Why do you think the shift in leadership is occurring and do
you think this is indicative of what is happening in your organization?
Step change,
according to Obelensky (2014) this is when an organization does sweeping
changes including strategy, culture, and re-organization. Shift in leadership
is occurring because every organization desires these results, and they want it
to happen fast. Many companies realize that change is necessary, to succeed we
cannot have businesses run essentially the same way that they were run one
hundred years ago.
I have been
a part of an organization where information comes from the top to the bottom,
usually the bottom is misinformed, confused, and they spend their time around
the coffee station complaining about management. It is no surprise that
companies want to change the way that their business is run, nowadays companies
find value in diversity and new and exciting ideas which will keep their
business relevant. What businesses are looking for is information which will
flow from the bottom to the top so that all of these new employees can bring
their ideas into the lime light.
In my
organization, I believe that we are becoming much more transparent. It is
imperative that the people at the bottom understand what is going on in the
company, we want the people at the bottom to understand the issues of the
company and find new ways to solve those problems. Many new employees are
thirsty for a chance to prove themselves and when upper management empowers
these employees they are giving them a chance to shine. Obelensky (2014)
recognizes that “those at the top of the organizations only know a fraction of
the solutions needed to overcome the problems faced by the organizations that
they lead”. Obelensky (2014) also realizes that sixty percent of solutions can
come from the bottom of the organization. It is our job as managers to take
advantage of the bright new employees which we hire and give them a chance to
voice their opinions.
List three reasons that support or refute this position.
1.
Organizations
like KODAK which did not change their leadership style ended up looking at the
demise of their once powerful status. “Kodak’s top management
never fully grasped how the world around them was changing” (Muir, n.d).
2.
Corporate
culture is one of the main reasons in which organizations will be dysfunctional
or a great place to work with a low turnover rate.
3.
Empowering
employees makes everyone’s job easier, there is a big shift in leadership
occurring because organization realize that there are a lot of good ideas which
can come from empowering those at the bottom. “Empowered
employees feel free to challenge the status quo, which is critical for companies
in today's fast-changing, technology-driven environment”, says Lin Grensing
(2011).
If so, how would leadership dynamics have to be altered to
accommodate and promote these types of changes? What are the implications
on strategy?
Obelensky
(2014) states that, “those at the top do not know the solutions needed to
overcome the problems faced by the organizations that they lead. And generally
speaking they know that they do not know”. So if this is the case perhaps we
need to flatten out the organization and make more of an even playing field.
Many companies have moved on to a flatter hierarchy in which more employees
have a bigger voice and their opinions matter. I believe that if we have people
who can view each other as peers, than perhaps ideas will come out more often
without fear of backlash from someone with a stronger title. Companies need to
take advantage of employees with new and exciting ideas, this is definitely a
good start to empowering your employees.
References:
Obolensky,
N. (2014). Complex
Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty. Farnham,
Surrey: Gower.
Munir, K. (n.d.). The
Demise of Kodak: Five Reasons. Retrieved October 2, 2015, from
http://blogs.wsj.com/source/2012/02/26/the-demise-of-kodak-five-reasons/
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