Study On Leadership
The organizational change took place in a non profit International organization dealing with research and increasing sustainability in the production of wheat and maize. The aim of the change was to strengthen gender equity and the overall effectiveness of the organization. It has a reputation of having contributed significantly to development of various high-yielding plants and seeks an improvement in productivity in the developing countries. The organization had set to attract and retain the best quality scientists, this meant increasing women recruitment and ensuring that the working environment is friendly and supportive to both the genders. The organization contacted a number of consultants to examine present work environment, policy changes, work practices and culture; in order to come up with a work environment that was gender sensitive
The organization had a goal to create a work environment that is gender-equitable i.e. conducive for both women and men. The environment will enable the staff to be stimulated to work and produce more; ensure diverse skills, knowledge and perspective; value diverse contributions and manner of working; and include both men and women in final decision-making. Normally, organizations are believed to be created and driven by assumptions made by men. This has made life in organization to be limited and narrow. Males are said to favor individualism, independence and rationality. On the other hand female attributes such as connection, support and collaboration are ignored by the organizations. The concept therefore envisioned an alternative structure of the work place.
The design of the project was to have six phases. This included the set-up, which was to create the foundation for collaboration; inquiry and collection of data; analysis of data; brainstorming and feedback; implementation and experimentation; and adaptation and monitoring. These phases are not so much in a linear mode but could overlap. For instance there was to be a continuous collection of data throughout the process. Similarly the staff and the management were to be given feedback often. The initial four stages were to take a maximum of six months. The final two phases were to continue indefinitely.
During the set-up phase the management had to ensure that there is direct cooperation and goodwill among the people who are at the site. Similarly this phase was to ensure the entire project is well understood within the organization. The people were given sufficient time to ponder on the idea before they were interviewed and furnished with more information. The response from the interviewee ensured the team got a wide scale of views. There was to be collaboration between action researchers, who were the agents of change from without and the staff acting as internal agents of change. These two teams were to interact often to achieve the set objectives.
The team that acted on the implementation of the change comprised of both male and female members. These included an anthropologist and a leader of a gender program for the company, a professor specializing in organizational behavior and a consultant/manager who had been an administrator in a similar center and serves as the head of finance in the organization. A change specialist later joined the team as they took on the implementation phase. This team of researches worked hand in hand with the organization management team, together with a task force for gender. The research team was not locally based and so during their absence the process depended so much on the collaboration of the internal staff. The internal collaborators were later to give a brief to the team about some of the key developments.
The management team within the organization and the task force always got a summary of the documentation of the content and method of the most important phases of the work. It was therefore the role of the leadership to initiate the change in the organization and ensure that the process runs successfully to the end. The leadership coordinates the operations and encourages the participation of everyone in the organization.
The change effort in the organization resembled Kotter's eight steps in many ways. The entire steps were observed even though not in the sequence stipulated by Kotter. There was a wide range of consultation and inclusion of various stakeholders. The project was to include a varied group of participants from outside the organization and tried to cultivate an extensive participation of the members of staff. They were required to openly and widely share information, to corroborate in the work among themselves and also with the team. The management was also consistent and ensured that the process worked to the end without fail (Kotter, 2009).
Leadership has a central role to play in an organization. It is the role of the management to initiate change, ensure everyone has understood and is willing to offer support and the much needed cooperation. In all the phases the leaders must closely monitor the process and keep the data for evaluation and reference. Nevertheless organizational change takes the effort and goodwill of all persons in the organization. External Consultants are also important as they are likely to offer a detached opinion and guidance.
Conceptualization, Planning and Implementation
The organization had a goal to create a work environment that is gender-equitable i.e. conducive for both women and men. The environment will enable the staff to be stimulated to work and produce more; ensure diverse skills, knowledge and perspective; value diverse contributions and manner of working; and include both men and women in final decision-making. Normally, organizations are believed to be created and driven by assumptions made by men. This has made life in organization to be limited and narrow. Males are said to favor individualism, independence and rationality. On the other hand female attributes such as connection, support and collaboration are ignored by the organizations. The concept therefore envisioned an alternative structure of the work place.
The design of the project was to have six phases. This included the set-up, which was to create the foundation for collaboration; inquiry and collection of data; analysis of data; brainstorming and feedback; implementation and experimentation; and adaptation and monitoring. These phases are not so much in a linear mode but could overlap. For instance there was to be a continuous collection of data throughout the process. Similarly the staff and the management were to be given feedback often. The initial four stages were to take a maximum of six months. The final two phases were to continue indefinitely.
During the set-up phase the management had to ensure that there is direct cooperation and goodwill among the people who are at the site. Similarly this phase was to ensure the entire project is well understood within the organization. The people were given sufficient time to ponder on the idea before they were interviewed and furnished with more information. The response from the interviewee ensured the team got a wide scale of views. There was to be collaboration between action researchers, who were the agents of change from without and the staff acting as internal agents of change. These two teams were to interact often to achieve the set objectives.
The Role of Leadership
The team that acted on the implementation of the change comprised of both male and female members. These included an anthropologist and a leader of a gender program for the company, a professor specializing in organizational behavior and a consultant/manager who had been an administrator in a similar center and serves as the head of finance in the organization. A change specialist later joined the team as they took on the implementation phase. This team of researches worked hand in hand with the organization management team, together with a task force for gender. The research team was not locally based and so during their absence the process depended so much on the collaboration of the internal staff. The internal collaborators were later to give a brief to the team about some of the key developments.
The management team within the organization and the task force always got a summary of the documentation of the content and method of the most important phases of the work. It was therefore the role of the leadership to initiate the change in the organization and ensure that the process runs successfully to the end. The leadership coordinates the operations and encourages the participation of everyone in the organization.
Concurrence with John Kotter's Model
The change effort in the organization resembled Kotter's eight steps in many ways. The entire steps were observed even though not in the sequence stipulated by Kotter. There was a wide range of consultation and inclusion of various stakeholders. The project was to include a varied group of participants from outside the organization and tried to cultivate an extensive participation of the members of staff. They were required to openly and widely share information, to corroborate in the work among themselves and also with the team. The management was also consistent and ensured that the process worked to the end without fail (Kotter, 2009).
Conclusion
Leadership has a central role to play in an organization. It is the role of the management to initiate change, ensure everyone has understood and is willing to offer support and the much needed cooperation. In all the phases the leaders must closely monitor the process and keep the data for evaluation and reference. Nevertheless organizational change takes the effort and goodwill of all persons in the organization. External Consultants are also important as they are likely to offer a detached opinion and guidance.
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