Running Head: LEADERSHIP IMPACT 1

The Matter Of Leadership: The Impact of Leadership On Organizational Change

Andrea Carter
Department of Psychology, Adler University
SJP-516-A: Social Justice Practicum
Dr. Jim Brown
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Abstract

In the pandemic era, organizational change has once again peaked. As organizations
across the globe look to stabilize and survive to build a long-term plan for future growth, the
leaders at the helm are approaching this year of organizational development and change
through different lenses. Those who have adopted the 'leader' from the 'leader-manager
distinctions' (Burke, 2018) are either inspiring their followers through the change by; taking a
risk, innovating, and charismatically visioning a new organizational design that uses diversity
and inclusion to foster a culture of engagement, belonging, and resilience. On the other hand,
those who have adopted the 'manager' identity are struggling. We have seen the process of
limiting options surrounding work-life balance, tightening core principles of belonging, and
focusing an incredible amount of energy on short-term problem solving that weathers the
storm by accomplishing tasks and separating their work from their personal lives (Burke,
2018). Fundamentally, leadership is at the core of organizational change. This paper focuses
on the intersection of leader-manager differences, exemplary leadership characteristics, and
the ability to empower others by affecting followers' interests, beliefs, and values to take
action and be inspired to accept change.
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What is Leadership?

Jacob Morgan (2020), "The Future Leader," interviewed over 140 CEOs from around the
globe and asked each of them to define leadership. While not one of the CEOs defined
leadership the same way, each was 'right' in their definition (Morgan, 2020). It has long been
accepted that leaders have their definition of leadership and that their beliefs, values, and
visioning abilities influence their leadership style and the company's culture, direction, and
market value. While leaders will inevitably remain individualistic within their capacity to
lead, Burke (2018) indicates that leadership is inevitably defined as "the act of making
something happen that would not otherwise occur" (Burke, 2018). At the same time, some
may argue that this definition is conceptual, ambiguous, and relies heavily on a person's
ability to feel and emote what leadership is. An alternative definition is "to empower others
is to affect their interests in action" (Burke, 1986), which he further reveals is a process that
must be learned. To this effect, he further continues that "one's effectiveness in empowering
others depends on whether one is a manager or a leader" (Burke, 1986, pp. 63-75).
Additionally, Messick and Krammer (2004) argue that the degree to which the individual
exhibits leadership traits depends not only on characteristics and personal abilities but also on
the characteristics of the situation and environment the leader and the organization find
themselves in (Messick & Krammer, 2004). Therefore, an individual will support the
organization if there is alignment between the organization and the individual's beliefs and
values so that personal objectives and goals can be met; if not, the employee's interest and
engagement will decline (Umar & Cross, 2018). These concepts demonstrate the intricate
connection between leadership and organizational change.
Perhaps though, the more important element here is the differentiation of what a leader is
versus what a manager is so that organizational change can more effectively be measured
according to the impact a leader has on influencing change management and organizational
development.

Leadership versus Management

As demonstrated by Burke (2018), there is a fundamental difference between leaders and

managers, specifically within four dimensions of comparison; (1) attitude towards goals, (2)
conception of work, (3) relation with others and (4) sense of self. While some could say that
many leaders have acted more like managers throughout the pandemic, with these four
dimensions of comparison in mind, it is essential that as a society navigating through
continuous change, organizational leadership and management are evaluated and further
understood. Based on the comparison model according to Zaleznik (1977), as featured by
Burke (2018) in Organizational Change, a leader's attitude towards a goal is more personal
and active in comparison to a manager's more impersonal, reactive, and passive approach.
From the conceptions at work dimension, leaders project ideas into models that people can
envision and become excited about. In contrast, managers are more focused on coordinating
and balancing change while limiting options so that employees are herded into action. The
main differences between leaders and managers regarding relations with others are that
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leaders are more solitary and intuitively navigate situations using empathy and emotional
intelligence, versus managers who relate to others according to roles and learned behaviors.
The final dimension for comparison demonstrates that leaders feel separate from their
environment and use their sense of self to navigate personal mastery. On the other hand,
managers feel that their environment and themselves are the same and that belonging depends
on membership, roles, and identity (Burke, 2018). This final statement relates the most to
leaders in North America behaving more like managers throughout the changes brought on
by the pandemic, for at the core of our survival lies belonging, regardless of membership, and
the acceptance of diverse people perspectives.

