Organization*Development*Why*is*it*critical*for*Leaders*and*Managers*to*be*Successful*at*Organizational*Change?*

Ayush*Parekh*! !

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Index!

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Sr.!No.! ! ! Topic! Page!No.!

1.! Introduction!to!Organization!Development! 3!

2.! Leadership!and!its!importance! 6!

3.! Role!of!a!Leader! 8!

4.! Organizational!Leadership! 10!

5.! Leader!Vs.!Manager! 12!

6.! The!Outcome!of!Changes! 14!

7.! The!role!Leaders!and!Managers!in!Changes!! 16!

8.! Who!is!the!leader!of!Organizational!Changes! 22!

9.! Critical!factors!for!Leading!Changes! 25!

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Introduction A set up which brings together individuals from different backgrounds, varied interests and specializations on a common platform for them to work as a single unit and achieve certain predefined goals is called an organization. An organization must make money for its survival. It is essential for the employees to deliver their level best and eventually increase the productivity of the organization. What is Organization Development? Organization Development refers to the various ways and procedures to increase the productivity and effectiveness of an organization. Organization Development includes the various techniques which help the employees as well as the organization adjust to changing circumstances in a better way. Why Organization Development? ▪ The concept of Organization development enables the

organization to achieve the targets and meet the objectives at a much faster rate.

▪ The employees as a result of organization development respond better to changes in the work culture.

▪ Organization development helps the employees to focus on their jobs and contribute in their best possible way.

▪ Management can handle the employees in a better way as a result of organization development.

Kurt Lewin is ideally believed to be the father of Organization development.

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When is the Organization Ready for Development?

1 First Step - Dissatisfied with the current scenario: The employees are not happy with the current scenario and feel the need for a change in the processes of the organization.!

2 Second Step - Suggesting Changes: In the second step, employees discuss amongst themselves the various options which would help the organization do better in the near future. !

3 Third Step - Applying the processes: Various policies and procedures are applied to help the organization respond to external as well as internal changes more effectively.

Understanding Organization A six step model for understanding organization was proposed by Weisbord The goals and objectives of the organization must be clearly defined. The employees must be aware of their duties and functions in the organization. The individuals must know what is expected out of them at the workplace. It is essential to divide the work amongst the individuals as per their interests, specialization, experience and educational qualification. Job mismatch should be avoided as it leads to demotivated employees. Let the individuals decide what best they can do. The employees must share a cordial relationship with each other. Conflicts and unnecessary misunderstandings lead to a negative ambience at the workplace. There should be coordination between

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various departments for better results. Transparency is a must at all levels. Individuals must discuss matters among themselves before reaching to final conclusions. The departments must support each other in their work. It is important to appreciate the ones who perform well. Those who do well must be admired in front of all to motivate them and expect the same from them every time. The management must make the non performers realize their mistakes and ask them to pull up their socks. They should not be criticized, instead dealt with patience and care. Give them opportunities but still if they don’t perform up to the mark, punish them. Leaders should be more like mentors and must provide a sense of direction to the employees. They should bind the employees together and extract the best out of them. The superiors must be a source of inspiration for the subordinates. Promote training programs to upgrade the skills of employees and help them face the challenges and changes in the organization with utmost determination. Plan your resources well.

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Leadership Leadership is a process by which an executive can direct, guide and influence the behavior and work of others towards accomplishment of specific goals in a given situation. Leadership is the ability of a manager to induce the subordinates to work with confidence and zeal. Leadership is the potential to influence behaviour of others. It is also defined as the capacity to influence a group towards the realization of a goal. Leaders are required to develop future visions, and to motivate the organizational members to want to achieve the visions. According to Keith Davis, “Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and motivates it towards goals.” Importance of Leadership

▪ Initiates action- Leader is a person who starts the work

by communicating the policies and plans to the subordinates from where the work actually starts. !

▪ Motivation- A leader proves to be playing an incentive role in the concern’s working. He motivates the employees with economic and non-economic rewards and thereby gets the work from the subordinates.!

▪ Providing guidance- A leader has to not only supervise but also play a guiding role for the subordinates. Guidance here means instructing the subordinates the way they have to perform their work effectively and efficiently. !

▪ Creating confidence- Confidence is an important factor which can be achieved through expressing the

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work efforts to the subordinates, explaining them clearly their role and giving them guidelines to achieve the goals effectively. It is also important to hear the employees with regards to their complaints and problems. !

