Leadership change and organizational impact

Senior leaders assess their company’s readiness for change using various tools and techniques. Change readiness refers to two main factors: member commitment and perceived efficacy (Weiner, 2009). Both commitment and efficacy suggest that a unified vision for change is required for effective organizational change. Whether it is stimulated by internal or external factors, member commitment to and belief in organizational change is critical.
The factors used to determine if change is needed in a given organization include regular, systematic, ongoing assessments of internal and external factors. The need for change can be sparked by external threats like encroaching competition or shifting consumer trends. Entering a new market might initiate a change strategy in the organization, too. Other internal factors that can determine whether change is needed include raw data from performance reports. Once the need for change has been determined, senior leaders need to shift their attention to the vision for change. The vision for change includes identifying and articulating what kind of change is going to be most effective for meeting organizational goals, while preserving the core mission and vision of the company. Change strategies will be based on everything from budgetary constraints to marketing and PR needs.
To determine if an organization is structurally ready to support change, senior leaders can perform internal and external assessments. Successful organizational change requires resilience as well as positive attitudes towards change. As Weiner (2009) points out, organizational change requires specific psychological states shared among all members of the organization. Whereas senior management needs to embody the psychological characteristics of change readiness, junior managers and subordinates also need to be committed to change, ready for change, and dedicated to promoting successful change.
Attitudes toward change in the organization may therefore be the most critical element to change success. Research shows that the companies “most likely to be successful in making change work to their advantage are the ones that no longer view change as a discrete event to be managed, but as a constant opportunity to evolve the business,” (Musselwhite & Plouffe, 2010, p. 1). Moreover, organizations that have cultures conducive to change are learning organizations. Learning organizations are highly adaptable and amenable to change, and demonstrate low resistance to change. The means by which leaders can inspire readiness for and willingness to change include empowering employees with information. Rather than keeping members of the organization in the dark, change leaders need to involve all team members in the change process.
As Musselwhite & Plouffe (2010) also suggest, change usually requires reorganizing, restructuring and reengineering (p. 1). The reorganization or restructuring of the company may be necessary for change to be effective. Sometimes, the restructuring of the organization is required to facilitate the change process itself, whereas in other cases, organizational reorganization and restructuring are the actual goals of the change process. Individual readiness, as well as shared or collective preparedness for change, ensures organizational resilience.
While it can be difficult to smoothly reorganize or restructure, an effective change management strategy can minimize organizational stress. In most organizations, “collective behavior change is necessary in order to effectively implement the change and, in some instances, for the change to produce anticipated benefits,” (Weiner, 2009, p. 67). Therefore, leaders need to communicate the purpose for the change, underlying core strategies, tools, and techniques. Leaders also need to consider issues like company culture and values, to frame change as being conducive to better meeting organizational goals.







References

Musselwhite, C. & Plouffe, T. (2010). Four ways to know whether you are ready for change. Harvard Business Review. June 2, 1010. Retrieved online: https://hbr.org/2010/06/four-ways-to-know-whether-you
Weiner, B.J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science 4: 67.