Introduction
Effective change management is vital if those organizations have to avoid the pitfalls associated with change. Kudler Fine Foods is in the process of introducing a new information management system that enhances efficiency in information management. The new information management system implies significant changes within the company’s management practices.
Thus, this calls for effective leadership. As such, transformational, Thought Self-Leadership, Kyosei and Customer Relationship Leadership styles will enable change managers at the company to effectively manage the change process.
The need for effective leadership in change management
Healthy businesses have to keep changing to adapt to new and innovative business practices. This implies that change is an intrinsic characteristic of healthy businesses and enables firms to enhance market competitiveness. For change to be effective, it calls for effective leadership through out the change management process.
The need for effective leadership is necessitated by the fact that people have a tendency to resist change. As such for change to be effective, it has to be managed well. This calls for a change leadership that not only understands the unique needs of the organization but also of the individual employees. To address these concerns, the leaders must be emotionally intelligent.
This leads to enhanced cooperation from employees as well as making them part of the change process. Additionally, effective leadership not only enables firms to identify potential change management pitfalls, but develop appropriate strategies to avoid management failure.
Additionally, effective leadership enables change managers to establish excellence as part of the desired change. As such, effective leadership is crucial in the change management process (Schuster-Cotterell, 2005).
Appropriate change management leadership styles
Since leadership is important in management of change, it is vital to evaluate leadership styles that are most suitable for change management at Kudler Fine Foods. Debate is not conclusive on the factors that determine the variables that influence the type of leadership styles suitable for change management.
However, the type of organization, its size as well as the purpose of change are some of the factors commonly perceived to have a significant influence. Regardless, there are some leadership styles necessary for managing change at Kudler Fine Foods; four of them are enumerated. Transformational leadership not only transforms individual employees to be change oriented but also innovate new ways to attain change.
Transformative leaders are charismatic, motivational and emotionally appealing (Yukl, 2010). As such, they help the organizational achieve transcendental goals (Schuster-Cotterell, 2005). In contrast to transformational leadership, Thought Self-Leadership focuses on the leaders rather than those being led.
Leaders focus on their own thought patterns and establish a level of control over thought patterns based on certain assumptions, imagination and beliefs. This enables leader to conceptualized change as well as conceptualize the change philosophies within the organization. Additionally, change management also involves customer relations management.
As such Customer Relationship Leadership seems relevant for Kudler Fine Foods change management initiative. Customer Relationship Leadership incorporates ideas that enhance improved customer relations. This has a corresponding effect on business performance (Schuster-Cotterell, 2005).
Lastly, Schuster-Cotterell (2005) suggests Kyosei, an interesting leadership style which not only involves effective change management leadership but also ensures fairness is achieved. Kyosei emphasizes diplomacy and concession on areas of conflict during change management. Additionally, Kyosei ensures that agreement is the basis on which decisions regarding change are made (Schuster-Cotterell, 2005).
Application of the four leadership style at Kudler Fine Foods
Each of these leadership styles has key role in implementing the new systems at Kudler Fine Foods. The purpose of change management is to ensure that the introduction of the new information management system is seamless. The purpose of the new information management system is to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the management of information. This process involves goals setting.
Through transformational leadership, management leaders motivate employees not only to set those goals but also enable Kudler Fine Foods attain its vision. To conceptualize the goals and the vision of the change management project needs innovativeness and imagination by leaders at Kudler Fine Foods.
Thought Self-Leadership style will enable change managers to develop innovate and imaginative ways through which the company will utilize the new system effectively. Additionally, change managers will develop new philosophies that will not only guide the desired change but also sustain it.
Kudler Fine Foods deals with consumables and as such customer relation is a vital business activity. The purpose of developing effective customer relations is to enhance business performance. Suffice to say that the new information management system is to be used for the purpose of human resource management, including employee evaluation and appraisals.
This enables the company to identify the most suitable employees to handle customer relations issues, if business performance is to be improved. Additionally, as explained earlier, change is a difficult process. As such, there needs to be effective transactions if it is to be effective. At Kudler Fine Foods, implementing the new system involves a lot of changes within the management process.
These changes mainly affect the employees. Through Kyosei, change managers will be able to establish diplomacy as the most appropriate means of negotiating change procedures.
This also ensures that diplomacy is part of decision making in the change management process. As such, in areas that conflict might occur, change managers at Kudler Fine Foods will be equipped to develop the most appropriate conflict resolution mechanism.
Ineffective leadership styles
Not all leadership styles are appropriate for change management. Change management is a highly consultative process, and might result in conflicts. Even though autocratic leadership enforces a leader’s authority during crises; it fails to establish the grounds for mutual relationship between leaders and subordinates (Montana and Bruce, 2008). As such, autocratic leadership style is least effective at Kudler Fine Foods.
Additionally, narcissist leadership is also ineffective since it establishes dependence on the leader in decisions making. Narcissism overlooks the importance of involving others in decision making (Ouimet, 2010). As such, it may not serve to facilitate effective change management leadership at Kudler Fine Foods.
Conclusion
Change management is a complex process, which needs careful management. This call for effective leaders to understand the most appropriate leadership styles to use. Transformational leadership, Kyosei, customer relations leadership as well as Thought Self-Leadership are some of the most effective change management leadership styles. If leaders use appropriate leadership styles, change will be effectively managed.
Reference List
Montana, P., & Bruce H. (2008). Management: leadership and theory. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.
Ouimet, G. (2010). Dynamics of narcissistic leadership in organizations: Towards an integrated research model. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25 (7).
Schuster-Cotterell, C. (2005). Change management, effective leadership behaviour and corporate success. Web.
Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.