▪ Building morale- Morale denotes willing co-operation of the employees towards their work and getting them into confidence and winning their trust. A leader can be a morale booster by achieving full co-operation so that they perform with best of their abilities as they work to achieve goals. !

▪ Builds work environment- Management is getting things done from people. An efficient work environment helps in sound and stable growth. Therefore, human relations should be kept into mind by a leader. He should have personal contacts with employees and should listen to their problems and solve them. He should treat employees on humanitarian terms.!

▪ Co-ordination- Co-ordination can be achieved through reconciling personal interests with organizational goals. This synchronization can be achieved through proper and effective co-ordination which should be primary motive of a leader.

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Role of a Leader ! Required at all levels- Leadership is a function

which is important at all levels of management. In the top level, it is important for getting co-operation in formulation of plans and policies. In the middle and lower level, it is required for interpretation and execution of plans and programmes framed by the top management. Leadership can be exercised through guidance and counseling of the subordinates at the time of execution of plans. !

! Representative of the organization- A leader, i.e., a manager is said to be the representative of the enterprise. He has to represent the concern at seminars, conferences, general meetings, etc. His role is to communicate the rationale of the enterprise to outside public. He is also representative of the own department which he leads.!

! Integrates and reconciles the personal goals with organizational goals- A leader through leadership traits helps in reconciling/ integrating the personal goals of the employees with the organizational goals. He is trying to co-ordinate the efforts of people towards a common purpose and thereby achieves objectives. This can be done only if he can influence and get willing co-operation and urge to accomplish the objectives. !

! He solicits support- A leader is a manager and besides that he is a person who entertains and invites support and co-operation of subordinates. This he can do by his personality, intelligence, maturity and experience which can provide him

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positive result. In this regard, a leader has to invite suggestions and if possible implement them into plans and programmes of enterprise. This way, he can solicit full support of employees which results in willingness to work and thereby effectiveness in running of a concern. !

! As a friend, philosopher and guide- A leader must possess the three dimensional traits in him. He can be a friend by sharing the feelings, opinions and desires with the employees. He can be a philosopher by utilizing his intelligence and experience and thereby guiding the employees as and when time requires. He can be a guide by supervising and communicating the employees the plans and policies of top management and secure their co-operation to achieve the goals of a concern. At times he can also play the role of a counselor by counseling and a problem-solving approach. He can listen to the problems of the employees and try to solve them.

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Organizational Leadership Organizations need strong leadership for optimum effectiveness. Leadership, as we know, is a trait which is both inbuilt and can be acquired also. Organizational leadership deals with both human psychology as well as expert tactics. Organizational leadership emphasizes on developing leadership skills and abilities that are relevant across the organizations. It means the potential of the individuals to face the hard times in the industry and still grow during those times. It clearly identifies and distinguishes the leaders from the managers. The leader should have potential to control the group of individuals. An ideal organizational leader should not dominate over others. He should guide the individuals under him, give them a sense of direction to achieve organizational goals successfully and should act responsibly. He should be optimistic for sure. He should be empathetic and should understand the need of the group members. An organizational leader should not only lead others individually but also manage the actions of the group. Individuals who are highly ambitious, have high energy level, an urge to lead, self-confidence, intelligence, have thorough knowledge of job, are honest and flexible are more likely to succeed as organizational leaders. Individuals who learn the organizational leadership develop abilities and skills of teamwork, effective communication, conflict resolution, and group problem solving techniques. Organizational leaders clearly communicate organizational mission, vision and policies; build employees morale, ensure efficient business operations; help employees grow professionally and contribute positively towards organizations mission.

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Tips for Effective Organizational Leadership

! A leader must lead himself, only then he can lead others. He must be committed on personal and professional front, and must be responsible. He must be a role model for others and set an example for them.

! A leader must boost up the morale of the employees. He should motivate them well so that they are committed to the organization. He should be well acquainted with them, have concern for them and encourage them to take initiatives. This will result in more efficient and effective employees and ensure organizational success. !

! A leader must work as a team. He should always support his team and respect them. He should not hurt any employee. A true leader should not be too bossy and should not consider him as the supreme authority. He should realize that he is part of the organization as a whole.

