Dirole of leaders in times of organizational change

Role of leaders in times of organizational change
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According to Kotter 1995, organizational and leadership research reveals that organizations operate in complex and dynamic environments. This is cited as the reason for the need for organizations to undergo change so as to stay relevant in situations of potential crisis or actual crisis (Wan 2013). Such changes need leadership, as leaders in an organization are best positioned to bring change. People also expect the leaders to be responsible for such changes. According to Higgs & Rowland (2005), empirical evidence shows the role of leaders in the transformation process has a significant impact on its success (Wan 2013).
Leaders play a role in organizational change on these levels. First is on issues to be managed. The issues to be managed by leaders during organizational transformation are categorized into two; instrumental/technical aspects and people/emotional aspects (Wan 2013). The instrumental aspects involve having proper systems, structures, technologies, processes, and rewards that support, motivate, and sustain people in the change process. Emotional aspects, on the other hand, involves considering the needs of the people during the change process (Wan 2013).
Secondly, leaders play the role of shapers. According to Mintzberg (1994) leaders are required...