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change leadership?
Received (in revised form): 3rd February, 2003
Roger Gill
is Director of the Research Centre for Leadership Studies at The Leadership Trust and
Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde Graduate School of Business, where
he was formerly Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource
Management and Director of Executive Development Programmes. In addition to
academic appointments in the UK and the USA, he has worked as a management
consultant in the UK, the Middle East and Southeast Asia and as a human resources
manager in industry in the UK.
ABSTRACT This paper argues that, while change must be well managed, it also requires
effective leadership to be successfully introduced and sustained. An integrative model of
leadership for change is proposed, reflecting its cognitive, spiritual, emotional and behavioural
dimensions and requirements. The model comprises vision, values, strategy, empowerment,
and motivation and inspiration. The paper concludes with a brief account of the application
of the model in varied strategic change situations.
. . . there is no more delicate matter to take 2002). The reason for this, this paper
in hand, nor more dangerous to conduct, contends, is not necessarily poor
nor more doubtful in its success, than to set management of change but more likely a
up as a leader in the introduction of lack of effective leadership.
changes. For he who innovates will have for While change must be well managed
his enemies all those who are well off under it must be planned, organised, directed
the existing order of things, and only
and controlled it also requires
lukewarm supporters in those who might be
better off under the new. (Machiavelli,
effective leadership to introduce change
14691527) successfully: it is leadership that makes
Roger Gill
Director, Research Centre
the difference. This paper proposes a
for Leadership Studies, In the early sixteenth century, Niccolo` new model of leadership which is the
The Leadership Trust,
Weston-under-Penyard,
Machiavelli clearly understood the result of a three-year study of the
Ross-on-Wye, problem of change. In The Prince, he burgeoning literature on the subject and
Herefordshire HR9 7YH, UK points out the difficulty and risk involved which has been successfully applied in
and
Visiting Professor, in implementing change, in particular several organisations in a variety of
University of Strathclyde resistance to change and, at best, lack of sectors planning and implementing
Graduate School of
Business, 199 Cathedral commitment to it.1 Some 500 years later, strategic change. The model proposes
Street, Glasgow G4 0QU, this is still a familiar problem. As that the leadership of successful change
UK
Andrew Mayo says, Our organisations requires vision, strategy, the development
Tel: 44 (0)1989 760705;
Fax: 44 (0)1989 760704;
are littered with the debris . . . of of a culture of sustainable shared values
e-mail: rwtgill@aol.com yesterdays [change] initiatives (Mayo, that support the vision and strategy for
Henry Stewart Publications 1469-7017 (2003) Vol. 3, 4, 307318 Journal of Change Management 307
Gill
change, and empowering, motivating and the result of the nave adoption of
inspiring those who are involved or management fads. Such fads frequently
affected. This behaviour reflects the deal with only one aspect of an
underlying dimensions and requirements organisations functioning without regard
of leadership: the cognitive, the spiritual, to their implications for other aspects.
the emotional and the behavioural. Lack of communication or inconsistent
messages and the resulting
misunderstanding of the aims and process
WHY MANAGEMENT IS NECESSARY of change lead to rumours that
BUT NOT SUFFICIENT demoralise people and to a lack of
Change programmes often fail because of commitment to change.
poor management: poor planning, A lack of commitment to change may
monitoring and control, lack of resources be due to a lack of compelling evidence
and know-how, and incompatible for the benefits of change. It shows itself
corporate policies and practices. Good in objections, unwillingness to consider
management of change is a sine qua non. options or look at process issues, and the
How change may be mismanaged is use of hidden agendas or delaying
well known. Change efforts may fail tactics. Top management itself may
because of poor planning, monitoring display a lack of commitment to change.
and control, focusing more on the Their commitment is evident in several
objective than on the steps and process ways: their unequivocal acceptance of
involved, a lack of milestones along the ownership and responsibility for success
way, and failing to monitor progress and of the change initiative, eagerness to be
take corrective action. Change efforts involved, willingness to invest resources,
often lack the necessary resources, eg willingness to take tough decisions when
budget, systems, time and information, required, awareness of the impact of
and the necessary expertise their own behaviour, a consistent
knowledge and skills. Corporate policies message, and the holding of regular
and practices sometimes remain the same reviews of progress.
