Leading Change in an Organization Essay

AbstractThe reality of variety is that it is likely to occur in personal life and business. In order for an plaque to con antecedent the realities of flip, effective lead is essential. leadership is faultfinding to the success of all neuter initiative. There atomic number 18 many forms of leadership that each come with a variety of personality traits, this paper give discuss leadership characteristics believed to be necessary to happyly eff shift in organizations for the next decade and how to use Kotters variety over exemplification to implement undefeated replace management.Change in simply defined as to make something different, according to Mr. Neryl East, the causation of Change What it is and what it isnt (East, 2007). Change management is the execute that an organization uses to respond and reconcile to change in order to improve its effectiveness and ensure move success (Leban & Saban, 2008). leaders is critical to the success of any change initiative i n an organization. Quality leadership characteristics ar equally important to the success of an organization. When keen leadership is in place in an organization, it chiffonier be felt throughout the entire organization. When advanced leadership exists, collateral corporate horticulture is non forced, it is developed (Mills, 2005). Leadership is defined as a process by which unity person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others (Leban & Stone, 2008).Leaders set a direction for everyone else and they help the plurality around them see what lies ahead they help their followers to visualize what might be achieved and they encourage and inspire. Without leadership it is likely that a group of individuals would quickly collapse into argument and conflict. Leadership helps to point people in the same direction and deeds towards joint efforts.Leadership is the energy to get other people to do something significant that they might not otherwise do. Its energizi ng people toward a goal (Mills, 2005). In order for a leader to affect change in others he/she should possess many positive characteristics such as the ability to be a good communicator, be proactive versus being responsive and be flexible and adapt open among many possible characteristics to name a few (Group, 2009).As a leader, it is equally important to deliver clear, concise and consistent messages as it is to listen. Leaders should demonstrate a willingness to work to understand the needs of others. Leaders who atomic number 18 able to be successful at listening be able to ask meaningful questions, consider all options and provide leadership in the right direction. Secondly, is the ability to always think ahead, being proactive instead of reactive. Leaders who possess this characteristic are able to master their work environment with the goal of avoiding potential problems before they occur. And lastly, an effective leader will adapt to new surroundings and situations, doing their best to adjust in unexpected or uncomfortable situations (Val & Kemp, 2012).Change strategies that are believed to generally be effective for leading fundamental change are first the need for skinny and constant communication, it is also important to over rate regularly on the important, significant issues and topics. Also, it is important that all fellow members of the club think and act purposefully and then communicate the assignment and required parts to each member of the department, positioning the mental institution for a good sum with the companionships mission and plan. The leadership trend of a animal trainer during the change process can be either cooperative and consultative or commanding and coercive (Leban & Stone, 2008).According to Neryl East, the author of Implementing an Effective Change Management Strategy, when provide members are working jointly with management in a cooperative style, it can be expected that in that location will be both long a nd short term success to the company since the team will address issues and concerns and makes decisions in the general best interest of the organization. In the same way, when the decision is made by management to force the change, the staff may not be allowed to participate in the decision make process. (East, 2007).Following this further, the Kotters process of leading change model has good manikinwork to allow the manager to work in a collaborative style with staff. Kotters model was established after perusal more than one hundred organizations (Leban & Stone, 2008). Mr. Kotter was perplexed about the fact that the majority of change efforts were unsuccessful, and he seek out to identify the common error made in the change process. Kotterss eight award model offers a process to successfully manage change and avoid the common mistakes that occur during change in an organization (Leban &Stone, 2008).Furthermore, the Kotters model for change is effective because it provided t wo lessons, first that the change process goes through a series of phases, each could last a considerable period of time and randomness that critical mistakes in any phase can have a devastating impact on the momentum of the change process. Kotters process of change focuses on the strategic, not tactical level of the change management process (Leban & Stone, 2008). In retrospect, the use of the Kotters change model during the implementation of electronic wellness records at my current employer, Clayton Eye optic could have yielded a better transition and fostered a more positive work environment.In the Kotters change model, the first four stages deal with unfreezing the organization. These feels strike reducing those forces that are allowing the organization to continue its current behavior. The next three stages introduce new practices, ever-changing/moving. This step shifts the behavior of the organization to a new level. The last stage is required to background knowledge the changes in the corporate culture refreezing and make them stick. This step steadies the organization at a new enjoin of balance (Leban & Stone, 2008).The first step in the Kotters model of change is to establish a bully sense of urgency, identify crisis, potential crises and major opportunities (Leban & Stone, 2008). The passing of the Health Information Technology for Economic and clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) in 2009 by death chair Obama was the driver of change for The Eye Center (CEC) (Secretary, 2013). The transcription had to be in place by deadlines set forth by the government, therefore theurgency for change was created.The second step in the Kotters model of change is creating the guiding coalition, by putting unneurotic a group of people with enough power to lead the change (Leban & Stone, 2008). The Eye Center was successful in organizing a core team, composed of managers from each department to provide various perspectives to the change process. The establish c ore team had previously worked