Argumentative Essay on Leadership and Change

In todays business world, managers face a constant threat of stiff competition and the ever-changing demand from their customers. This means that business managers have to adapt and to accept change to meet these goals. Change, as suggested by Mullins (2010), is inevitable, and the rolling wheel, which defines the success or failure of a business. However, while people may accept change and take it as challenging and exciting adventure, others, may resist it and see it as a threat to their endeavors. In this blog, I discuss how people react to change differently and examine the role that managers need to play when implementing change.

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I agree with Mullins that some people fear change and may try to resists it at all costs. Humans, by nature, are considered as creatures of habit, who tend to do things the way they know them and may resists a new system, just to keep their habits. Mullinss theory dovetails to McGregors theory X of management, which hypothesizes that, people naturally hate work (Sharma & Shilpa, 2013). People fear change because of several reasons. They might fear change simple because they perceive it as a threat to their current job position. For example, an office clerk, whose job description entails manual filing and keeping of new customers details in the companys customer register, might be happy with the way his or her job goes. He or she, however, might feel threatened in the event that the company decides to introduce a computerized customer database and do away with the manual record keeping. Likewise, a group of five employees, in an automobile firm, whose job involves, assembling of car parts, might fear the introduction of a new technology that requires only two men to complete the job. These examples are indicative of how the fear for job loss can result into the fear for change.

Similarly, I also concur with Mullins (2010) that some people are more likely to accept change than resist it. This group of people, as Mullins denotes, like challenges, and thrive in the face of change. A practical example of such a leader is Sainsbury Operating Director, Mike Coupe. Faced with increasing customer demand for affordable and healthier food products, Coupe put in place a sustainable supply chain that involves outsourcing organic food supplies from large-scale organic farmers, and ensuring efficiency in logistics, in order to reduce costs, and transfer to customers in terms of low-cost food products. Today, courtesy of Coupes acceptance to change, Sainsbury stands as the largest retailer in the world, with thousands of retail stores in various countries (Sainsbury Plc., 2016). Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, is another leader that embraced change, as a means to achieving success. After countless trials to design the perfect smartphone that increased customer value, Jobs finally developed the iPhone, a marvelling personal technology that still has the world baffled (Meyer, 2017). The huge successes that Coupe and Jobs have brought to their organizations are indicative of how visionary leaders accept change.

Without employee acceptance to a change, an organization may face high employee turnover, poor customer relations, and reduced performance (Northouse, 2013). I, however, believe that business managers have a role to play in helping their followers accept change. Several established firms such as Coca-Cola and McDonalds have successful adopted the Kotters 8-Step Change Model in their operations. The model demands that managers need to create sense of urgency, by emphasizing to teams on why the change is important to the future of their organizations. The managers need to create a clear vision and establish open, flexible, and accessible channels of communication across the organization to communicate the vision. The teams also have to be empowered with the ability to change. This involves ensuring adequate training and availing resources to enable them understand the change. Moreover, the manager implementing the change needs to create short-term goals to be able to monitor the progress and to identify potential setbacks. McDonalds and Coca-Cola are leaders in their respective industries due to their successful implementation of the Kotters Change Model. Both organizations have clear visions, provide training to their employees, and motive their team by creating a rewarding and supportive business environment.

In conclusion, Mullins theory of change perfectly captures the way people react to change. While some see it as a new challenge that promise a greater future, others strongly resist it, and perceive it as a threat to their status quo. Thus, business managers need to create a supportive environment when implementing change in their organizations to achieve success. Kotters 8-Step Change Model is a perfect guide to managers on how to implement change. It provides that managers need to create a shared vision and empower employees to adapt change. They need to create short-term goals and communicate them to their followers to enhance their understanding of the change. I believe that Kotters Model hypothesizes the importance of change to their survival.

My Vision for Leadership

A visionary leader understands the goals of his or her organizations and motivates his or her team to achieve those goals. This leader likes a new change, as he or she views it as an opportunity to achieve greater success for the organization. In this blog, I share my vision about leadership as well as how do I intend to lead my teams in the future. I also discuss the people that have inspired my vision for leadership by naming a few key figures in the modern business world and what they have achieved for their organizations. I also respond to the feedback from my colleagues concerning my management skills, and provide my view on how the MBA course will mould these skills to help me become a better leader.

