Managing Organisational and Individual Change
Course: International business
The modern business world is so dynamic. There are always changes in the market and the rising of new challenges every day. It is for this reason that change management is an important aspect of leadership (Myers et al., 2012, p.76). As such, managers have to foster changes in their organisations so that they can improve their systems, processes, organisational culture, and even job roles (Cameron & Green, 2015, p.133). All these are important in increasing job productivity and bettering organisational performance. As such, a good manager should have skills and competencies that are required in change management. They have to be the pioneers of such actions and should ensure that there is a smooth transition in an organisation.
I look forward to becoming a great manager in the world. I would like to leave a mark in any organisation that I will be employed and above all, leave a legacy. I can achieve this by developing crucial skills and gaining sufficient knowledge that can allow me to make an organisation better in this dynamic environment. Currently, I feel that I have various strengths that can make me a good manager when it comes to change management. These are the attributes that I was born with, and others that I have developed all the way.
One of my strengths is perseverance. I understand that it is not easy to implement a change in an organisation. Something has to go wrong at some point, either due to my fault or someone else’s. Therefore, good leaders should be ready to correct people, rally troops, and start moving toward a particular direction as a group (Darwin et al., 2012, p. 231). This is important in ensuring a successful transition. It is usual to see some change leaders give up when they are close to the finish line. This has been the biggest problem as some feel that their efforts are not yielding the expected results (McMillan & Weyers, 2013, p.567). However, it is important for a leader to have faith. This is what I am. I always trust my actions and conscious, and I have a strong will to finish whatever I have started.
Another important trait that I possess is the will to listen to people’s views. This is a crucial character that can make a leader succeed in implementing change. I understand that managers are responsible for making important decisions about an organisation. However, listening to other people’s opinions is imperative in making a more informed decision (Doherty et al., 2014, p.343). Many change initiatives have been failing due to the decisions by leaders not to listen to what the staff and their front-line people say. The most important people in an organisation are the employees because they are the ones who interact with the customers, their fellow colleagues, and even the suppliers (Senior & Swailes, 2007, p.56). Therefore, they always have important information that can be useful in change implementation (Hayes, 2018, p.198). Therefore, being a person who likes involving other people and listening to what they have to say, I believe that this is a good trait. I can use it to bring various people on board and use their views, together with mine, to successfully implement changes.
Effective communication is another important trait that change managers should possess. This ensures that there is proper flow of information in an organisation. I am a strong communicator, both verbally and in writing. I believe in creating confidence in those that I lead and talking to them about what is expected from them. This makes them be aware of their roles and be ready to play their part in implementing change (Huczynski et al., 2013, p.82). I understand that for any initiative to be successful, leaders have to communicate with the staff and make them ready for what is to come. This is important in ensuring that the organisation moves towards the same direction as a whole. With this, every individual becomes dedicated to playing his or her role.
Also, I have confidence that makes me try new things. Exploration of the unknown is important in allowing people to implement changes (Burke, 2014, p.12). This brings in the idea of taking risks. The only way to identify new opportunities and make use of them is by taking risks and exploring the unknown (Carnall & 2014, p.455). When implementing a change, managers are not certain about the outcome. They just wait and see what may come out. This requires confidence. It is important to be optimistic and hopes for the best. But this comes after putting efforts and doing the right thing (Kirton, 2012, p.156). Also, brings in the trait of openness. For one to explore new things and learn how to apply them, he or she has to be receptive to them. Sometimes human beings tend to be cautious and think about how something is not going to work (Senior & Fleming, 2006, p. 288). However, if they open their minds, they can find out there are so many ways to make it successful. Therefore, change managers need to be deceptive and mindful (Flood & Coetsee, 2013, p.67). This is important in exposing our minds to various perspectives. I possess all these traits. With this, I have become innovative and discovered several new things. This has prepared me to be a change manager and be a transformative leader.
Lastly, I am persuasive. This is important in facilitating organisational change. Through my persuasive skills, I can take the information given and put it in a format that can make the change be acceptable (Grieves, 2010, p.56). By doing so, I can be able to convince the staff to support the change because it is good for them and the organisation as a whole. As such, being a charismatic and persuasive leader makes it easier to implement a change and make it successful (Hughes, 2010, p.78).
Despite having all the above strengths, I have one main weakness. I sometimes tend to develop anxiety when trying something new. This makes me a little bit cautious regarding the possible outcome. I tend to be worried about the possible failure, even when I know that I have done everything in the right way. I fear that this can have a negative impact on those around me. However, it only happens when dealing with big changes, and it is not more often.
With the above analysis, I believe that I can become a great manager. The rapidly changing business environment requires people with the above qualities so that they can implement necessary changes that can help in improving performance. As such, I hope that I will develop more skills and competencies in the future as I build my career. I believe that I have a good foundation, and now I only need fine adjustments and experience for me to realize my career goals.
References
Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.
Carnall, C. and By, R.T., 2014. Managing Change in Organizations 6th edn. Pearson Higher Ed.
Flood, P.C. and Coetsee, J., 2013. Change lessons from the CEO: real people, real change. John Wiley & Sons.
Darwin, J., Johnson, P. and McAuley, J., 2002. Developing strategies for change. Pearson Education.
Hughes, M. 2010. Change Management – A Critical Perspective, 2nd Edition, London: Chattered Institute of Personnel Development.
Doherty, T.L., Horne, T. and Wootton, S., 2014. Managing public services-implementing changes: a thoughtful approach to the practice of management. Routledge.
Grieves, J., 2010. Organizational change: Themes and issues. Oxford University Press.
Hayes, J., 2018. The theory and practice of change management.
Huczynski, A., Buchanan, D.A. and Huczynski, A.A., 2013. Organizational behaviour (p. 82). London: Pearson.
Kirton, B., 2012. Brilliant Workplace Skills for Students and Graduates. Prentice Hall/Pearson.
McMillan, K. and Weyers, J., 2013. How to improve your critical th
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Myers, P., Hulks, S. and Wiggins, L., 2012. Organizational change: Perspectives on theory and practice. Oxford University Press.
Senior, B. and Fleming, J., 2006. Organizational change. Pearson Education.
Senior, B. and Swailes, S., 2007. Inside management teams: Developing a teamwork survey instrument. British Journal of Management, 18(2), pp.138-153.
Burke, W. W., 2014. Organizational Change, London, Sage.