Introduction
Organizational change is a process that concerns any business or organization. With the passage of time, the need to introduce improvements becomes more and more necessary. This is especially true in times of economic and social turmoil, where any institution or business finds itself faced with new and emerging challenges. Change is created to help individuals have a better experience as part of an organization, improve performance, and achieve a given entity’s desired outcomes more effectively. However, the common attitudes toward change vary, and not all organizations are able to implement it to a sufficient degree. For that reason, change is studied and examined by professionals from all occupations and actively advocated for. This paper, in turn, will cover my own attitudes and perceptions of change. This includes a change that concerns me, as well as the idea of organizational change as a whole. To pre-emptively summarize my thoughts, I would like to voice my support for organizational change, as it is a vital step in helping companies create better work environments for their employees. In addition, facilitation of change is required to increase work efficiency. On a personal level, I am fully supportive of change, and I think that it is a necessary part of living and experiencing the world. I think that my personal qualities are conducive to being able to adapt to change management effectively. Currently, I lack the leadership capabilities and knowledge that would make me an effective leading figure, and I strive to improve myself in that aspect.
Necessity of Change
In recent years, the necessity of change has become more evident than ever before. The recent pandemic has put most organizations at risk, including businesses, educational institutions, and government facilities. The combination of new social distancing regulations, logistics disruptions, and staffing issues put most entities at risk of collapse. Without the capacity for change, and the resources needed to see it through, a majority of companies around the world were forced to either significantly shrink their operational capability or close down entirely. Those who have managed to adapt, however, have provided the rest of the world with a valuable lesson. Seeing the need to quickly adjust to emergent circumstances highlighted the capacity of most organizations to radically restructure their entire management systems while also cementing the need to change.
Following the example of companies that successfully changed their operation in response to COVID-19, leaders and managers alike find themselves faced with radical changes. The climate of the past decades was similarly conducive to working with change. Economic instability, the introduction of new technology, social movements, and conflicts – all of these reasons contributed to the recognition and development of change strategies. Applying Kotter’s 8-step change model, it is possible to see the recent pandemic as a source of urgency, one that facilitates the climate of change. From this foundation, every concerned organization builds its own pathway to excellence and improvement, depending on its own vision of change and ability to empower its members.
Role of Leaders
I think that leadership is one of the key factors in introducing, maintaining, and finalizing change within organizations. In most cases, creating a structure of equal responsibility and a shared voice is difficult, as it consumes more time and resources. There is a need to combine a diversity of opinion and the efficiency of centralized leadership. Therefore, sophisticated management systems and capable leaders take it upon themselves to make decisions on behalf of their organizations. This can be done by consulting individual employees or giving them agency on the lower levels of influence. Alternatively, leaders have the capacity to communicate their vision of change to others, enabling the organization to move along a central pre-determined path. Specific types of leadership and management differ depending on the organization, its scope, and its goals. At the same time, it is recognized that companies need to listen to the needs and wishes of their employees. During change management, leaders are able to use their knowledge, influence, and power to direct others into action or smooth over the rougher edges of a transition.
Role of Employees
Employees are the central actors of change and the ones responsible for enacting policies and guidelines set by others. The ability of management to keep employees informed and aware throughout the change process becomes vital in allowing each member of the organization to play their part. Despite often possessing less power and a smaller degree of influence over the direction of change, it is impossible to improve an organization without employees. Additionally, change can be initiated in order to help employees perform their duties better. Adjustments to team organization, creation of better workplace conditions, a move toward more workplace freedom, and other considerations. As the core of any organization, employees and their well-being should always be considered when initiating change. An ability to create change that aids work is central to maintaining a long-lasting, effective workspace. In addition, it is also important to give employees a voice or an outlet for their suggestions, one that will make them feel valued and important in their position.
My Relationship to Change
Personally, I want to have the capacity to embrace change in both myself and the organizations I am a part of. As an individual, I know that I am far from perfect. I am constantly growing and developing, in tandem with other people and my environment. My experience shaped me into who I am today, giving me the skills and courage to embrace a new tomorrow every day. Additionally, I work to actively acquire skills that I lack, or develop existing ones. Working on oneself is crucial to embracing change, a process that includes education, training, and reflection. Currently, I face severe challenges in exercising transformative leadership qualities, such as being able to inspire others and creating a convincing vision of change. In addition, I feel that I often fail to create structures of self-motivation or reward, chastising myself for mistakes while minimizing my successes. These failures stop me from becoming a more confident, capable, and exemplary potential leader for others.