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Leader Vs. Manager “Leadership and managership are two synonymous terms” is an incorrect statement. Leadership doesn’t require any managerial position to act as a leader. On the other hand, a manager can be a true manager only if he has got the traits of leader in him. By virtue of his position, manager has to provide leadership to his group. A manager has to perform all five functions to achieve goals, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, and Controlling. Leadership is a part of these functions. Leadership as a general term is not related to managership. A person can be a leader by virtue of qualities in him. For example: leader of a club, class, welfare association, social organization, etc. Therefore, it is true to say that, “All managers are leaders, but all leaders are not managers.” A leader is one who influences the behavior and work of others in group efforts towards achievement of specified goals in a given situation. On the other hand, manager can be a true manager only if he has got traits of leader in him. Manager at all levels are expected to be the leaders of work groups so that subordinates willingly carry instructions and accept their guidance. A person can be a leader by virtue of all qualities in him. Leaders and Managers can be compared on the following basis:

Basis Manager Leader

Origin A person becomes a manager by virtue of his position.

A person becomes a leader on basis of his personal qualities.

Formal Rights Manager has got formal rights in an organization because of his status.

Rights are not available to a leader.

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Followers The subordinates are the followers of managers.

The group of employees whom the leaders leads are his followers.

Functions A manager performs all five functions of management.

Leader influences people to work willingly for group objectives.

Necessity A manager is very essential to a concern.

A leader is required to create cordial relation between person working in and for organization.

Stability It is more stable. Leadership is temporary. Mutual Relationship

All managers are leaders. All leaders are not managers.

Accountability

Manager is accountable for self and subordinates behaviour and performance.

Leaders have no well defined accountability.

Concern A manager’s concern is organizational goals.

A leader’s concern is group goals and member’s satisfaction.

Followers People follow manager by virtue of job description.

People follow them on voluntary basis.

Role continuation

A manager can continue in office till he performs his duties satisfactorily in congruence with organizational goals.

A leader can maintain his position only through day to day wishes of followers.

Sanctions Manager has command over allocation and distribution of sanctions.

A leader has command over different sanctions and related task records. These sanctions are essentially of informal nature.

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THE OUTCOMES OF CHANGES Organisational changes are often a means to an ends. Many organisations initiate changes with particular objectives in mind, but evaluating the success and effectiveness of changes is not all that straightforward, and these are issues that the leader needs to note. Performance indicators Simply put, a successful change is one that achieves the stated objectives. Unpacking this a little, we find that change goals typically have an economic angle—such as increased performance, increased profits, and reduced costs—and this is generally because when organisations need to provide a justification for investing in changes, they often rely on economic reasons. In the public sector context, though the focus is less on the financial aspect, change goals tend to be similarly based on achieving results, such as whether particular initiatives have been successfully implemented or whether particular systems have been set up. While these measures may serve as a rough gauge of the performance of an organisation, their usefulness as indicators of the success of a change is debatable. For one thing, change is a lengthy and, at times, discontinuous process; changes often take time to unfold and people need time to acquire new habits. Consequently, organisational behaviours may not change immediately and it may be hard to determine if particular initiatives have been successfully implemented. Non-performance-based indicators Moreover, the change process in and of itself, and the spiritual aspects of the change (such as focusing on core values or empowering the employees) may be just as

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valuable, and these are critical for organisational learning and longer term sustainability. Furthermore, organisations are complex, self-generating systems with many inter-relational dynamics and so changes cannot be wholly controlled but may lead to unpredicted outcomes. Thus, multiple dimensions should be considered when identifying the objectives of a change effort, these should be sufficiently broad but not too broad, and emphasis should be given to the change journey as well as the destination, and appropriate indicators need to be used to evaluate its success. In addition to measures of organisational performance, these may include a range of indicators reflecting affective, behavioural or cognitive changes. Just to list a few, these may include the extent to which people feel involved in the change process, the extent to which the organisation has learnt from the change process, and the extent to which people find the organisation's new purpose to be meaningful. Successful vs. effective changes Another point to consider is that a change may be successful but not necessarily effective, as it is not in the best interests of the organisation. Kuepers , for instance, noted that changes may sometimes be implemented simply for the sake of change, with little regard for costs and consequences. Some leaders may be introducing changes to pursue their personal agenda at the cost of the organisation. Thus, it is critical to evaluate, first and foremost, why the organisation is seeking change.