Similarities and Differences Across Culture

One of the main components of organizational growth and talent management is

cross-culture fit. In Organizational Change, Burke (2018) demonstrates how three different
cultures (Japan, China, and Great Britan) identify with the differences between leaders and
managers. While there is an expectation of similarities, such as leaders being more adept at
risk-taking, stimulating or starting change, long-term visions, and planning, there was a
distinct overlap of more emotionally centered characteristics that were important to notice.
For example, Japan, China, and Great Britain identified leaders as inspirational, intuitive,
and idealistic versus managers who are implementers or administrators for change. They are
more hands on and connected to the day-to-day elements for change (Burke, 2018). On the
other hand, managers were labeled as short-term focused, doers, and hands on (Burke, 2018).

It was also of interest to see the differences, although some would say they were slight,
across the different cultures. For example, the sample of Leader-Manager distinctions from
Japan noted that managers are calmer, whereas Great Britan noted managers were more
logical, whereas China considered managers more passive (Burke, 2018). While all of those
descriptions share similar connotations, their description provides a difference in context. It
was also interesting to see the sampling from Japan, noted that leaders "change gears"
whereas managers "step on the accelerator". In contrast, the sampling from China stated that
leaders are "spiritual". In contrast, managers are "practical," and from Great Britain, the
sampling stated that leaders are "visionary" versus managers who are, "status quo" (Burke,
2018, pp. 302-304).

Characteristics of Exemplary Leadership

Gardner (1995) identified characteristics of an exemplary leader, some of those are; (1) to be
a skilled speaker, (2) to have a strong interest in and understand people, (3) to be energetic,
(4) to show early that they will accomplish something, (5) that they are willing to confront
individuals in authority, (6) that they are concerned with moral issues, (7) that competition is
healthy, (8) enjoys a position of control, (9) can establish a wide range of relationships in
continuously widening circles, (10) that travel outside of one's homeland is imperative, (11)
that they have completed the necessary apprenticeships (Burke, 2018). Based on the context
that Burke (2018) emphasizes, "The single most visible factor that distinguishes major
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cultural changes that succeed from those that fail is competent leadership" (Burke, 2019, p.
296). Based on that statement, the three characteristics that resonate the most with exemplary
leadership are; (1) to be a good speaker, (2) to have a strong interest in and understand
people, and (3) to show early that they will accomplish something. The reasoning for this is
because in order for leaders to reach their subordinates and inspire connection and a reason
for the change, their communication skills are imperative. When a leader is a good speaker,
they understand how to use their voice, vision, and values to consistently communicate the
messaging for change.
Similarly, when leaders have a strong interest in and understand people, they can connect
with their employees' needs so that the leader can relay the appropriate motivational story,
creating an emotional connection to the desired change and the vision of making it a reality.
Finally, by showing urgency that an outcome and result will occur from the changes and that
employees will feel that they achieved something together, this creates belonging and
motivates employees to follow their leader. As noted by Burke (2018) as he recounts the
infamous work of Robert McKee (screenwriter and screenwriting coach), the story is what
entices people to take action. More importantly, a leader, who uses a story to share the
executive's vision and direction through an inspirational story that conveys passion and
desire, alongside the challenges that can be overcome, creates a force of nature for a change,
even those who are skeptical (Burke, 2018. pp.314-315)

Conclusion

In conclusion, the intersection of leader-manager differences, exemplary leadership

characteristics, and the ability to empower others by affecting personal interests, beliefs, and
values enable leaders to empower organizational change effectively. While studies have
shown the significance for decades, whereby leadership accounted for 44% of the variance in
profits and 47% of the stock price (Weiner and Mahoney, 1981; Burke, 2018), it is evident to
note that leadership is imperative. As change becomes more constant, leaders will do well by
adopting long-term visioning with intuitive and connected understanding while incorporating
employees' needs into the organizational change and its demands.
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References

Burke, W. W. (2018). Organizational Change: Theory & Practice (5th Ed). Sage Publications.

Messick, D.M. and Kramer, R.M. (2004) The psychology of leadership, New perspectives
and Research. London: Longman Publishing Co.

Morgan, Jacob (2020) What is leadership, and who is a leader? Chief Learning Officer
Retrieved from:
https://www.chieflearningofficer.com/2020/01/06/what-is-leadership-and-who-is-a-le
ader/

Umar, A.I. and Cross, O.D. (2018, December) Impact of leadership on organisational
performance. Research Gate. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338123528_Impact_of_leadership_on_orga
nisational_performance/references