Change and Leadership

Question 1

Why do we study change?

Answer 1

Organisations may not survive if they do not change. CEOs facing relentless pressure for change. Triggers of change prompt organisational change.

Question 2

What are triggers of change?

Answer 2

• Technology
• Economic shocks
• Social trends
• World politics

Question 3

What are the two forms of resistance to change?

Answer 3

1. Overt and immediate

2. Implicit and deferred

Question 4

What is overt and immediate change resistance to change?

Answer 4

Voicing complaints, engaging in job actions

Question 5

What is implicit and deferred resistance to change?

Answer 5

Loss of employee loyalty and motivation, increased errors or mistakes, increased absenteeism

Question 6

What are the sources of resistance to change?

Answer 6

Individual - habit, security, economic factors, fear of the unknown and selective information processing

Organisational - structural inertia, limited focus of change, group inertia, threat to expertise, threat to established power relationships and resource allocations

Question 7

What Van dam et al (2008) find about recent evidence on change and voice?

Answer 7

Employees reactions to change are considered critical for the success of change efforts

Question 8

What are Kotter’s eight steps of change management?

Answer 8

1. Create urgency
2. Form a powerful coalition
   3 Create a vision for change
3. Communicate the vision
4. Empower action
5. Create quick wins
6. Build on the change
7. Make the change stick

Question 9

Which factors of the eight steps of change management come under creating the climate for change?

Answer 9

1. Create urgency
2. Form a powerful coalition
3. Create a vision for change

Question 10

Which factors of the eight steps of change management come under engaging and enabling the organisation?

Answer 10

4. Communicate the vision
5. Empower action
6. Create quick wins

Question 11

Which factors of the eight steps of change management come under implementing and sustaining for change?

Answer 11

7. Build on the change

8. Make it stick

Question 12

What is leadership?

Answer 12

The process of influencing the activities of an organised group and in its efforts towards goal setting and goal achievement

Question 13

Why do we study leadership?

Answer 13

• Leaders have a big impact on our personal lives as well as the organisation they lead
• Proposition that leadership is linked to organisational performance

Question 14

What is leadership as a trait?

Answer 14

During the 1950s, researchers assumed leaders possessed certain traits or attributes - ‘Great Man (sic) Theory’

Leaders were believed to be exceptional people, born with innate qualities, destined to lead

Term ‘man’ was intentional - concept was primarily male, military and Western

Question 15

What are the Ohio State Leadership styles in terms of leadership as a behaviour?

Answer 15

A matrix of initiating structure (low/high) and consideration (low/high)

Question 16

What defines a leadership style that is low consideration and low initiating structure according to the Ohio State Leadership Style?

Answer 16

The leader fails to provide necessary structure and demonstrates little consideration for employee needs and wants

Question 17

What is high structure, low consideration leadership according to the Ohio State Leadership Style?

Answer 17

Primary emphasis is placed on structuring employee tasks while the leader demonstrates little consideration for employee needs and wants

Question 18

What is low structure, high consideration leadership according to the Ohio State Leadership Style?

Answer 18

Less emphasis is placed on structuring employee tasks while the leader concentrates on satisfying employee needs and wants

Question 19

What is the high structure, high consideration leadership style according to the Ohio State Leadership Style?

Answer 19

The leader provides a lot of guidance about how tasks can be completed while being highly considerate f employee needs and wants

Question 20

What is the contingency theory of leadership?

Answer 20

• Developed in the mid 1960s
• Effective leadership depends on leadership style
• Situational favourableness affects leadership

Question 21

How is the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Leadership Continuum structured?

Answer 21

Use of authority vs Areas of freedom for subordinates

Question 22

What are the stages of the Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum?

Answer 22

1. Tells - makes decisions
2. Sells - explains decisions
3. Consults - gets suggestions
4. Shares - defines limits, group decides
5. Delegates - subordinates function within defined limits

Question 23

How does situational favourableness affect the contingency theory of leadership?

Answer 23

Leader member relations - the level of trust and confidence that the team has in you

Task structure - refers to the type of task you’re doing: clear and structured, or vague and unstructured

Leader’s power position - this is the amount of power you have to direct the group, and provide reward or punishment

Question 24

What are the competencies that relate to strong ethics and safety from the top 10 leadership competencies?

Answer 24

1. Has high ethics and safety

3. Clearly communicates expectations

Question 25

What are the competencies that relate to self organising from the top 10 leadership competencies?

Answer 25

2. Provides goals and objectives with loose guidelines/directions

Question 26

What are the competencies that relate to efficient learning from the top 10 leadership competencies?

Answer 26

4. Has the flexibility to change opinions
5. Is open to new ideas and approaches
6. Provides safety for trial and error

Question 27

What are the competencies relating to nurturing growth from the top 10 leadership competencies?

Answer 27

5. Is committed to ongoing training

11. Helps me grow into the next generation leader

Question 28

What are the competencies relating to connection and belonging from the top 10 leadership competencies?

Answer 28

6. Communications often and openly

8. Creates a feeling of succeeding and failing together

Question 29

What is new leadership?

Answer 29

Burns (1978) distinguished between transactional and transformational leadership

Question 30

What is transactional leadership from new leadership?

Answer 30

• Leadership is trading or bargaining

- Follows prescribed tasks to achieve established goals

Question 31

What is transformational leadership from new leadership?

Answer 31

Charismatic leaders inspire and motivate, beyond contracts and offer:

• Intellectual stimulation
• Idealised influence
• Individualised consideration
• Inspirational motivation

Question 32

What is distributed leadership?

Answer 32

Individuals are different levels of the organisation cam lead and implement change. Distributed leadership relies on flatter organisational structures, team work and communication.

Question 33

How does John Kotter distinguish between leadership and management?

Answer 33

Leadership produces change and movement and management produces order and consistency

Question 34

What is leadership as opposed to management according to Kotter?

Answer 34

1. Establishes direction: creates a vision, clarifies the big picture, sets strategies
2. Aligns people:
   communicates goods, seeks commitment, build teams, coalitions and alliances
3. Motivates and inspires:
   energises, empowers subordinates and colleagues, satisfied unmet needs

Question 35

How does management differ from leadership according to Kotter?

Answer 35

1. Planning and budgeting: establishes agendas, sets timetable, allocates resources
2. Organising and staffing: provide structure, make job replacements, establish rules and procedures
3. Controlling and problem solving: develop incentives, generate creative solutions, take corrective action

Question 36

What does Mintzberg argue about the distinction between leadership and management?

Answer 36

That leadership is part of management