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THE ROLE OF LEADERS AND MANAGERS IN CHANGES Issues to manage The issues leaders need to manage during an organisational change can be broadly categorised as the instrumental/technical aspect and the people/emotional aspect. Leaders tend to focus their efforts on the instrumental/technical aspect of changes. This is about having the proper systems, structures, technologies, processes and rewards in place, such that the work setting supports, motivates and sustains people in their change efforts. The issues here can typically be addressed through a rational and technical approach. Dealing with the instrumental/technical aspect alone is not sufficient; this must be complemented by a consideration of the people/emotional aspect of change. In reality, the people aspect is often less well thought through. Yet, organisations are made up of people and so, Branson (2008) argued that the consideration of people should precede the non-human parts of the organisation in any change effort. Different leaders have different beliefs and values about leadership, change, and people in general. These lead them to adopt different roles to manage the instrumental/technical aspect and the people/emotional aspect of change. Leaders as shapers Within the traditional management and leadership paradigm, it is thought that the leader should control

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everything, so that everything turns out according to plan and there are no unwanted outcomes. Moreover, the assumption that everything can be controlled leads to the thinking that change is a predictable process and leaders can choose how a change effort will turn out (Higgs & Rowland, 2005), and this premise underlies much of the organisational change literature emphasising the steps that leaders should take or the behaviours they should display to drive changes (Herold et al., 2008). Within this paradigm, in a change context, the leader plays the role described by Higgs & Rowland (2005) as "shaper", one who personally controls what gets done, sets the pace for others, and expects others to follow their example. The leader is expected to be responsible for shaping a change through a top-down process and managing it according to a detailed step-by-step plan. The leader is thought to know what is right and necessary for the organisation, and it is thought that people will embrace the change agenda if they are similarly informed. Thus, resistance of the people to making the changes they are told to, is interpreted as the need for stronger leadership in the form of more guidance and education (Diefenbach, 2007). This is largely in line with the view of leadership that the leader plays a directive role and holds much influence over his followers. Essentially, for a shaper, change leadership is equated with pushing through the leader's change agenda and overcoming resistance from the people in order to make them think and act differently. The people are considered to be the targets or recipients of change initiatives. Research has found that the shaper role tends not to be effective in a change. Even though the leader may have

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set up the right processes and structure to support the change, and have provided direction and a clear strategy for the way forward, the change is likely to fail because the people are not emotionally invested in the change. There may be compliance at best, but not emotional alignment. Furthermore, when a leader tries to shape change, he may end up taking on too much personally, and thus prevent people from growing and transforming. Add to this the fact that changes are complex and chaotic and cannot be dictated to meet predetermined outcomes, it is not surprising that empirical evidence shows that leader-centric behaviours are associated with less successful changes. Leaders as enablers Higgs & Rowland noted that the focus of change efforts needs to be more on "doing change with people rather than doing change to them". This alternative paradigm is where leaders play an enabling role in a change, creating the conditions that encourage and energise people to contribute to and grow from the change process. Such leaders provide the instrumental/technical framework for change, and seek to engage people, facilitating sense-making and bringing about emotional alignment. Given the complex and emergent nature of change, some conclude that it may "elude or defy managerial and organisational control". However, this does not mean there is no need for leadership. It means that there is no need for strictly planned and controlled management interventions and that it is all the more important for leaders to play an enabling role. In such a context, it is still possible for leaders to influence the direction and development of the change, and this is by focusing on

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key issues the people are facing (Karp & Helgo, 2008). Specifically, Karp & Helgo (2008) emphasised the need for change leaders to facilitate the formation of identity and relationships in the organisation, as these sense-making processes are at the heart of why people change. Leaders can do this through various methods, such as role-modelling the necessary behaviours, communicating the values and purpose of the organisation, paying attention to relationships and the communication of stories and symbols that are important for the organisation. Within this environment, people have the opportunity to experience the uncertainty and conflict in a change process, and through this, create meaning for themselves. Essentially, the crux of the people aspect of changes is emotional alignment. Gioia & Thomas described change as "primarily not a technical but a political issue" (p.378), as it is largely about personal interests and agendas. When people perceive that there is alignment between themselves and the organisation's agenda, and there is a new identity for them that they are willing to accept, they become emotionally invested in the change. They then slowly begin to modify their behaviours and how they relate with themselves and others, and collaborate in determining how the change will proceed. Collectively, when there is a critical mass of people who are prepared to change, change will occur at the organisational level. Such organisational energy, where everybody in the organisation is motivated and enthusiastic and committed to the shared goals, is important for successful changes. Summing up the various sources in the literature, we conclude that leaders can create emotional alignment by providing:

