Leadership and culture that supports change is essential for successful transformation. Change thrives when leaders and organisations create safe spaces where people feel confident to share their views, innovate, experiment, and learn from experience.
These supportive environments can exist within single organisations or across different organisations that need to work together to make change happen.
When change is less likely to succeed
Resistance and fear
There will be many reasons why people are resistant or afraid to change. Successful change requires leadership and a culture that respects that people may approach change with different experiences, perspectives, and insights. Understanding and addressing the root causes of resistance is crucial for creating an environment where people feel safe to engage with change initiatives.
Poor delegation
Leaders who struggle to delegate effectively, micromanage, or limit others’ authority to make change create barriers to successful transformation. Leaders are people too, and change requires continual reflection to address what drives these behaviors. Effective change leadership means trusting others and giving them the space and authority they need to contribute to improvement efforts.
Lack of broader support
You might have approval for your change idea. But if others do not support it, it can be hard to make it happen. When your team is making a change, discuss the leadership and culture that will help you succeed and talk to your leaders about it. If you are a leader, it can help to think about the change culture you’re creating. Proactively use and build the skills, behaviours, and views of the leaders across your organisations.
Leaders in change
A good change leader is someone who sets a clear vision and strategy, empowers and supports innovation, supports and enables others, collaborates and trusts, and is present and compassionate.
Leadership skills for change
There are a number of leadership skills that are important to use in change.
Leadership roles in change
When planning change, think about what you need from leaders in your teams and organisation. This helps to identify the leaders who can support you.
Everyone involved in a change programme can utilise their leadership capability within change, regardless of whether you hold a formal leadership role or not. Find out more about leadership capabilities available on TURAS Learn.
The role of organisational executive teams
Executive leadership teams play a crucial role in creating and sustaining organisational cultures that embrace and implement successful change. Their behaviour and decisions set the tone for how change is approached throughout the organisation. Supporting change may require executive leadership teams to lead in new ways compared to traditional management methods.
