¶ … urgent need for leaders in today's business environment to effectively manage organizational change in order to keep up with the competition and create greater value for their organizations. Very often, they have to come up with new strategies and business models to improve products and services. It is, therefore, imperative for them to understand various models of organizational change to determine which will work well for their organizations and which will give the desired results. This text takes a look at four models of organizational change: the Expanded Change Model, the Seven S-Action Word Model, the People Mover Change Model and a model that focuses on environmental influences. It establishes why the People Mover Change Model is the best among the three, and also identifies the key differentiators. Initiating and Leading Organizational Change: The People Mover Change Model

Given the dynamic nature of the current business environment, a leader's management of change can make a big difference between organizational success and failure. Organizational change is becoming a challenge particularly because organizations are becoming more global, with faster information flows, flatter hierarchies, and increased interdependence, requiring quicker and more effective responses from leaders. According to Warrick (2011), there is an increasing need in all organizations, regardless of size and type, to have transformational leaders with the skill and courage required to build and reinvent organizations that are capable of keeping up with social, economic and technological changes. Transformational leadership, he asserts, is the only way to bring about positive changes in teams, individuals and organizations, while at the same time establishing a link between personal and organizational goals.

Leaders are responsible for developing and communicating a guiding vision for their organizations by assessing their strength and weaknesses and merging them with the self-efficacy of their teams. Edgehouse et al. (2007) explain that the only way this can be accomplished is through the utilization of different models of organizational change, which help the leaders assess change at a macro level. They reveal the driving forces of change, how the change will occur, and the contents and outcomes of the change, as well as how it should be measured. Models also help in dealing with complex processes and they help restore order in chaotic environments. In particular, the People Mover Change Model is the best model for a leader of a transformational change initiative. This model places emphasis on transformational leadership as a precursor to successful implementation of any change strategy. This text evaluates the People Mover Change Model in detail and explains why it is regarded the best in change implementation. It also identifies key differentiators of this model from other models presented by Edgehouse and her colleagues.

The People Mover Change Model

According to Edgehouse and colleagues (2007), the People Mover Change Model was based on research done on leadership scholars' works on change and leadership behavior and it comprises four major parts: Reflective Motivation, Team-based Preparation, Strategy Implementation and Evaluation. The starting point is reflective motivation, where the team leaders reflect on what the change means to them, to the team members, and the entire organization. At this stage, the leaders must establish whether they are passionate about the change and whether the change drives the economic engine of the organization (Edgehouse et al., 2007). It is imperative for leaders to make this clear because it will determine how they motivate the rest of the team and lead them to change.

The next stage is Team-based Preparation. The leaders have to select the group of individuals that will support the process, or prepare all the employees to be part of the change process team. Kotter (2008) states that leaders have to demonstrate a sense of urgency that focuses on critical issues and a desire to be the best. He explains that with a real sense of urgency, the entire team in an organization will see the significance of an opportunity, such as change, to an organization and they will cooperate energetically to make sure it is accomplished. Team-based Preparation, therefore, enables the leaders to creates a shared vision and focus the entire teams' effort towards achievement of the set objectives. However, Edgehouse et al. (2011) assert that forces that may work against the change have to be eliminated at this point.

The other two primary parts are Strategy Implementation and Evaluation. Strategy implementation is the phase where the change is conducted (Edgehouse et al., 2007). It is implemented one department at a time, with ample communication between all parties involved. Kotter (2008) states that disruptions have to be minimized during the changeover, and that effective...

The final stage is the evaluation stage, where the entire process is compared to the results to determine whether it accomplished the set objectives. This stage makes new connections between new behaviors that are observed and corporate success (Kotter, 2008). The transformation process is considered effective if the change implementation gives the desired results.
Reasons the People Mover Change Model is the best model

Dyer and his colleagues (2011) explain that the ultimate goal of any organization is to create greater value. The People Mover Change Model is the most effective model of accomplishing this, particularly because it first focuses on the capabilities of those who are in charge of the organization, then moves to how they shape the vision of others to implement their strategies. By empowering the leaders, the implementation process will be more goal oriented and hence, more successful. In agreement with Lawler and Worley (2006), leaders must develop their ability to change before they can effectively change the entire organization.

The model makes it easier to monitor change implementation because it emphasizes on the communication between the leaders and the team throughout the process and it takes a one-department-at-a-time approach. Edgehouse and colleagues (2007) explain that leaders select one small change receptive division to implement the change, before it is institutionalized throughout the entire organization. This makes it possible to spot errors and mistakes before time and resources are wasted on unproductive operations. The model also places equal emphasis on both internal and external factors that may affect the functioning of the organization.

The most successful model is the one that will integrate transformational leadership and organizational development concepts (Warrick, 2011). The People Mover Change Model effectively puts this notion to practice as it is built on the intuitive level of capable leaders to shape the vision and implement strategies according to the set objectives. Furthermore, it makes it possible to recognize false complacency and urgency, and transforms it into a true sense of urgency that will lead to successful and profitable organizational change (Kotter, 2008). At Hilton Worldwide, for instance, CEO Christopher Nassetta and the Company president are among transformational leaders that have been able to focus on emerging and developing markets to expand Hilton's global footprint, hence its success to date (Dyer et al., 2011).

Key differences between the People Mover Change Model and other models

Edgehouse et al. (2007) describe three other models of organizational change. The Expanded Change Model is made up of four stages: initiating, envisioning, crafting and conducting. It emphasizes planning, goal setting, collaboration and celebrating, all of which are key components of effective leadership. The second model, the Seven S-Action Words Model states that leaders should: scan, select, sense, sicken, sift, speak and spread for the change process to be effective. The process enables leaders to identify what to change, then gradually progress towards the attainment of the goals set (Edgehouse et al., 2007). The fourth process puts great emphasis on establishing an environment conducive for change. Using this model, the steps to creating long lasting change include: assessment, development, and application.

Although the four models share one common goal of changing values, practices and attitudes to improve performance, they are several differences among them. For instance, the Expanded Change Model works well with students and teachers and it is best suited for an educational setting (Edgehouse et al., 2007). The People Mover Change Model, on the other hand, can work effectively for multiple institutions, which makes it more convenient. In contrast to the People Mover Change Model, the Expanded Change Model also makes use of a repeated cycle that may fail to make an organization succeed in dynamic business environments.

The People Mover Change Model begins with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the leader then moves into the team-based preparation. The Seven S-Action Words Model, however, places too much power on the leaders' hands as they are fully responsible for the entire implementation process. The model is similar to authoritative leadership because the leaders are fully responsible for scanning, selecting, sensing, sickening, sifting, speaking and spreading change. Unlike the People Mover Change Model that will encourage cooperation because it appreciates the employees' input; this model will be met with resistance particularly because the team may not share the leaders' vision of change. Lawler and Worley (2006) state that leaders who define new goals for their organization then sell them to employees often fail to implement change. Moreover, it…