TABLE 3.4: Organizational Leadership Checklist

Leadership Vision and the Case for Change

To what extent:

Do leaders provide a compelling vision and case for the proposed change?

Have leaders identified gaps between the vision for change and implementation realities, and developed strategies to close the gaps and strengthen the case for change?

Have leaders provided a common vocabulary to guide change?

Leadership and Employee Involvement

To what extent:

Have leaders ensured that employees see the connection between their own work and the organizational vision for the change?

Have leaders negotiated a change plan or strategy in a democratic, inclusive manner?

Have leaders identified potential sources of change resistance and developed strategies to manage them?

Generating the Support of Key Senior Leaders and Middle Management

To what extent:

Is the organization’s senior leadership unified in support of the change vision?

Do mid-level managers act as change champions to help with staff buy-in and maintain a good pace for the change process?

Do leaders encourage collaborative decision-making and joint ownership throughout the organization?

Leadership Development

To what extent:

Is leadership development, particularly the development of skills in change leadership, promoted throughout the organization?

If organizational leaders can answer most of these questions affirmatively—that the agency promotes widespread leadership to a great extent—it is likely that the organization’s leadership capacity is sufficient to support change. Any negative answers are potential sources of concern and a call for improvement. Leadership that is lacking in sound change management skills and strategies may find it very difficult to initiate a successful change.

Organizational Culture

Organizational culture is the behavioral, emotional, and psychological state of affairs in an organization, widely accepted “as the way we do things” by all employees. Cultures that are more status quo-oriented and resistant to change may present a significant challenge in leading change efforts. Cultures that are more open and adaptive are likely to be more receptive to change initiatives.

Leaders who initiate major change initiatives must examine their organizational culture and assess whether it is likely to support the change. If the culture is resistant to change, leadership has a twofold challenge. In the short run, leaders have to address potential obstacles to change. In the long run, leaders need to devise strategies to make their culture more change-centric. Table 3.5 presents a set of questions for leaders to address when analyzing their culture. (Chapter 6 provides an approach to developing a change-centric culture.)