Key Points
Organizational change doesn’t just happen, it needs to be led.
Competent change leadership is associated with a variety of positive outcomes, such as reduced stress and increased openness to change, as well as increased likelihood of change success.
Change leadership and change management can and should be developed as a strategic skill set.
Many people working in organizational change talk about the essential role of the leader. But what is it that we are looking for from leaders during change, and why are leaders so important for effective change management?
Organizational change requires unique leadership
We focus on leadership during change, along with other essential roles such as the change implementation team, because research links effective leadership with various change and organizational outcomes. For example:
When people perceive leaders to be competent at change management, it is linked not only with more successful change efforts but also reduced stress levels (for both leaders & change recipients), as well as less skepticism about the change amongst staff.
Leader behaviors and the related quality of the relationship between leaders and staff impacted by change are also linked with change outcomes. For example, the level of trust between leaders and staff is positively linked with openness to change and negatively related to perceptions of change as a threat.
In sum, it makes a difference whether or not a leader is skilled in managing change. But what skills are we talking about?
Change leadership requires a comprehensive set of skills and behaviors
Academics offer a variety of general leadership frameworks as well as those that highlight specific competencies needed to lead organizational change effectively. The array can be a bit overwhelming. Below I offer one framework I adapted from the work of Julie Battilana of Harvard Business School, which I like for its simplicity, the research behind it, and because it highlights many of the themes covered in other frameworks.
When we think about change leadership, we should consider two things:
What leaders do —activities or actions leaders carry out to drive change.
How leaders carry out these actions — leader behaviors.
Research indicates that change leaders are most effective when they undertake all these actions and exhibit both types of behaviors.
Effective Change Leadership Actions
Communication: Activities undertaken by leaders to make a case for change (rationale, need) and share the vision for the change (benefits, future state).
Mobilization: Activities undertaken by leaders to gain buy-in for new requirements and daily routines necessary to implement a change and function in the future state. This often includes generating broad-based support as well as adjusting organizational processes and systems to facilitate the change.
Evaluation: Activities undertaken by leaders to measure, monitor, and assess the change implementation process and the impact of the change effort in the long-term.
Effective Change Leadership Behaviors
Two general categories of leader behaviors have been validated in a variety of research. While these are not specific to organizational change, these behaviors are relevant during times of change.
Person-Orientation (Showing Consideration) Relates to one’s ability to show consideration for others, as well as to take into account one’s own and others’ emotions. This is often reflected through behaviors that enable collaboration, establish a supportive climate, and ensure equitable treatment of all members of an organization.
Task-Orientation (Initiating Structure): Relates to one’s ability to clarify task requirements and structure tasks in ways that are aligned with the organization’s mission and objectives. This is often reflected through “architectural functions,” such as structuring the organization, designing teams or projects, and setting up control mechanisms and routines to help drive staff towards organizational goals.
These actions and behaviors are required of leaders at all levels. Middle managers are often called on to use these skills in novel ways.
Change leadership is a strategic skillset organization must invest in
Don’t assume that all leaders have the skills needed to perform during organizational change — as illustrated above, it’s a big ask! Early in the planning stage, support all those tasked to lead the change — top-level leaders and middle managers — to take stock of their relevant skill sets. It’s not uncommon to uncover some gaps. Given the impact leaders can have on change outcomes and employees’ experience of change, ensuring you fill any gaps identified is critical.
It’s essential to recognize that the development of these competencies doesn’t just happen — it takes awareness, willingness, and time. As such, you may need to address leadership skill gaps in a variety of ways.
In the immediate term, you can identify co-leaders or organize a group of leaders with complementary skillsets to drive the change. Alternatively, if the leader is willing, you can provide a change coach to support the leader to stretch and grow on the job.
Given the degree and consistency of change in many organizations, it may also be beneficial to consider long-term investments in this strategic skillset by integrating it into existing leadership and development programs or supporting attendance at external training offerings.
Regardless of the way you do it, supporting leaders to deepen their understanding of what’s required of them during periods of change, and their ability to deliver it, will pay off in improved change outcomes and experiences.
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References
Battilana, J., Gilmartin, M., Sengul, M., Pache, A. C., & Alexander, J. A. (2010). Leadership competencies for implementing planned organizational change. The Leadership Quarterly, 21(3), 422-438.
Battilana, J., & Casciaro, T. (2013). The network secrets of great change agents. Harvard Business Review, 91(7/8), 62-68.
Bryant, M., & Stensaker, I. (2011). The competing roles of middle management: Negotiated order in the context of change. Journal of Change Management, 11(3), 353-373.
Ford, J. D., & Ford, L. W. (2012). The leadership of organization change: A view from recent empirical evidence. In Research in organizational change and development. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Stouten, J., Rousseau, D. M., & De Cremer, D. (2018). Successful organizational change: Integrating the management practice and scholarly literature. Academy of Management Annals, 12(2), 752-788.
Ten Have, S., ten Have, W., Huijsmans, A. B., & Otto, M. (2016). Reconsidering change management: Applying evidence-based insights in change management practice. Routledge.
Photo credits: Bakr Magrabi from Pexels; Shutterstock
Graphic: Wendy Hirsch