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Essay / How Great Leaders Inspire Action: Leadership in Organizational Change a group of followers is often not how leadership is expressed in organizational structures. As Spillane (2005) explains, distributed leadership recognizes that the reality is that leadership often involves many individuals, tools, and structures working together to form collective, distributed leadership. It has been shown that using a distributed leadership approach to organizational change can have a positive impact on organizational change and its outcomes (Harris, 2009). Graetz (2000) argues that successful change leadership will integrate aspects of distributed leadership with powerful, personalized leadership at the top. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why violent video games should not be banned'?Get the original essayWeaknesses of the Distributed Leaders ApproachHowever, others have pointed out a number of weaknesses in a distributed leadership approach, including understood that distributed leadership does not necessarily mean distributed power and that abandoning a clear leader reduces feelings of security and stability and creates a dispersion of responsibilities that makes it more difficult to hold individuals accountable (Hatcher, 2005). This is problematic in the context of organizational change, because creating a sense of security and stability among employees is particularly important during times of change. It has been found that major organizational change can lead to a decreased sense of security and general well-being, so minimizing the degree of insecurity and instability felt by followers is an important role of leadership (Ferrie and al., 1998). Additionally, if followers are unhappy with the outcome of organizational change, it is important that they know where to address their concerns and who should be held accountable. If leadership becomes too dispersed and depersonalized, it becomes more difficult to hold individuals accountable and feel in control of their position in the organization. However, as Graetz's (2000) argument suggests, using a distributed leadership approach in collaboration with leaders at the top implementing transformational elements such as intrinsic motivation and a personal connection with the followers can have a positive impact on organizational change. The more managerial and organized elements of distributed leadership complement the more personal and emotional approach of transformational leadership. There is currently little research focused on using these approaches in conjunction with each other, so this area could benefit from further study on the topic. Importance of Leadership in Inspiring Action Although skeptics of the concept of leadership make several valid arguments, ultimately it is clear that despite its flaws, leadership plays an important role in organizational change. However, research should be conducted considering issues such as the ability of leadership to create an unrealistic, deceptive, or heroic image in the minds of its followers. It is ethically and practically important that followers do not support or follow a leader's changes or practices based on a false idea of his or her leadership. Therefore, researchers should consider this potential problem when conducting their research and take appropriate steps to ensure that it is recognized if and when it occurs. Many studies and texts support the fact that leadership plays an important role in effective organizational change. However, asillustrated previously, many factors must be considered when choosing which leadership style to use to address different types of change. The majority of research on the topic focuses on how individual leadership styles influence organizational change, but it has also been shown that each of the leadership styles discussed can have a positive impact on organizational change in different contexts. Given that change is a pervasive reality in most organizations and can appear in multiple contexts within the same organization, it would make sense to investigate how elements of multiple leadership styles can be adopted within the same organization. organization to address different changes and scenarios. Therefore, this essay would recommend further research on this topic. Likewise, from a managerial perspective, this essay would recommend that managers incorporate elements of multiple leadership styles into their practice rather than focusing on just one. Each leadership style has its specific limitations and weaknesses, so using multiple styles together can reduce the risk that these limitations will negatively affect the effectiveness of organizational changes. For example, although transactional leadership has been criticized as an approach to organizational change due to its ineffectiveness in motivating followers, it has also been shown that using transactional and transformational leadership together can be more effective than using one or the other individually (Bass and Avolio, 1990). ; Goodwin, Wofford and Whittington, 2001). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Ultimately, it is clear from the research and studies reviewed in this essay that leadership plays an important role. an important role in organizational change for a number of reasons and in a variety of ways. Management alone without leadership is not enough to motivate, inspire and guide employees through organizational change. People in leadership and management positions must ensure that they incorporate management and leadership aspects into their approach so that their employees feel safe, engaged and accepting of organizational changes. Leaders are needed to inspire, motivate, and establish direction for their followers in ways that management cannot accomplish. It is also important for leaders to be aware of different leadership styles and the differences in how they influence organizational change. The most effective leaders will recognize which leadership style is appropriate for their specific context of organizational change and implement it accordingly. Rather than relying on a single leadership style for all organizational changes that one or more leaders may face, it is better to use elements of multiple leadership styles depending on the context of the change. As explained previously, this is also why the field would benefit from more research into how leaders can most effectively use elements of different styles in conjunction rather than focusing on just one style at a time. Works Cited: Bass, BM and Avolio, BJ (1990). Transformational leadership development: manual for the multifactor leadership questionnaire. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Ferrie, JE, Shipley, MJ, Marmot, MG, Stansfeld, S., & Smith, GD (1998). An uncertain future:, 24(3),, 69(2), 143-150.
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