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Document Type
Oral Presentation
Department
Leadership and Organizational Studies
Faculty Mentor
Elizabeth Goryunova, Ph.D.
Keywords
Leadership, leader, change, change management, change agent, organization
Abstract
Leaders are the champions of change within an organization. Additionally, leaders play a vital role in facilitating employees and the organization through the change process. Employees look to their leaders for information when change happens. They look to their leaders for answers and guidance. Leaders influence in ways that can make a change initiative successful or not. Skilled as a change agent and with specific leadership characteristics, leaders can better assist organizations and their employees to navigate well through continually changing environments. Equipped with agency, leaders can effectively initiate or sponsor change and see it through to completion. They can engage and empower others in ways that are needed now more than ever. This phenomenological study seeks to illuminate the role leaders play in organizational change and how this role has changed in the current environment. Ten formal leaders from various industries were interviewed to uncover some of what they are experiencing today related to change and change management. Findings show common themes related to organizational change readiness, methods for dealing with resistance to change, communication efforts, and the impact of change on a leader’s role. Conclusions point to a need for a deeper understanding of how the dynamics of change in organizations today affect a leader’s role and how leaders in turn, impact change efforts.
Leader as Change Agent - the Value of a Leaders Role in Organizational Change
Leaders are the champions of change within an organization. Additionally, leaders play a vital role in facilitating employees and the organization through the change process. Employees look to their leaders for information when change happens. They look to their leaders for answers and guidance. Leaders influence in ways that can make a change initiative successful or not. Skilled as a change agent and with specific leadership characteristics, leaders can better assist organizations and their employees to navigate well through continually changing environments. Equipped with agency, leaders can effectively initiate or sponsor change and see it through to completion. They can engage and empower others in ways that are needed now more than ever. This phenomenological study seeks to illuminate the role leaders play in organizational change and how this role has changed in the current environment. Ten formal leaders from various industries were interviewed to uncover some of what they are experiencing today related to change and change management. Findings show common themes related to organizational change readiness, methods for dealing with resistance to change, communication efforts, and the impact of change on a leader’s role. Conclusions point to a need for a deeper understanding of how the dynamics of change in organizations today affect a leader’s role and how leaders in turn, impact change efforts.
