Part 1

Dealing with Change

Keki Dadiseth, retired Unilever business executive, followed some basic rules that can trigger change (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). They are described below:

• Focus people’s attention of the underlying issues and solutions to create a common ground and understanding about what needs to be changed and why.
• Focus on the ideal, combining resonance-building leadership styles to get people talking about their hopes for the future and tap into the dedication people feel for the organization.
• Move from talk to action.

Helping people realize the reason or need for change is one of the strategies that leaders should use to overcome resistance to change. A related concept in organizational literature is readiness for change.

Dadiseth’s rules, as stated above can be understood within the context of creating readiness for change. Based on these rules, what steps can leaders take to prepare followers for change? How exactly does readiness for change impacts resistance for change and the likely success of change initiatives?

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, said, “We’ve long believed that when the rate of change inside an institution becomes slower than the rate of change outside, the end is in sight. The only question is when” (GE Annual Report, 2000).

• What did Mr. Welch mean by this statement?
• What are some ways in which leaders can overcome change?

Have you ever as a leader demonstrated courageous leadership? What happened? What did you do? How did your actions affect the followers? What lessons did you learn?

Part 2 (Continuance of Team) 5 members focusing on changing the views of those who are against same sex couples with children.

Analyzing the Team

This week, you will conclude your team assignment by evaluating your team’s effectiveness and assessing your leadership skills. You should bring together all of the insights that you have gained while studying in the course and while completing the weekly final assignments. On the basis of your readings and lectures, answer the following questions:

• How effective have change initiatives been in the team? Is the change resisted?
• How effectively does the team learn together?
• Use at least three other concepts from your study in the course to describe the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of the team, its leader, and its members.
• What specific contributions did you make toward your team’s goal?
• What could you have done to improve the success of your team and what action steps should be implemented to enhance the future effectiveness of the team? Discuss your strengths and weaknesses.
• Did you experience any change in your thinking regarding what leadership means in today’s organizations or in your understanding, of how it is effectively applied in day-to-day experiences?
• What parts of your emotional intelligence (EI) needs the most work to improve your leadership skills?
• Identify three specific leadership concepts from your assigned readings for this course that you will use to improve your leadership skills. Be sure to explain the concept briefly and the benefit it will bring to you as a leader.

Evaluate your team’s effectiveness and provide your leadership assessment in a 4– to 5-page Microsoft Word document. The most important thing here is your analysis of the experience, not whether the team was indeed effective.

Support your responses with examples.

Cite any sources in APA format.