Prepare a 2+ page paper in which you review the personal side of leading change.
Personal Side of Leading Change
Abstract
Change is a concept that organizations have adopted recently. Change agents play a vital role in the organization, and their instrumental role manifests in the profit outcomes and better performance of the organizations. While such outcomes are visible, it is often difficult to identify the personal aspect of change agents. This paper reviews the personality aspects of change agents and defines them as individuals with the task of transforming their organizational culture and routines towards more innovation, productivity, or better management of firm synergies. A review of famous change agents such as Dennis Hightower in Disney helps to provide a better perspective on the experiences of change agents. For instance, despite the individuals gaining recognition for their actions, they are also susceptible to the frustration of challenging tasks, barriers to team building, and other drawbacks. At the same time, change agents also experience qualities of personal growth and gratification out of achieving their goals as well as team leadership.
Keywords: Change, Change Agents, Leading Change, Organization.
Personal Side of Leading Change
Change in organizations is an idea that began recently within the 20th century. Until the 1960s, organizations would thrive in the role of the existing organizational leaders and a typical approach to business (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). However, there was a growing need to ensure that companies can thrive through social and economic changes in their environment. As such, change agents emerged as external consultants who joined organizations with an agenda for improving the way firms operate (Battilana & Casciaro, 2012). The role of change agents was increasingly vital since companies were able to show a higher level of innovation and mastery of the market, thereby gaining higher profits. By the 1970s, there were internal consultants strongly linked to their organization’s vision and mission (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). There are several personal implications for change agents as critical individuals in defining new ideas and areas of work in firms.
Change agents faced the challenge of aligning people towards their vision and their perspectives about how to work within a firm. The agents encounter challenges associated with a lack of essential support and resources for their projects (Battilana, & Casciaro, 2012). It occurs that internal change agents are most susceptible to change themselves due to loneliness, lacking other people of the same thought, and the pain of enduring opposition. However, articulating their ideas for change enhances them as consultants towards the challenge and effort of problem-solving (Battilana, & Casciaro, 2012). Nonetheless, they emerge as leaders and inspiration for teamwork and team spirit, leading to a unanimous sense of gratification and personal growth in achieving various organizational and personal goals.
The personal aspect of change agents has to do with forbearing vision and strategies for implementing them into lasting company operations. Young or new change agents have to ensure that they have alluring value propositions. Also, they should not only market their programs but facilitate change-agent skills within their teams. An example of a change agent is Dennis Hightower, who gained a position to work as head of Consumer Products in European operations at Walt Disney (Carpenter, 2009). As the leader implementing special projects, the official was tasked with transforming the organizational culture and creating a more dynamic environment to enhance productivity. Dennis had gained several years’ experience in strategic management, consulting, and operational planning in his role (Carpenter, 2009). Part of his achievements in the organizational function at Walt Disney involved consolidating operations to enhance working synergies. Besides, he was able to corporate governance, especially among the European executives.
In conclusion, there are several personal implications for change agents as key individuals defining new areas of work for firms. In the case of Dennis Hightower and Walt Disney, the challenge of change involved having a young person influence change in a thriving organization. The story is inspirational due to the difficulties that new change agents face in organizations. Harboring new ideas and perspectives about work comes with the obstacle of redefining the existing traditions and organizational culture. In the case of Dennis Hightower, part of his achievements was that he could change routine organization operations in corporate governance and strategic management. Depending on the experience of organizational tasks, change agents may also gain a personal sense of gratification and personal growth out of the experiences of a project. Change management also encourages teamwork and visionary leadership in an organization.
References
Abbas, W., & Asghar, I. (2010). The Role of Leadership in Organizational Change: Relating the successful Organizational Change with Visionary and Innovative Leadership (Dissertation No. TEX100428). Retrieved from http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-7037
Carpenter, Mason. An executive’s primer on the strategy of social networks. Business Expert Press, 2009.
Battilana, J., & Casciaro, T. (2012). Change agents, networks, and institutions: A contingency theory of organizational change. Academy of Management Journal, 55(2), 381-398.