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• A shared vision of the future A compelling vision provides direction and a sense of purpose and inspiration. When leaders frame the vision in a way that appeals to people's need for meaning and achievement, people understand the need for change and will be aligned with the organisational purpose, and hence, intrinsically motivated to change their behaviours. Importantly, this is not a vision that is thrust upon people, but one which they jointly create. • Clarity about and ownership of the strategies Leaders need to ensure there is clarity about the strategies to bring the organisation's vision into reality, so people know what is to be done and how they contribute to the whole. Crucially, people should be involved in the development of the strategy and be empowered with the necessary skills and resources to carry out the strategy. • A supportive culture and shared values An organisation's culture strongly influences how people behave, from the way they interact with each other, to how they work and how they think. Only when the organisational culture supports the new vision can there be sustainable changes. Values underlie an organisation's culture. During a change, it is important that leaders provide the opportunity for the organisation to clarify its values and encourage people to embrace them in their everyday organisational behaviours. Leaders also need to be aware of negative group norms which can undermine the change effort.

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• Motivation and inspiration A compelling vision, empowerment in the change process, and a supportive culture and alignment with the organisational values all serve to motivate and inspire people (Gill, 2003). Beyond that, leaders can find other means of inspiring people, such as planning for and creating positive outcomes that people can attain and celebrate in the near term while working towards the longer term goals of the change (Kotter, 1995), so that people can continue to feel a sense of movement and progress in the change. While the above efforts all contribute towards aligning people emotionally with the organisation's change agenda, leaders need to remember that people cannot develop emotional alignment on demand and in accordance to a rigid schedule. This means that leaders have to decide how best to balance the need for people to be given enough time and space to discover their emotional alignment against the competing need to meet organisational timelines and milestones for their change journey. As a final point to note, while enabling leaders may provide the direction and approximate definition of the destination for the change, the change process may take a different route from what they had in mind and achieve unexpected outcomes. This is especially likely when leaders nurture conflict, making use of the diverse points of view raised by different people to improve decisions made for the organisation. Karp & Helgo (2008) expressed this well when they wrote that, "leaders may find that they have to live with the paradox of being in control and not being in control simultaneously". But for these leaders who display more facilitating behaviours

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that frame the change and create capacity in people and the organisation, they are likely to be rewarded with greater change success. WHO IS THE LEADER OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGES? Positional leaders at different levels of the organisation Even though the word "leader" has been used in a fairly generic manner in this paper, in an organisation where there is a hierarchy of leaders from top leaders to line managers, the role played by leaders at each level might have a somewhat different emphasis. In general, top leaders are expected to play a more significant role in creating the vision and driving the change agenda, while middle level and line managers play a more significant role in operationalising and implementing the change initiative. These are complementary roles, working together to help bring about the organisational change. Non-positional leaders Another consideration is that the leadership role may be played by positional leaders as well as other members of the organisation. According to Pye & Pettigrew (2006), the power to influence others is at the heart of leading changes. The leader needs to acquire sources of power and be able to use his power skilfully, in order to get people to change their behaviours. Typically, organisational changes are led by positional leaders, especially top management. These are the people with ready access to many sources of power, including

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positional power, control over resources, as well as networks of relationships both inside and outside the organisation. Power may also be derived from control over information flow, one's expertise, and other social, human and intellectual capital such as one's track record, credibility, personality, and relational abilities. As positional authority is not necessarily needed to influence others, it is possible that non-positional leaders could possess the power to lead changes. These may be people who are highly influential in the organisation's informal network. Positional leaders could find ways to tap on these informal leaders to guide or catalyse organisational changes. For instance, these informal leaders could help to explain management's ideologies to the people and garner their support for new initiatives, and at the same time, they could get a good feel of ground sentiments and provide relevant input to management to guide decision-making. In addition, bottom-up efforts in driving the change can make a difference, as change may sometimes be so rapid that it is impossible for senior management to know and plan everything (By, 2005). It may even be possible that an organisational change is initiated through bottom-up efforts rather than a top-down direction, in which case the experience and role of the positional leader will be somewhat different from what is typically presented in the literature. Importantly, regardless of who the leader is, it is important that the power is exercised in an empowering manner. As Rooke & Torbert (1998) contend, it is only such power that can generate whole-hearted change.

