Leading Change

Running Head : Leading Change

The harder you push , the harder the system pushes back

[Name of Author]

[Name of Institution]

Leading Change

Introduction

Intense global competition , rapid technological change , and international capital markets are creating more demand for change leadership than at perhaps any other time in history . These forces combined with the complexity of new and more global organizational forms that span nations and unite organizations through alliances , joint ventures , and mergers and acquisitions , make the job of leadership increasingly difficult . No wonder it is popular to [banner_entry_middle]

suggest that leadership is in short supply in most organizations . Moreover , we have a limited understanding of the role that leaders should play in making effective change a reality . This is the motivation for this essay . In the pages that follow , I discuss how leaders can help organizations change to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century

Body of the Essay

It is one thing to argue that organizations need to reinvent themselves and develop new , more effective approaches to organizing , and quite another to accomplish it . Large-scale organizational transformation is at best , a developing art that has yet to produce any clear formulas for success , but more and more attention is being turned to executives as the principle agents of change and adaptation . It is increasingly common to assume that leadership plays the crucial role in an organization ‘s successful adaptation to a changing world . Companies are paying record compensation to attract the best and brightest executive talent to lead them safely through today ‘s turbulent business environment . Many boards and executive recruiters assume that there exists an elite corps of individuals who possess leadership skills that have almost universal application

The subject of leadership and organization change is embedded deeply in the lexicon and discourse of business executives , management consultants , and organizational scholars . Business periodicals , the trade press , and academic publications are brimming with information and knowledge about leading organization change . Widespread attention to leading change is largely a reflection of the times . Fueled by unprecedented changes in technologies , markets , and economies organizations are experiencing rapidly changing environments and enormous competitive pressures . Responses to these challenges are resulting in a virtual revolution in new organizational forms and systems . Organizations are increasingly seeking to transform themselves to become more adaptable and competitive , with leaner , more flexible structures , more empowered and committed employees , and more performance-driven human resource practices (Lawler et al , 1995

As organizations strive to implement these innovations , they discover that change is incredibly arduous , requiring a great deal of expertise resources , and luck . The sheer difficulty of transforming organizations is evident in their enormous inertial qualities as well as the scope and magnitude of the required changes . Organization transformation typically involves radical changes in strategy and structure , in work practices and methods , and in members ‘ perceptions , norms , and work behaviors . As many observers have pointed out , because transformational change involves the the competitive environment , top leaders or CEOs need to lead the change process and are essential to its… [banner_entry_footer]