I would like to become a transformational leader. According to Samad (2012), this type of leaders inspires, energizes, and motivates a team during a time of crisis. They like a new challenge and have a resilient will to achieve better results. As noted by Mullins (2010), change is inevitable and nothing new for businesses. However, some people may fear, which may affect organizational performance. I, therefore, believe that if I mould myself into a transformational leader I will be able to implement change in my organization. Being such a leader, I will create a shared vision that captures the values, goals, and the mission of my organization. In addition, I will be able to balance the rational and emotional component in my teams. As suggested by Khan, Allan and Irfanullah, (2016), transformational leadership involves mobilizing teams and using them to achieve the desired targets in a manner that creates value for both the organization and employees. I, therefore, believe that being such a leader, I will create a supportive and rewarding environment to motivate my teams, thereby, achieving greater success.

I must admit that Jeffrey Immelt, the current CEO of Generic Electric (GE), has greatly inspired by leadership vision. Since his appointment in 2001, Immelt has transformed GE into one of the largest firms in the world. As part of his strategy, Immelts has adopted a diversified product portfolio at GE, with the company operating through segments such as power, healthcare, transportation, financial services, and so forth. With strategy, the company has been able to gain a wider market share as well as increase its revenues, giving it a competitive advantage in the industry (GE Capital, 2017). Moreover, through his leadership, Immelts has enabled an environment that motivates and supports employee development. He not provides training across the organization but also rewards his employees based on their contribution to the organization. His leadership has inspired been an inspiration to me in far greater measures and one that I admire to implement in my future organization.

My colleagues have indicated to me that I have excellent communication skills, which I believe are crucial to my future teams. With these skills, I will be able to create and maintain harmonious relationships with my teams and other partners in my organizations. My colleagues have also suggested that I do have a short temper, especially when things are not working out for me. I agree with their sentiments. I do take them as a challenge that I can transform into an opportunity. I believe that I can improve on my emotions in the course of this MBA. For instance, I will learn to listen to others without being too judgemental. In addition, I will learn to understand that people have different views and opinions about certain things in life. I believe that accepting these differences will help me control my emotions and develop better relationships with my teams in the future.

In conclusion, I believe that I have a better future as a transformational leader. The business world is dynamic and equal calls for leaders that can adapt to change to survive. As such a leader, I will be able to identify and cope with change by discovering opportunities and mobilizing a motivated team to achieve my shared vision. My communication skills are crucial to this success because they will help me to create and maintain good relationships with my teams, as well as with other partners. Moreover, by developing my emotional skills, I will be in a better position to understand and appreciate others feelings, which will create a win-win situation for both of us. I believe that I own the key to a greater future as a transformational leader, who will not only understand the importance of creating and communication a shared vision effectively, but also who understands the value of motivation to teams.

References

Bell, R. M. (2013). Charismatic Leadership Case Study with Ronald Reagan as Exemplar. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 6(1), pp. 66-74.

GE Capital. (2017). The leading edge: How GE defines good leadership. Available at: HYPERLINK "http://www.gecapital.com/en/pdf/The_leading_edge.pdf" http://www.gecapital.com/en/pdf/The_leading_edge.pdf [Accessed March 27, 2017].

Khan, Z. A., Allan, N. & Irfanullah, K. (2016). Leadership theories and styles: a literature review. Journal of Resource Development and Management, 16. Available at: HYPERLINK "https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293885908_Leadership_Theories_and_Styles_A_Literature_Review" https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293885908_Leadership_Theories_and_Styles_A_Literature_Review [Accessed March 27, 2017].

Meyer, P. (2017). Apples generic strategy & intensive growth strategies. Available at: HYPERLINK "http://panmore.com/apple-inc-generic-strategy-intensive-growth-strategies" http://panmore.com/apple-inc-generic-strategy-intensive-growth-strategies [Accessed March 27, 2017].

Mullins, L. J. (2010). Management and Organizational Behavior. England: Pearson.

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice. New Delhe: Sage Publications.

Sainsbury Plc. (2016). Strategic management in Sainsburys plc. Available at: HYPERLINK "http://study.courseworkshub.com/assets/uploads/course_work_hub1515_12_151450178536.pdf" http://study.courseworkshub.com/assets/uploads/course_work_hub1515_12_151450178536.pdf [Accessed March 27, 2017].

Samad, S. (2012). The influence of Innovation and Transformational Leadership on Organizational Performance. Procedia Social and Behavioural Sciences, 57(2012), pp. 486- 493.

Sharma, M. K. & Shilpa, J. (2013). Leadership Management: Principles, Models and Theories. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, 3(3), pp. 309-318.