Change is the only constant in the face-paced business environment that we’re prone to. No organisation can afford to sit still and not adapt to new technological or ideological changes. However, many change management efforts are unsuccessful for a wide range of reasons and the success rate of transformative programmes is under 40%. This happens mainly due to employee suspicions of new technologies and methodologies, especially when leaders fail to set a good example.
As a leader, you ought to feel the pressure from your superiors as well as your own team-mates as they tend to look up to you for clarity and accountability, particularly amidst changing work environments. Hence, as a leader, you need to learn, how to lead and manage through tumultuous and unforeseen changes. The more you are prepared as a leader, the easier will it be for you and your team to successfully navigate the most disruptive change.
This section mainly focuses on leader’s roles in the change process.
What is change management?
Change management is a broad concept but at its core, it is a systematic approach to adapting to new technologies, processes, and methods. Change management is crucial in every leadership role because it often requires cultural and ideological acceptance on the path of all parties, and it is a leader’s responsibility to ensure that this takes place smoothly. With the process of change management taking place in its true form, it results in easing out any organisational transitional phase as well as aiding on the people side of change.
Based on a study cited by CGS, it is estimated that roughly only 30% to 50% of initiatives for change tend to meet their desired outcomes. However, failed efforts can lead to disastrous consequences like financial losses, decreased employee morale, lost opportunities, and wasted resources. This failure usually tends to happen due to lack of a formal change management programme and inefficient leaders.
The role of leadership
In traditional work environments, the focus of any leader was to maximise value for shareholders, and to do so, they played multiple roles of ‘planners’, ‘director’, and ‘controller’.
However, with the rolling in of Industry 4.0, our new and complex business environments call for new leadership approaches that focuses on co-creating meaningful value not only with all stakeholders but also with our customers, employees, partners, and our broader society.
The new and improved leader is supposed to take up various roles namely those of a visionary, architect, coach, and catalyst. The traditional roles are now integrated into the way people work in an organisation.
- As a visionary, a leader is known for observing and listening to his colleagues, offering ideas for consideration purposes, and including other’s perspectives and opinions into their own thinking. They also tend to work with their empowered teams to translate their visions into measurable outcomes.
- As an architect, a leader favours a deeper examination of system designs, thus creating space for a reimagination of sales. As a coach, a leader encourages a range of formal and informal learning initiatives for evolving a culture of learning throughout the organisation as well as creating a comfortable environment for questions, interactions, and solutions.
- As a catalyst, leaders unleash energy in an organisation by removing roadblocks, fostering connections, helping people connect, and encouraging an inclusive environment. They act as the catalyst of change development and management.
Leading and managing change
In any organisation, every employee plays a pivotal role in aiding the smooth processing of change. The role of a leader is to be courageous and take risks whenever required. They are supposed to envision the bigger picture and aim for a higher level of changes while motivating people to support transitions.
The primary responsibility of a leader, who is an advocate of change, is to know how to design, direct, and shape change processes.
To excel in your career as a leader of change management, one must possess a thorough knowledge of team leadership, leading change, along with the ability to influence and be able to effectively orchestrate various business and company goals.
The Executive Programme in Leadership and Change Management (LCM) by IIM Tiruchirappalli is designed for you to learn and experience the nuances of ‘leadership’ and ‘managing organisational change’ whilst also introducing you to leadership competencies that will help you lead transformational change in your organisation. LCM is precisely aimed at addressing the symbiotic process of change so that the companies can wholly embrace it and stay industry relevant.
Fundamentally, it’s a certification that will open multiple avenues to advance one’s career.
To know more: https://timestsw.com/course/iim-tiruchirappalli-executive-programme-in-leadership-and-change-management/