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Collective leadership Much of the literature on leading changes (and leadership in general) tends to adopt the perspective of the positional leader as an unusually talented hero, with a strong emphasis on individual behaviour in initiating and leading organisational changes. However, "the most successful organisations are not those led by a single powerful, charismatic leader, but are the product of distributive, collective, and complementary leadership". Similarly, the significance of distributed leadership in bringing about organisational change cannot be underestimated. Organisational change could possibly be brought about more effectively by a leading coalition with complementary skills. Thus, even if a single positional leader is put in charge of a change effort, it may be worthwhile for him to consider bringing on board other people to collectively lead the changes.

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CRITICAL FACTORS FOR LEADING CHANGES Leaders' personal qualities The question of what factors are critical for leading changes has been approached from different angles. One perspective is offered by change-oriented models of leadership. These explore what types of leaders are effective in bringing about change in their people and organisation. The focus is more general and longer term, and is not specific to any change initiative. Some of these models of leadership refer to the leader as a changeal leader who raises "followers' aspirations and activate their higher-order values (e.g., altruism) such that followers identify with the leader and his or her mission/vision, feel better about their work, and then work to perform beyond simple transactions and base expectations". These leaders inspire their followers by providing a desirable vision, articulating how it can be reached, acting as a role model, setting high standards of performance, and showing determination and confidence. They also pay individual attention to the development of their followers, and stimulate them intellectually, helping them become more innovative and creative. There is some evidence that changeal leaders have greater success with change initiatives. Another perspective of factors critical for leading changes is offered by the change leadership literature, which has explored the leadership characteristics and behaviours that are associated with the successful implementation of a change initiative. These studies tend to view the change initiative as a specific event requiring

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particular behaviours from the leader. The focus is on the here-and-now and the leader's behaviours are tactical. Some of these studies propose a comprehensive list of competencies covering all aspects of a change process, while some focus on a few critical competencies. In summary, the qualities that are identified to be important can be broadly clustered as follows: (i) Interpersonal skills Interpersonal skills frequently emerge as an essential quality for leaders to possess, which is not surprising considering that people issues are at the heart of leading changes. This is supported by empirical evidence—for instance, a study by Gilley et al, (2009) largely corroborated previous studies when it found that leaders who effectively implemented change possessed a set of multidimensional interpersonal skills, including the abilities to motivate, communicate, build teams, coach, involve others, and reward them appropriately. Beyond these, leaders need to be astute about others' interests and resources, as this will help them tap more effectively on the different strategic actors in the change process and consider how best to strategise an intervention. Astuteness about the organisation dynamics is also important, as that will help leaders have a clear understanding of the underlying systems that are influencing people's behaviours and decision whether to change. (ii) Cognitive skills Cognitive skills are important too, as a certain degree of

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intelligence is needed to understand issues, make judgements, solve problems, make decisions, and come up with a vision. Leaders' judgement about the change approach to be adopted is particularly important when the change is more complex. In sum, cognitive skills are essential for strategising and planning the change. (iii) Self-awareness Leaders who are self-aware are more likely to be aware of their own needs, biases and agendas, and the impact of their own behaviours on the change process. This helps them to raise difficult issues clearly and to make more considered decisions. This is because such leaders tend to be more aware of their impulses and struggles and to reflect on what they could have done differently. They also seek feedback regularly and consider how their leadership is experienced by others, and this helps them learn how they can improve. If we examine this list of qualities, we find that they are not very different from generic competencies for effective leadership; the only difference is that they are applied to the change context. Some researchers contend that managing change is a core role of leadership this is not limited to leadership from the changeal leadership point of view. Furthermore, it takes time for a leader to build a trusting relationship with his followers. Thus, changes should not be regarded as an isolated event where the leader demonstrates a particular kind of leadership behaviour only in this instance and expects to be effective. As Herold et al., found, change-specific leadership practices were less strongly related to followers' commitment to a change initiative, compared to general perceptions of the leader's leadership.

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Moreover, as change is becoming a more frequent aspect of organisational life and change takes time to unfold, it is difficult to make the distinction between effective change leadership and effective leadership. Colville & Murphy even equated effective leadership with change leadership, as they contended that "leadership has no meaning in a steady-state environment. Only when we enter a new territory, when we don't know the way, do we need people to step forward and lead."