Leadership Styles and Change

Page 1 Leadership Styles and Change The cycle of change goes through 6 different The leadership styles underline the impor- stages. Each stage demands something tance of the leader’s ability and flexibility different from the participants in the change to shift between different approaches. They as well as from the leader of the change. also emphasise as well the importance of the manager’s awareness of fitting the With inspiration from Daniel Goleman’s de- leadership style to the position of the par- scriptions of the 6 leadership styles and their ticipants in the change process. A leadership underlying need for the emotional compe- style used with the wrong timing potentially tencies of the leader, another dimension can creates more confusion and more resistance. be added to the cycle of change. Some of the leadership styles match only The theory of the 6 leadership styles is parts of the process. Others have their based on a large empirical study with justification and relevance through several samples of more than 20,000 managers. stages. The studies about the leadership styles have included both the actions of the styles, Ask yourself. Do you know when their impact on organizational climate, to be: their impact on results, motivation and • Commanding? culture of the employees. American author • Democratic? Daniel Goleman has enriched the theory of • Pacesetting? the styles by linking them to his concepts • Affiliative? of emotional intelligence and emotional • Visionary? competencies.In 2006, the theory was • Coaching? expanded with descriptions of the resonance and dissonance of the styles. The theory of And are you able to? the 6 leadership styles is concerned with the leader’s repertoire and is perhaps one of the best examples of what could be called ‘good’ leadership. I don’t like you! In the Dark I don’t like it! I don’t get it! See the Challenge

The pacesetting style Page 2 In the pacesetting style the leader PeopleDcooams Iedof.irNsotw! ! strives for quality, results and ambi- Let’s try it ... tions and leads through emphasizing People come first! The com and accentuating the ‘best’ perfor- The dem mance. The pac The affil The pacesetting style has a spe- The visio cial role in the fourth phase of the The coa change. The job of the pacesetting style is to secure that the change ... results in results and that the partic- ipants of the change are demanded it to and rewarded for delivering real accomplishments with the ‘new’. Let’s try me ... The coaching style with In the coaching style the leader develops competences and independ- Come ence in others. The coaching style has a role through several phases of the change. In the third phase the coaching style secures that the participants of the change are both supported in and challenged to develop the compe- tences that are needed to perform the concrete implementation of ‘the new’. In the fourth phase the coaching style secures that the participants use their knowledge and their competenc- es to adjust and refine ‘the new’. The democratic style In the democratic style the leader facilitates involving and participating processes. To encourage and handle inputs from a range of participants who need to feel ownership to the decisions made. The democratic style has a special role in the second phase of the change process. The job of the democratic style is to secure that the relevant stakeholders are involved, that they are active in designing the solutions and methods, and that they understand and accept the decision process.

I don’t like you! ... Page 3 I don’t like it! I don’t get it! The visionary style me In the visionary style the leader develops a position where others see with him/her as an authority they can and will let themselves be guided by. The Come visionary style has a role through say! several phases of the change. I In the first phase the visionary style plays the role as the element as that gives the change direction and People come first! opens the perspectives and opportuni- Do Come with me ... ties of ‘the new’. mmanding style In the second phase the visionary mocratic style styles secures that the participants of cesetting style the change ‘remember’ the larger and liative style whole perspective and do not develop onary style too short-sighted or sub-optimizing aching style solutions. hat do you think? In the third phase the visionary W People come style plays a large role in creating meaning and connections between first! the many new concrete things that have to be done in new ways. The commanding style In the commanding style the leader centralizes power and decisions to him/her self. Decisions that will set discussions out of play. The com- manding style has a special role in the first phase of the change. The commanding style repre- sents the leadership drive and clarity that will tell the participants of the change, that the change is ‘for real’ and that they have to respond to it. The affiliative style In the affiliative style the leader creates relationships between people. Relations between the leader and others and relationships among others. The affiliative style has a role through all the phases of the change. The affiliative style secures the leader a contact to and a dialogue with the participants of the change. The affiliative style is the leader’s means of getting a realistic sense of where the participants ‘are’ in the change and if there is resistance to be dealt with.

Page 4 The 6 styles The commanding style The democratic style Modus operandi Creates immediate compliance Forges consensus through participation The style in action The leader gives clear directives The leader invites the perspectives of the participants The leader shows drive The leader gives contributory influence The leader makes most decisions on The leader creates agreement his/ her own The leader maintains control It is important to get the democratic style into play while there is still room for actual involvement of the The style in changes The directive style can create the needed compliance participants’ ideas and perspectives. When decisions in the beginning of a change have been taken, the styles risks creating idle running The directive style can make it clear that it is not up and resistance for debate IF the change is going to happen The pacesetting style The affiliative style Modus operandi Sets high standards for performance Creates harmony and emotional bonds The style in action The leader acts out a strong need to perform The leader shows interest and appreciates The leader sets high standards The leader creates connections between people The leader demands performance The leader is empathic The style in changes The pacesetting style has its relevance in the anchor- The affiliative style has its justification through all of ing part of the change the change process. The affiliation is the pre-requisite This style ensures that results are delivered after the for the leader to get a real and relevant dialogue with implementation, motivation, involvement and train- the participants and to be able to consider what they ing phases. need in the process. The visionary style The coaching style Modus operandi Gathers the participants around the vision Develops the participants for the future The style in action The leader develops and formulates a clear vision The leader is curious The leader shows enthusiasm and inspires The leader encourages the participants to find their The leader builds hope and faith in the vision own solutions The leader stimulates the competencies of others The style in changes The visionary style is extremely important to put into play in the beginning of the change as nourishment The coaching style becomes relevant when the chang- to the participants’ hope for the future es are implemented The style is relevant and important until the change The coaching style is concerned with getting the has been implemented participants’ competencies into play in the new and changed situation Source: Daniel Goleman