Abigael Rotich

 QUESTION: Leaders on cultural change INTRODUCTION Definition of terms Leader- according to business dictionary, a leader is a person or thing that holds a dominant or superior position within its field and is able to exercise a high degree of control or influence over others. Leadership- is an influence that is, the area or process of influencing people so that will strive willingly and enthusiastically towards achievement of group goals. Culture- the set of key values, assumptions, understanding and norms that is shared by members of an organization and taught new members as correct. Change- the process of reviewing and modifying management structures and business process. Cultural Change- a term used in public policy making that emphasis the influence of cultural capital or individual or community behaviour. It places stress on the social and cultural capital, determinants of decision making in the manner in which this interact with other factors like the availability of information to the financial incentives facing individual to drive behaviour. RESPONSIBILITY OF LEADERS IN THE ORGANIZATION I. Assessment- Leaders must work with others in the organization to assess the organization external and internal environment and specify needed changes in each. II. Culture- Leaders must work with others in the organization to understand the organization culture; the core beliefs and values that are shared by the organization members that guide their actions in its behalf and define their expectations about the actions of those around them. III. Vision- Leaders work with others in the organization to create a vision, a reasonable story about the organization future in the light of the constraints imposed by its environment and culture and to articulate the goal agenda that follows from that vision then they must promote acceptance to the vision throughout the organization. IV. Plans- Leaders work others to design plan of the organization for moving the organization towards the envisioned future and to promote understanding of how that plan will address the goal agenda in pursuit of the vision V. Implementation- Leaders work with others to maintain momentum during plan implementation and to monitor progress in order to discover and correct weakness in the plan. VI. Follow through.-Leaders institutionalize achieved changes and to help members accept on going change as a normal aspect of the organization and its activities. ROLE OF LEADERDS IN ORGANIZATION CULTURAL CHANGE. Leaders can effectively drive change with their company culture change organization culture through leadership is made up of three layers; a) Behaviours, systems, policies and processes surrounding the way things are done. b) Ideal goals, values and inspirations set by leadership. c) Underlying assumptions that guide behaviour. When it comes to drive organization change, leaders play a critical role in using their behaviour by setting the tone f0or what is acceptable within the company. Leaders influence organization culture through the following ways: 1. Model behaviours. Leaders must walk the talk and lead by example. You cannot expect the people to change their habits if you’re not willing to do so yourself. Therefore you need to make the same changes and display the same actions you expect out your team. Lead as others follow. 2. Establish a purpose to belief in. People want to know what is expected of them. They want to be clear with their roles and how it impacts the organization. Communicate with each employee how the organization’s purpose connect to the specific job they are performing. 3. Set expectations and help people build the required skills. Most people want to improve their professional skill set and make a difference. To do this you need to provide them with the tools, resources and opportunities that allow them to grow and gain confidence in their ability to meet expectations and meet seamlessly into your vision for organizational culture. Offer coaching and training and reinforce the company mission, vision and values through regular communication. 4. Reinforce a culture of accountability. Accountability one of the most important ways for leaders to influence culture. When leaders hold people accountable, it help people understand that they are accountable to all things they do. Your team need to see that, the way in which you do business, internal processes and systems are cultural elements and are in place for a reason. 5. Make it personal for your team. Even if you model desired behaviours establish a clear purpose and hold people accountable, you can have even more influence on culture and performance if you make it personal. CAUSES OF CULTURAL CHANGE Contact – This change through contact with other cultures is called cultural diffusion. Contact between cultures can occur through trade, immigration and warfare. When cultures come together, they share ideas, religion, language and technologies that inevitably change both cultures in meaningful ways. Technology – The automobile have an impact on economic development, communication, social class and settlement patterns. Computers and the internet are revolutionizing how people live today and are relevant contemporary examples of cultural change through technology. Change in the environment- This is a modern issue as global warming has already impacted some cultures around the world. As the climate become warmer sea levels rise and cultures will need to adapt in the effort to survive. Introduction of new ideas. - When cultures are challenged with a new way of seeing things, they are forced to change. Example is the idea of equal rights of women and minorities. STEPS FOR MANAGING CULTURE CHANGE Driving cultural change requires active and international leadership and hence use the following steps to manage the process: 1. Quantitatively measure your current cultural values. The first step is knowing where your current culture stands; that is, what employees belief your organisation’s current values are. This will allow you to get a good idea of how much change is needed and enable accountability and ability to track your culture more precisely overtime. 2. Intentionally align culture strategy and structure. Be sure that the culture change fits with the firm’s or group’s business strategy and that both fit with the organisation’s structure. Supporting change and innovation both structurally and culturally have been found to be critical to the success of culture change initiatives. Make changers where appropriate to support the new culture. 3. Ensure staff and stakeholder participation. Change can’t succeed without meaningful involvement of many people throughout the organisation. Use a balanced approach, keeping in mind that input from a wide range of people can generate excitement and motivation to change, but make sure that you have a separate change structure in place that can make timely and clear decisions to prevent an ambiguous vision or delay key actions. 4. Communicate and demonstrate the change over and over. Frequent and copious communication- both downward and upward is necessary during the change process. Use words and actions to convey the vision of the desired future and repeat your message much more often than you think is necessary. 5. Manage the emotional response- yours and your employees. Leadership effectiveness in times of change has been found to be critically related to the use emotional intelligence. Employee emotions have a strong influence on how they approach change and leaders need to be as analytical and strategize as much about their emotional messages as their cognitive ones. Frequent mistakes leaders make in trying to change culture. I. Over use of power tools of cohesion and under- use of leadership tools. II. Beginning with a vision or story but failing to put in place the management tools that will cement the behavioural changes in place. III. Beginning with power tools even before a clear vision or story of the future is in place. REFERENCES. Leadership and the art of change; A Practical Guide to Organisational Transformation; Lee Roy Beach. Managing Organisational Culture Change: The Case for Long Term Care, Donald E. Gibson, Sigal G. Barsade, Journal of Social Work in Long Term Care Vol. 2. No1\2, 2003. The Leadership Experience; Richard L. Daft, 4th edition.