003) suggested in his article that authentic leadership "involves those actions taken by people of high integrity who are committed to building enduring organizations relying on morality and character, " (p.226). He suggested that a model that is based on a mission-driven principle would best authenticate one's leadership position in an organization. Balance and self-discipline are offered as means to attain an authentic leadership style that would provide a whole and true picture of that organization.

Part 2: Application

To properly apply the aforementioned concepts and principles to my workplace organization is important to first give some information about my employer. I work for Lifeline in Ft. Wayne, IN helping to instill lasting change in many troubled youths and their family structures. Lifeline works closely with Child Protective Services, probation departments and other local law enforcement entities to provide family counseling services to these troubled youths and their loved ones.

Lifeline is an non-profit organization employing nearly 250 people. The company is guided by a Board of Directors that influences the methods, practices and ethical climate of our organization. Lifeline has several different services all dealing with some specific aspect of the troubled family which is headed by a director in charge of that specific program. I specialize in case management and am witness to many of the key aspects brought out in the assigned readings.

The readings themselves all are generalized and can be applied to most organizations including Lifeline. Even though the organization is a non-profit and competitive advantage is not relevant, leadership and organizational management theories still very much apply. As Lifeline is a stalwart supporter of the lasting effects of positive change and many of the suggestions in the readings reverberate with our message.

Our organization, like any other, often experiences leadership problems and mistakes are common. The general theme of the readings suggested that improvement should always be considered and my workplace is no different. Sustaining organizational change is very important to our work environment and is obviously necessary to implement them with prudence, foresight and wisdom if possible.

The ideas of moral intelligence and ethical approaches are also very applicable to Lifeline as it would be to most agencies of our nature. The unique position of intervening within the family life is a very sensitive and touchy issue for many within the community and it is important that our organization is aware of our ethical and moral approach and how it is or is not aligned with the overall organizational strategy as dictated by the Board of Directors.

The aforementioned readings all regard leadership as a key ingredient to organizational success and Lifeline is once again no exception despite its non-profit status. It is important that leadership qualities are reflective of our community and government as opposed to simply just a profit making corporation. In many ways, leadership is that much more important at Lifeline because the monetary element is not present and we are essentially working for a non-tangible and subtle principle of harmony and peace within the community. Healing these young people and their families cannot be approached with a money-making attitude as this is not our goal. A strong leadership approach is therefore necessary and imperative in order to fully convince others of our purpose and meaning.

Although Lifeline does have some bad bosses and bad workers in the organization, the impact of lasting change can alter these behaviors and produce a conformed effort that epitomizes the essence of leadership and guidance. We are lucky at Lifeline however because, in my opinion, most of the leadership is authentic and comes from a deep and caring place that transcends the notions of selfishness, attachment and stagnation.

Part 4: Evaluation

Although I am generally pleased with my organization's performance and leadership style, I do believe there is work to be done in order to reach a higher level. Regarding intuition and gut instinct, some leaders are often hesitant to address this matter in any serious manner leaving many workers to simply to employ their own intuition without any direct order from leadership. In some ways it appears somewhat silly to enforce intuition since its origin cannot be accurately traced.

Instead, Lifeline should be a little more open about the touchy/feely aspects that accompany a transformational shift from the intellect to the darker and more esoteric factions of the mind. This is more or less a reflection of the community itself and the obvious repression of these tools and skills. Leadership treats intuition in very off-handed approach where each individual is expected to use their "gut" when they deem it is necessary. This two edged sword is both beneficial and harmful depending on the situation and the circumstances, but either way it is neither properly addressed or classified.

The leadership at Lifeline is mostly authentic using George's definition and parameters of the idea. Most employees I am associated with, appear to live very balanced lives and are looking to give back to the community and help others that appear to have severe imbalances present in their lives. Many co-workers are friends and attend social activities together outside of work further demonstrating an authentic workplace with authentic and real leadership that binds the members together even when not at the workplace.

The serious and often sad nature of our work requires an authentic approach. Human lives are very much at risk if our work fails and our community will suffer as well. At Lifeline we transcend the normal workplace and realize that our jobs have a special implication and our moral and ethical standards need to be aligned with those of the community and political factions of our region.

Balance and harmony are key components of authentic leadership and my assessment is that we do in fact generally produce a balanced approach even though we fail quite often at many sub-tasks. As humans, we need problems to motivate us and keep us on our toes to make life interesting, challenging and rewarding. This is essentially the case at Lifeline and I am very proud to be associated with this organization and its leadership philosophy.