Improving Myself, Empowering Others
In order to change myself for the better, I am currently doing a significant amount of independent research and reading. Studying informational materials, and reading research papers and books has helped me to expand my mental landscape and open myself up to different possibilities of self-improvement. While I am not a leader at this moment, I feel that leadership-focused materials are important to study in order to better understand how to encourage others. For this reason, I am currently reading “An Impractical Guide to Becoming a Transformational Leader” (Medcalf, 2015), which is a book that interested me with its straightforwardness and no-nonsense approach. It proposes concrete strategies for becoming a good transformational leader and approaches the topic with an air of simplicity, one that makes it easier to pick it up. I assert that reading this book will be helpful in my journey of emboldening my interpersonal skills and give me a much-needed capacity to work with other individuals.
In addition, I am currently reading up on the concept of self-leadership – an idea that one’s attitude and perception relating to their goals can be conducive to success. Books and other resources on self-leadership introduced me to many examples of successful people and their determination. Understanding the struggles of individuals who have managed to achieve their goals is both inspirational and important, as it highlights people’s capacity to overcome adversity. By engaging with concepts from self-leadership, such as natural reward structures and goal-setting, I am able to become more motivated, productive, and focused. The development of these qualities brings me closer to the ideal image of myself, the vision of success that I will strive for.
Personal Capabilities
Healthy Self-esteem
Self-esteem is oftentimes seen as an important part of life. For most people, the term works on a binary, with some people having high self-esteem, and others having low self-esteem. However, this perception has been repeatedly challenged by research and psychological and sociological studies. First, scholars have proposed that the divisive understanding of self-esteem as only good or bad is reductive. An individual can have varying perceptions of themselves depending on their skills, knowledge, and experiences. A single person can have a high level of self-esteem and confidence in their cooking, for example, while lacking the same confidence in their artistic pursuits. Understanding that self-esteem is a complex but necessary concept is key to improving one’s life and performing leadership duties better. Improvement is always a welcome part of life, but basing one’s perception of self on their skills or capabilities ultimately proves to be damaging (Crocker & Park, 2004). A pursuit of growth for the sake of affirming the self, when failing, does considerable damage to one’s physical and psychological health. Therefore, current research emphasizes the need to create non-contingent self-esteem – one that is stable and true throughout an individual’s life (Ryan & Brown, 2003). I think that the facilitation of similar attitudes in myself will help me immensely as a potential leader. In business, change and failure are inevitable. When one accepts the responsibility of leading others, one must also accept that not all of their ventures will succeed. A leader that lets their failures affect their perception of themselves, then, actively damages their health and wellbeing. In order to maintain a clear mind, prolong the life of the organization, and ensure the best possible decision-making, I will strive to develop a strong sense of self-esteem.
Conflict mitigation
At its core, leadership is a process of working with other people, fulfilling their needs, and allowing them to reach their biggest potential. This includes cases where individuals are facing individual or interpersonal issues, or when the business decision-making process divides the company. A good leader must be capable of helping their subordinates work out practical, acceptable, and lasting solutions, all the while maintaining a spirit of friendliness, civility, and cooperation. Therefore, if I want to become a better leader, I must work to develop conflict resolution skills. In this process, there are a number of lesser competencies that must be considered. This includes learning to listen to one’s co-workers, placing importance on solving problems instead of distributing blame, recognizing accomplishment, and holding oneself accountable (“Leadership guide to conflict and conflict management – Leadership in healthcare and public health,” 2018). By combining all of these competencies, continuously maintaining communication with one’s team, and caring about others, it is possible to resolve conflict more easily. Another consideration that should be brought up when talking about conflict resolution is team organization and management. A good leader must recognize who among their subordinates works best together, taking advantage of the chemistry and skill coordination of different people. In many cases, smart work coordination can eliminate workplace conflict entirely (Odom, 2021). I will strive to learn all of these qualities in my work to become a more capable, committed, and productive leader.
Conclusion
In conclusion, change is vital to all forms of development – both in organizations and on a personal level. Embracing change can often be difficult, especially when society requires it to be done quickly. For this reason, companies and individuals alike must build themselves with the need to change in minds. Organizations must be flexible, promoting a unified vision of change that the majority can support while also listening to the voices of the workers. Creating and following change becomes a central key to success, one that separates winners from losers. On a personal level, individuals benefit from seeking self-improvement and embracing change, as it builds their capacity to adapt and gives them access to a myriad of skills, both for improving themselves and leading others.
References
Crocker, J., & Park, L. E. (2004). The costly pursuit of self-esteem. PsycEXTRA Dataset. Web.
Leadership guide to conflict and conflict management – Leadership in healthcare and public health. (2018). The Ohio State University Pressbooks – Open Course Materials from Ohio State Instructors. Web.
Medcalf, J. (2015). An impractical guide to becoming a transformational leader. Lulu Publishing Services.
Odom, J. (2021). Team building: Minimizing conflict in the workplace. The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Web.
Ryan, R. M., & Brown, K. W. (2003). Why We Don’t Need Self-Esteem: On Fundamental Needs, Contingent Love, and Mindfulness. Psychological Inquiry, 14(1), 71–76. Web.