Introducing big change into an organization through implementing new strategies, new orientations, and new objectives. As a result, it is critical that the implementation be approached and controlled in a similar manner to how big changes are implemented. Changes must be planned, implemented as smoothly as feasible, and then tracked and assessed for progress and performance against the desired goals, or objectives, that were the change's drivers. All components of the adjustments, the new strategic plan, must be successfully managed by the leader.
The leader is managing, leading, a big shift by leading the strategic activity that is required to implement the strategic plan, to change the strategic direction of the organization. By necessity, the majority of the change activities will be managed by others on a technical and operational level. With this in mind, the leader must focus on ensuring that the organization follows the strategic plan's direction while also managing people who are putting the plan into action on the ground. It's a dual function that necessitates a high level of talent as well as a lot of effort and energy. Effective leaders will have prepared for this by providing adequate physical, financial, and human resources to the organization, as well as preparing themselves with the essential knowledge and awareness of strategic change management. The leader will be successful in managing change with these in place, and the strategic objectives will be met.
The change strategist's responsibility is to lead, champion, and promote the changes, to keep the organization moving in the right direction, and to ensure that all employees involved in implementing the changes, the strategies, perform to their full potential. There are a variety of leadership styles from which to choose. Some claim that certain changes necessitate an authoritarian, confrontational leadership style, and while this approach may be necessary in some cases, when utilized as a single style, it rarely results in a beneficial post-change atmosphere. This is the flaw in this approach: once the changes have been implemented and the strategies have been put in place, managers, specialists, operational employees, and all other contributing stakeholders must work together in a harmonious, positive manner to make the desired progress and meet the objectives. It may take months, if not years, to re-establish a positive environment, a healthy, goal-oriented, teamwork-driven culture if the leadership style throughout the transformation was harsh, unforgiving, and aggressive. In any substantial shift, the only rational leadership style is one that includes all of them but leans heavily toward those that emphasize teamwork. The leader utilizes a flexible, responsive leadership style that is a blend of consultative, participative, and democratic, with room for a light touch of autocracy if absolutely necessary. This style will then serve as the foundation for the new, altered organization.
The leader's performance at the strategic, corporate-level must be monitored. Changing strategic direction, no matter how well prepared and planned, requires the organization to venture into unfamiliar ground. As the guide, the expert, and the most visible member of the team embarking on this journey, the leader must be continually aware of progress and, when necessary, be able to change the rate of progress and degree of activity to ensure that progress is satisfactory. To be successful in this, the leader must conduct regular monitoring and evaluation activities, requiring timely and accurate data with which to make assessments. As a result, the senior management team must demonstrate that this review and assessment process is successfully cascading down into the operational activity areas. The leader must make evidence of completion of this task one of the senior managers' performance appraisal criteria, and they must then apply this method to the operational managers and teams, as described below.
At the corporate level, senior managers are the change implementers. Their role in developing, implementing, and managing strategies, as well as ensuring that the goals are reached, is critical. These executives will be in charge of leading and supervising operational managers and specialists, as well as monitoring performance and advancement. One of their responsibilities will be to inform, oversee, and evaluate the operational managers. In all of these activities, the leader(s) must not only encourage and assist the senior managers in their job, but they must also evaluate their performance and demand improvements when necessary.
At the operational level, middle and functional managers must aid in the implementation of the modifications and subsequent achievement of the goals. This encompasses achieving concrete goals, deadlines, outcomes, and objectives, as well as managing budgets, controlling expenses, maintaining quality standards, manufacturing things, and delivering services. It also entails good management of soft areas of activity including communications, coaching, training, and development, as well as managing resistance and providing assistance to individuals who are negatively affected by the changes. Although the leader cannot manage at this level, he or she should ask senior managers on a frequent basis for proof that the strategic objectives have been successfully converted into operational targets, deadlines, and goals, and that operational performance is satisfactory.
Except in the tiniest of businesses, the CEO will have little regular touch with the operational staff. That isn't to say that the leader shouldn't be aware of their existence, or that the leader shouldn't be aware of their feelings. The leader's position and style should guarantee that the operating personnel are aware of the leader and the leadership style being used. This is accomplished in part by communicating the organization's mission, vision, or simply the strategic direction it is taking, in part by the strategic plans cascading down to operational objectives, and in part by the leader's visibility in channels such as newsletters, the corporate website, and local or national media. Physical presence, such as the leader visiting operational activity areas, can be beneficial, but it is not always practicable and must always be managed carefully. The operational managers, who are themselves responding to messages from their more senior managers, are the only feasible route for the leader to communicate the strategic plan and direction. The value of operational employees in assisting in the achievement of strategic objectives through their performance at the operational activity level, on the other hand, cannot be overstated. The leader must guarantee that they have the support, training, resources, and management quality that they require in order to meet the operational goals. The strategies will fail if they do not succeed at this stage.
Most businesses have a number of external stakeholders who are essential to them. These must be informed and liaised with by the leader, as they are crucial to the plans' success. Lenders will need constant reassurance that their funds are being used wisely and repayments are not in jeopardy; business partners will need the reassurance of positive progress being made; suppliers will need reassurance that they will be paid; local governments and other agencies will be required to provide services; the media will be required to report on the changes. All of these requests must be recognized and addressed by the leader.
Without a doubt, the most crucial individual in the process of adopting a strategic direction shift is the leader. The comparison to a ship's captain is a good one. The captain (the leader) is responsible for ensuring that the officers (senior and middle management), engineers and mechanics (financial, marketing, quality, and other specialists), and crew (operational staff) are all working to the best of their abilities to maintain all parts of the ship. With this under control, the leader may focus on his or her primary responsibility of sustaining the course that has been set as well as forecasting and responding to dangers that may arise in the future.
Celebrating success is one facet of change management that is important here in the context of executing a new strategic plan or direction. At the senior management, middle and operational management, and operational personnel levels, mechanisms for visibly rewarding performance should be in place. Obtaining important milestones or targets; overcoming resistance to change; removing barriers; resolving conflict; seizing opportunities; defending against threats; removing or reducing weaknesses; making unexpected improvements; raising quality standards; improving the plan are all examples of success in this area. If achievement is rewarded, employee morale and motivation will skyrocket. The leader should make sure that rewarding success is a high-profile part of the change management process.