6-2 Journal: Critical Leader Actions

Kelly Fritz

September 5, 2021

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For a leader to be able to execute a successful organizational change effort, they must use

specific critical actions that include providing a clear vision, offering training, open

communication, build a successful team and motivate employees. Without taking these

steps a company can face hurdles, false starts and confusion.

Providing a Clear Vision

For an organizational change to be effective, the first step a leader should take is providing

a clear vison. By doing so, a leader is providing guidance and direction in which they wish

for the company to go. By providing a picture, vision not only describes an organization's

direction or goal, but also the means of accomplishing it (Méndez-Morse, 1993) A clear

vision guides the work of the organization and communicates how the changes will impact

the employees and the consumers. When a leader is openly sharing and communicating this

vision, they are creating buy-in from the employees, which is essential for the changes

successes. Sharing a vision paints a picture of the future that motivates people to work

together. It clarifies who is involved, what do they plan to accomplish, and what is the reason

for this change. Vision therefore does more than provide a picture of a desired future; it

encourages people to work together (Méndez-Morse, 1993).

Training

 Change management failures are usually attributed to negative employee attitudes and

unproductive management behavior (Courtney, 2021). To help curtail these failures and

negative attitudes, companies can provide training. Managers and leaders should be given

training in the change management process so they can then be the best source of information

and support for the rest of the employees. This helps to garner employee buy-in, reduce

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anxiety regarding the change, increase engagement, reduce turnover and increase the rate of

success.

Communication

Organizational change requires effective communication. Leaders must be able to

communicate clearly and concisely in order to raise awareness of the reason for the change,

help workers in understanding how it affects them personally, decrease anxiety, and get buy-

in from stakeholders. By explaining the reasons for the changes early on, workers will get a

better understanding of the reason for the change, the vision, and the strategy, resulting in

greater employee trust and commitment. Not only should leaders convey the message of

change but they need to be willing and able to answer questions thoroughly and transparently

to create sense of trust as well as listen to employees feedback. Additionally, communication

should be consistently, frequently and through multiple channels such as speaking, writing,

video, training, focus groups, bulletin boards, intranets (Heathfield, 2021). Involving

workers early on and having open communication will ultimately have positive effect on the

organization's strategic plan.

Build a Successful Team

When deciding which employee will be selected as a team member for an organizational

change effort, leaders should consider employees that have substantial authority based on

position, expertise, credibility and leadership, as well as effective management skills and

proven leadership abilities (Managing Organizational Change, 2021). The employees selected

must be able to work together for the good of the goal.

Motivate Employees

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To keep employees motivated during an organizational change effort, leaders need to first

understand that the team and staff is made up of unique individuals that receive

information and feedback in different ways. This may require leaders to adapt their ways

of communicating and leading to best meet the needs of the change effort. Leaders also

need to use several forms of communication, not all employees react to one form of

communication the same as the other. By doing this, leaders will keep employees engaged

and motivated. Additionally, blocking off time to allow for team building efforts can

motivate employees. By making time for these exercises, leaders are allowing the team to

achive goals as a unit and build trust and communication within the team itself. Leaders

can also motivate employees by recruiting staff that influence others in a positive way.

Employees that have a level of influence but not necessarily have a position of power can

often be the difference between success and failure (Haley, 2019)

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Courtney, F. (2021, May 12). Change Management: 3 Reasons Why Training Supports
Organizational Change. ELearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/change-
management-3-reasons-training-supports-organizational-change

Haley, H. (2019, February 5). 5 ways to motivate your team during change. WordPress.Com.
https://halopsychology.com/2016/09/12/5-ways-to-motivate-your-team-during-
change/

Heathfield, S. (2021, February 26). How to Communicate to Facilitate Change in Employee

Actions. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/communication-in-
change-management-1917805

Méndez-Morse, S. (1993). Vision, Leadership, and Change - Issues . . .about Change, Vision,
Leadership, and Change, Volume 2, Number 3. American Institutes for Research
(AIR). https://sedl.org/change/issues/issues23.html

Managing Organizational Change. (2021, July 7). SHRM.

https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-
samples/toolkits/pages/managingorganizationalchange.aspx