Type: Essay
Domain: Leadership
Words: 2750
Change management is often defined as the discipline that governs the process of preparing, equipping and supporting the individuals or stakeholders to adopt certain changes that are brought within the organisation. Proper change management is necessary in order to ensure that all the organisation as a whole can transition seamless through the changes that are brought in. It mostly involves managing the human resources so that they can be prepared to face the new work environment, hierarchical roles or job roles that has suddenly appeared because of the change. Improper change management, or the lack thereof can have a severe negative impact on the operational performance of a company. This study has highlighted the importance of change management and how it is governed by the leadership practices of an organisation.
This study has revealed that changes can be brought into an organisation for various reasons that may include, downsizing, expansion, merger or acquisition, etc. Regardless of the underlying reason of change, it is quite essential for the leader to make sure that sufficient initiatives and actions have been taken to make sure that the stakeholders, especially the employees are ready to embrace the change. The paper has highlighted that a leader should take the responsibility of the change management process. It has been stated that the success of a change management process is dependent on how well employees are prepared to face the changes. It has been found from the study that leaders who adopt a situational approach are more successful in implementing change management. The internal processes and work culture of different companies largely vary among them, which makes it quite difficult to follow one particular thumb rule. An individual following a situational leadership is more likely to recognise the existing issues faced by the organisation and take necessary actions that are fit that that situation only.
Furthermore, the paper has further highlighted the fact that the ability of a leader to be able to seamlessly communicate with the employees play a major role in the change management process. A leader must be able to convince the employees about the need for the imminent change, so that they voluntarily welcome the new changes. Moreover, the leader must communicate the reason that demands the concerned change and how it should help the entire company as a whole in the long run, including the employees. Thus, it has be justified that the leadership approach plays a crucial role in the success of change management within a company.
