Managing Organizational Change through Innovation

Changing Organizational Life: Leading Organizational Change and Innovation Strategies
Introduction
Innovation leadership in the 21st can be a great way to help bring about change in the IT industry (McEntire & Green-Shortridge, 2011). The IT industry is based on the idea that great products require great minds to constantly push the envelope. At the same time, changing organizational life is not easy. Anytime there is a change, there will be obstacles: people who do not like change pushing back and resisting the change. For that reason, leaders have to show respect, appreciation, empathy, fairness and honesty by explaining the logical reason for change, how it will help, and why it is important to embrace (Victor & Franckeiss, 2002). This paper will discuss the reality of changing organizational life; the strategies I will focus on to become a stronger leader of innovation and change; how my strategies are related to my own values, beliefs, and perceived strengths acting in organizations of innovation/change; how I believe these strategies will lead to me being a better leader and ultimately being part of a better functioning organization; a few examples of what acting on these strategies would mean; areas I believe I need to continue to learn and grow in when leading innovation/change; and action steps I will take to continue to improve as a leader of innovation/change.
The Reality of Changing Organizational Life
The purpose of change management is “to assist the organization in achieving its goals which cannot be attained with the existing organizational structure, functioning and client servicing, and to minimize the adverse effects of any changes made” (Vedenik & Leber, 2015, p. 585). However, changing organizational life can be difficult. Workers may resist and frustrate plans for change. To get everyone on board with change, the leader has to be good at communicating the vision of change. The leader also has to be respectful towards all workers and mindful of their feelings and fears. A good way to help workers get on board with change is to use the Kotter 8-step model of change:
1) Create a sense of urgency
2) Create a guiding coalition
3) Create a vision for change
4) Communicate the vision
5) Remove obstacles
6) Create short-term wins
7) Consolidate improvements
8) Anchor the changes
As Hornstein (2015) points out, removing obstacles by listening to workers, acknowledging their fears, and showing empathy and respect is the best way to get workers on board with change. Changing organizational life is not easy, but if you use the right model and communicate well with others by being honest about the need for change and what to expect, people will be more likely to work with you towards change.
Strategies to Become a Stronger Leader of Innovation and Change
Innovation is needed to solve complex problems that are unique to our time and place (Termeer & Nooteboom, 2014). Without innovation and change, a company is static and cannot respond to new demands in a rapidly changing world. An organization in IT has to be dynamic and on the cutting edge. It has to stay competitive by being willing to adapt. The best strategy for becoming a stronger leader of innovation and change is to be adaptive, be willing to listen to the creative ideas and solutions of others, and to promote people to think outside the box. A leader should never be rigid and inflexible. Instead, a leader should try to create an organizational culture in which creativity and inspiration are core values. The difference between a leader and a manager is that a leader is willing to take chances on new ideas and go off the beaten path to find new opportunities. A manager is one who knows how to use those around him in the best way possible. A leader who combines innovative leadership with management skills can marshal the talent in his organization, motivate, provide visionary leadership all while inviting workers to brainstorm new ideas together and get away from groupthink (which limits and stifles creativity). Another strategy is to turn a group of workers into team. A group is just a loose bunch of workers who may or may not be working together towards a common goal. A team is aware of what everyone else is doing in the team and works towards one vision. This is good for promoting change and innovation because it encourages personal accountability and cohesion while providing space for creative outlets and solutions.
How My Strategies Relate to My Own Values, Beliefs, and Perceived Strengths Acting in Organizations of Innovation/Change
My strategies relate to my own values, beliefs and strengths by reflecting my appreciation for servant leadership, which enables a leader to put others first and support them in the ways they need to be successful. A servant leader will put the right people in the right positions and let them go to work on providing innovative new ways forward in IT. A servant leader empathizes, shows respect, and listens and talks with honesty and care. This is what is needed to develop a strong organizational culture. That strength can then be used to create a willingness to embrace change and to adapt to new ideas. My values are that I hold honesty, respect for others, and empathy to be important. My belief is that people want leaders to be transparent, good, understanding, and appreciative. No one likes to be micro-managed. That is why I think servant leadership can fit so well with innovative leadership: both are about giving workers what they need so that they can be creative and innovative without fear.
How I Believe These Strategies Will Lead to Me Being a Better Leader and Ultimately Being Part of a Better Functioning Organization
Strategies such as servant leadership, innovative leadership and Kotter’s 8-step model for change will lead me to being a better leader and being part of a better functioning organization by giving me the rock-solid foundation needed to succeed. Effective leadership styles are so important when managing change. Autocratic or authoritarian leadership styles can turn people off from change. The better way to manage change is to be empathetic and promote team work. The way to promote innovation is to challenge groupthink and promote an organizational culture in which people feel that their ideas are valued and appreciated. Workers appreciate when leaders boost their self-confidence and permit them to take risks by being creative. When you as a leader have a strategic vision, you then have to execute and bring that vision to life. That is where Kotter’s 8-step model comes into play: it provides the blueprint or basic steps for how to bring about change and create a better functioning organization. Without critical thinking, which is the ability to reflect on complex ideas and use reason and logic to solve problems, a leader cannot be successful. Creating an organizational culture in which critical thinking is a core value is essential.
Examples
A few examples of what acting on these strategies would mean are: 1) promoting critical thinking in the workplace would mean inviting everyone to brainstorm a problem we are facing in IT and then go away and work on creative solutions; then the ideas would be presented at our next meeting; 2) promoting innovation would mean rewarding workers for compelling, new ideas no matter how risky they might seem; 3) serving workers would mean putting their needs first and making sure they have all the emotional and social and intellectual support they need to be innovative; 4) promoting change would mean listening to the fears of others and taking these into consideration when communicating the new vision for the organization.
Areas for Growth
Areas I believe I need to continue to learn and grow in when leading innovation and change are: 1) my communication skills—I want to be able to express the vision clearly and with inspiration; 2) my emotional intelligence—I want to be able to understand people’s needs better even when they do not use words to tell me; 3) my ability to motivate workers—I want to find the right balance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors that appeal to people and implement them in the workplace.
Conclusion: Action Steps
Action steps I will take to improve as a leader of innovation and change are: 1) to begin operating more as a servant leader and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of my team and putting the right people in the right positions and then making sure they are supported in everything so that they can be creative and innovative; 2) to begin making a point to practice my communication skills by working on clearly explaining the vision of the organization to my team; 3) to begin understanding the needs of the team by asking them to voice their worries and concerns so that I can take them into consideration during the change management process; 4) to begin finding out what motivates my team and how I can give them that motivation so that we all can execute our tasks.





References
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