together on various change issues and working as a cohesive unit was of no concern.The third step of the Kotters model of change is developing a transformational fancy and strategy. Create a vision that will help direct the change and develop strategies for achieving that vision ( Leban & Stone, 2008). During this step, The Eye Center missed the opportunity to develop a positive need for the change. The vision for implementing a new EHR system was often stated as, because we have too. This was an opportunity for upper management to frame the view of the change before anyone formed a negative opinion about the change.The fourth step of Kotters model of change is communicating the change vision, using all possible avenues to constantly communicate the new vision and strategies (Leban & Stone, 2008). In this step, The Eye Center was reluctant to communicate the change because they held hope that in the end the change would not be needed. Once it was cle ar that the bill signed into law by the President would be upheld, there was very little time to effectively communicate the change vision and soak up positive buy in from the staff.The fifth step of Kotters model of change is empowering a all-inclusive base of people to take action, getting rid of blockers, changing systems or structures that did not line up with the change vision (Leban & Stone, 2008). Empowering the staff, whether real or perceived could have been a very important step to achieving staff support towards the change. However, in the case of The Eye Center, only the managers appointed for the core team were sceptred as they were the only members of the staff who had knowledgeabout the upcoming change. Keeping the majority of the staff members in the dark about the change and not providing a platform for them to feel a part of the change was instrumental in the outcome for the possibility of successful change.The sixth step of Kotters model of change is generating short term wins, visibly recognizing and rewarding people who made the wins possible (Leban & Stone, 2008). Generating short-term wins is necessary to resist the loss of momentum and keep the organization engaged. The Eye Center was not as successful as it could have been in this step. Approximately 2 months after implementation, upper management decided to reward the front desk staff for what had been considered reasonably successful implementation of the system thus far. However, the other 4 departments that were largely alter by EHR implementation and played a role in its success, although only 2 months in were not offered rewards for their efforts. This flaw in judgment created negative vibes between departments that needed to work together for continued success of the change implementation.The seventh step of Kotters model of change is consolidating gains and producing even more change by hiring, promoting and developing people who can implement the change vision (Leban & St one, 2008). In this step, The Eye Center could make strides to correct past change errors by focusing on the continued development of staff with the new EHR system. The company should also consider utilizing previously purchased unused project management hours to aid them in this step to ensure that moving forward the change vision process is revitalized. And finally in this step, the company could build on polices and structures that have worked during the change process and remove all polices and structures that dont fit the change vision.The eighth and final step of the Kotters model of change is institutionalizing new approaches in the culture by articulating the connections between new behaviors and company success date developing means to ensure leadership development and succession (Leban & Stone, 2008). This step again creates an opportunity for The Eye Center to build a foundation for successful change moving forward. The company could use this step tomake successful chang e a part of its culture by communicating to the staff how current behaviors do or do not line up with the change vision of the organization. The implementation of continued leadership development through ongoing training would also fulfill this step while preparing the company for successful change behavior in the future.A clear description of the characteristics of a healthy organization prepared to address the issues of change in the 21st century is upper management support and involvement, considering the needs of employees and an effective project manager. Change is around impossible without the support and involvement of top leaders. Leadership must set the direction, pace and tone while providing a clear vision that brings everyone together (Leban & Stone, 2008). In order for any change initiative to be successful, the company must create a positive culture and motivate the staff, this allows them to visualize and buy in to the change project (Leban & Stone, 2008). Effective project management involves planning and coordinating all aspects of the change program, this allows the organization to place necessary focus on the values, attitudes and behavior of everyone involved to guarantee an effective outcome ( Leban & Stone, 2008). Without these characteristics, change programs risk failure.In final consideration, there are many change models available to organizations the Kotters eight-stage model dictates that each stage be worked through in order to obtain successful change. Skipping even one step or moving too far ahead with a concrete foundation can create problems according to Mr. Kotter (Leban & Stone, 2008). In the case of The Eye Center, we see this to be the case as effect follow through of each step could have yielded better results for the organization. The need for change is almost guaranteed for every organization if they want to remain relevant. Organizations that will succeed in the 21st century and beyond are those who are aware of what is changing in their perspective industries and are willing to take into account how those changes are most likely to affect its current success.ReferencesEast, N. (2007). Change-What it is and what it isnt. Retrieved from Implementing an Effective Change Management Strategy http//www.ark-group.com/downloads/Change-Management-Chap.pdf Group, H. L. (2009). Holden Leadership Center. Retrieved from Leadership Characteristics Leadership Styles. Pathways The Ontario Journal Of Outdoor Education, 24(3), 28-31. Leban, B., Stone, R. (2008). Managing Organizational Change 2nd ed. Hoboken, New Jersey John Wiley & Sons. Mills, D. Q. (2005). Leadership How to Lead, How to Live. Retrieved from The Importance of Leadership http//www.cafanet.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=qwswE8roe74%3D&tabid=96 Secretary, O. (2013, June 13). FACT SHEET White House Task pull in on High-Tech Patent Issues. Retrieved from The White House www.whitehouse.gov Val, C., Kemp, J. (2012). Leadership Styles. The Ontario Jou rnal of Outdoor Education, v24 n3 p28-31 Spring 2012 4pp.