and become inconsistent with the aims Change efforts that are purely
and strategies for change. For example, managerial in nature, especially those
the performance criteria used in appraisal that are mismanaged, result in a lack of
and reward policies may not support and dedicated effort, conflict between
reinforce a desired performance-driven, functional areas and resistance to change.
teamwork-oriented culture, resulting in a Resistance to change is a common
disincentive or lack of incentive to phenomenon. Kubr (1996) provides a
change behaviour. A large European good account of why people resist
study found that the most successful change. A cognitive and behavioural
organisations make mutually supportive reason is lack of know-how. A lack of
changes in terms of changes in roles, conviction that change is needed
governance structures and strategies questioning the meaning and value of the
(Whittington et al., 1999). change for individuals inevitably leads
Change is all too often regarded as a to a lack of motivation to change. Perhaps
quick fix. This fails to address the the most powerful forces of resistance to
implications of the change for the change, however, are emotional:
organisation as a whole and therefore
causes unforeseen and unacceptable dislike of imposed change
disruption. Change initiatives are often dislike of surprises
308 Journal of Change Management Vol. 3, 4, 307318 Henry Stewart Publications 1469-7017 (2003)
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Henry Stewart Publications 1469-7017 (2003) Vol. 3, 4, 307318 Journal of Change Management 309
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through body language, they also saying that successful change begins by
comprise communicating in other ways [making] the status quo seem more
through writing, speaking and listening dangerous than launching into the
using personal power and through unknown. This is the basis for
physical behaviour, for example MBWA developing a vision for change.
(managing by walking around). Sylvie Jackson of Cranfield Universitys
Communication is the life blood of the Royal Military College of Science starkly
organisation and the oxygen of change illustrates how little vision figures in
within it. communication in organisations:
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2001). This is an important factor in As for the best leaders, people do not
maintaining trust in top management. notice their existence.
Medtronic is completely reinvented The next best, the people honour and praise.
every five years in terms of its business The next, the people fear.
strategies. For example, between 1989 And the next, the people hate.
and 1994, the company was transformed But when the best leaders work is done, the
people say, We did it ourselves.4
from a pacemaker company into a
broader cardiovascular business, with
revolutionary new therapies during the Empowerment literally is giving people
following five years, and with further power. It is about making them able to
innovations likely over the next five to do what needs to be done in the change
ten years reflecting its Vision 2010. process. In practice, empowerment is
Meanwhile, mission and values have giving people the knowledge, skills,
remained, and will remain, constant. opportunity, freedom, self-confidence and
Innovation and change require structural resources to manage themselves and be
flexibility, but with the stability to accountable. Important aspects of
deliver products and services on time. empowerment are stimulating peoples
Peters (1993) calls this permanent intellects and imagination, in particular
flexibility. It is well established in the their creativity in the change process,
management literature that structure must risk taking and trust. Empowering people
serve strategy, not the converse. An for action in part entails getting rid of
example of how structures have changed obstacles to change, removing or
is the introduction of short-term, changing systems or structures that
high-performance teams, superseding undermine the vision, and encouraging
permanent functional or departmental risk taking, new ideas and innovative
teams and cross-functional teams. They activities (Kotter, 1995b).
come together for a specific purpose and, Bennis (1999) suggests that a
on achieving it, disband. The shrinking world with increasing
consequences are roles that frequently technological and political complexity
change and temporary and varied offers fewer and fewer arenas for
leadership roles. effective top-down leadership. The key
An effective strategy for change entails to real change, he says, is empowered
creating a guiding coalition putting teams. The need for rapid response and
together a group of people with enough innovation has created a culture of
power to lead the change and getting intrapreneurship in many companies.
it to work together as an effective team Innovation has become the province of
(Kotter, 1995a). Kotter also emphasises all employees, not just those in the
the need to use every method possible to product development department.
communicate constantly and explain the Encouraging intrapreneurship is an
new vision and strategy and ensure the example of empowerment.
guiding coalition models the behaviour General Electric successfully underwent
expected of all employees. extensive restructuring in the 1980s
under chairman and CEO Jack Welch, to
build a network of interrelated businesses
Empowerment with the aim of capturing top
Like so many aspects of leadership, market-share positions in their respective
empowerment is not a new idea. In the industries. The change process included
fifth century BC, Lao Tzu wrote: Work-Out, a way in which employees
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