by Joshua Padron

Created on: July 31, 2007

Managing Change Effectively

One constant thing that life brings to every person and particularly to every organization is change. It would seem that by now, people and organizations alike would have the upper hand on change, but in actuality, they do not. Organizations no matter the size still struggle to accept and adapt to change. Why is change so difficult for employees to accept? Why do organizations struggle with adapting to change? There are many reasons for this struggle, but the author beliefs that the main reason lies in the lack of leadership training.

To address this concern, this paper reveals four key factors that will assist leaders in managing change effectively: 1) good leadership, 2) knowledge and utilization of existing drivers of change, 3) establishing processes and committing to them, and 4) accepting change.

Good Leadership

Know your Leadership Style:

A leader must know the style of leadership they are currently exhibiting. They must study the way they react to people, to circumstances, and situations that demands an action or a correction. "All the leadership styles can have either a resonant or dissonant effect depending on the situation, which is why we must be attuned to the impact we're having on others and be able to adjust our style to get the best results" (Arond-Thomas, 2004, p. 19). One must know their own style and understand how that style best works and under what circumstances.

One may be a visionary or democratic. On the other hand, one may be a pacesetter or commanding. Maybe one is more like a coach. All of these styles are good, and it is recommended that they be employed, depending on the circumstances. Your preference may be towards using a combination of styles. "To be a resilient leader who creates resonance, you must have the ability to employ the four styles that have a consistently positive impact on organizational climate" (Arond-Thomas, 2004, p. 21).

Be Authentic:

Not only is style important in a leader but character too. Good leaders are well rounded. Their persona carries a sense of maturity, authenticity, and commitment. It is in this area where people fall short as leaders. They try to act like leaders, talk like leaders, and even command as leaders, but they are unsuccessful from within. The followers pick up that the leader lacks authenticity. "If I try to use human influence strategies and tactics of how to get other people to do what I want, to work better, to be more motivated, to like me and each other while

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