Introduction:
Change is an inevitable aspect of every contemporary business organization which should be realized the earnest for accomplishing novel avenues to perfection. The definitions of change can be tailored according to the requirements of the context in which the change is implemented. However, change management has been considered a structured approach that would be associated with the transition of individuals, organizations, and teams from an existing state to the desired state in the future (Acornlive.com, 2017).
The transition would have to be aimed comprehensively at the objective of accomplishing a vision or strategy alongside enabling employees for adopting and embracing the changes identified in the existing environment. The following essay aims to describe the effectiveness of leaders and relevant leadership styles adopted by them during change management in an organization. The essay would utilize the cases of two reputed leaders Sir Richard Branson and Elon Musk for reflecting on the effectiveness of their leadership styles during the implementation of change. Another prominent highlight of the essay would be directed toward the interdependence between the leader and the structure and organizational culture.
Role of leader:
The process of change management is subject to the involvement of leaders in the identification and resolution of obstacles that arise in the course of the process. As per Padgett (2017), employee resistance, staff turnover, and limitations in communication can be assumed as noticeable factors responsible for creating pitfalls in change management (Padgett, 2017).
Leaders have to realize their appropriate roles for the resolution of the individual obstacles such as obtaining feedback and ensuring transparency as well as quick communication with employees. Leaders could also capitalize on the team relationships for anticipating individual level employee concerns thereby finding reasonable approaches to address them on a personal level (Gächter et al., 2012).
Leadership styles are generally categorized into two contrasting classes i.e. democratic and autocratic leadership styles which imply the specific approaches in which the relationship between a manager and a subordinate is managed.
There are different categorizations of leadership styles that can be anticipated on the management spectrum such as dictatorial, autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire leadership styles. The dictatorial leadership style is comprehensively associated with the centralization of decisions making while the laissez-faire leadership style is responsible for addressing the group opinions in decision making. Autocratic leadership styles are associated comprehensively with the manager’s approach to communicating decisions either by imposing them or by providing any rewards for subordinates (Niphadkar, 2017). The democratic leadership styles are characterized by the participation of subordinates in decision making, high levels of consultation, and involvement of leaders in the acquisition of opinions from subordinates.
Organizational structure and culture also have a potential impact on change management as certain paradigms followed in the internal contexts of an organization could be the primary reasons for resistance to change. The leadership plays a crucial role in determining the required changes in the organizational structure and culture for adapting to the strategic objectives of the change.
The vision of leaders for the change could be accounted as an integral part of the organizational culture in the long term. As per Niphadkar (2017), Leadership styles are also considered responsible for changes in organizational structure owing to the elements of authority and personal competencies. The example of Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Group can be considered to describe the implications of leadership in change management (Niphadkar, 2017). The Virgin Group is known for its variety of businesses ranging from airlines to paid music services and the leadership style of its founder has contributed substantially to the sustainable competitive advantage of the organization. The transformational leadership of Sir Richard Branson has been noticed in his ability to realize vibrant advertising ideas as well as the innovative approaches that could attract people.
The major requirement of change is to ensure appropriate levels of staff retention which has been maintained at the Virgin group through its leadership style of Richard. The leadership style followed at the Virgin group is not vested in considering money as a measure for retaining employees (Ryerson.ca, 2017). On the contrary, the leadership style of Richard Branson is directed toward creating a work culture wherein employees feel privileged to work for the company.
The impact of change on the organizational structure would pose minimal anomalies in the case of the Virgin group as the employees are inherently associated with the organization. The advantage of the transformational leadership of Richard could also be identified in the reputational branding of the Virgin group. One of the considerable impacts that could be identified from the transformational leadership style of Sir Richard Branson is the promotion of innovative ideas and approaches obtained from employees to realize the expansion of businesses (Rowland, 2016).
Elon musk can be identified as another example of a visionary leader with a transformational leadership style. Tesla and SpaceX would never have seen the face of the world if not for the vision of Elon Musk to accomplish seemingly impossible goals such as the colonization of Mars or transforming the existing energy system all over the world. Elon musk has strengthened his position as a transformational leader with particular references to utilizing their motivation for excellence.
The four essential characteristics that could be identified in the leadership style of Elon Musk refer to vision, trust, creative deployment, and social architecture. The characteristics of Musk as a social architect enable him to inspire his employees as can be identified in the example of his address to employees at SpaceX after the first failed launch attempt. According to Simone (2006), their vision of Elon plays a crucial role in determining the organizational culture alongside implications of his initiatives to assign control of projects to employees rather than restricting them to limits of deadlines (Simone, 2006). Therefore a transformational leadership style with an entrepreneurial outlook can be identified in the case of Elon Musk and its advantages for the competitive realization of change management objectives are largely responsible for improving the scope for the sustainability of the company. The impact of the leadership style of Elon has also been responsible for potential changes in the organizational structure such as the shift from the emphasis on design and technology toward manufacturing.
Conclusion:
The essay illustrated the characteristics of adaptability and innovativeness as the major qualities that make a good leader through critical inferences drawn from the cases of change management and roles of leadership such as Elon Musk and Sir Richard Branson.
References
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