Implementing a Leadership Change

Running head: OPTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING A LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change

University of Phoenix Online

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change

Leadership change in any organization can cause stress and uncertainty throughout the entire organization and effective leadership is needed to revitalize an organization and facilitate adaptation to a changing environment (Yukl, 2006). Take for example the Gene One company.

Options for Implementing a Leadership Change

Gene One is ready for a change and in order for that change to happen there must first be a change in leadership. Don Ruiz, the Chief Executive Officer, has a vision around taking the company public but is facing resistance to change from his leadership team. Kurt Lewin argues that successful change in organizations should follow three steps: unfreezing the status quo, movement to a desired end state, and refreezing the new change to make it permanent (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Gene One must first unfreeze the status quo before the company can move closer to implementing a leadership change.

Unfreezing the status quo requires change efforts to overcome the pressure of individual resistance. Education and communication is one way to deal with resistance to change. By clearly communicating the vision and the objectives of the change, the leadership team can better understand how these changes will affect them and eliminate false information and rumors. Participation is also effective in dealing with resistance since employees are contributing and their mere involvement could reduce resistance. Also, selecting people who have a positive attitude toward change and who are willing to take risks would reduce resistance. Let us take a look at the Gene One leadership team.

Team Analysis of Gene One Leadership Team

Michelle Houghton is the current Chief Financial Officer and part of the original start-up...