Leadership, Ethics, & Human Resource

Department

What Leaders
Ateneo-Regis MBA Program
Ateneo Graduate School of Business
Iloilo Campus

Really Do LEADING ORGANIZATIONAL

CHANGE
VINSON O. GOPUN
 INTRODUCTION
• The second disconnect has to do with the idea that leadership, being responsible for
• There
adapting to are two major
change, requiresdisconnects here when
specific talents, we view,
a diverse look atandthis through
strong the lens
selection andof
strengths. 
grooming The leaders,
from past first hasastoKotter
do with the hierarchical
makes clear throughoutapproach.  While
the article.  Thisit ishas
reasonable
numerous issues and healthy
– most notablyto consider
the denialmanagement
of the fact thatand leadership
everyone is a as two in
leader separate
their
own constructs or roles, itthat
right.  To presuppose is simply
strong erroneous
leaders cantobeimpose
selecteda for,
dichotomy
leads to between the
the inevitable
belieftwo
thatlayers
othersinare
ways thatout
not cut suppose hierarchy. 
for leadership.  It presumes
This that thewhen
is false.  Further, skillswe of the
manager
approach are notthrough
leadership neededthe forlens
leadership and,and
of strengths conversely,
understand that leadership
that is not
real leadership
comes necessary
from deep to understanding
manage.  Neither is “why”
of the correct.ofThe reason so and/or
an individual many organization,
people struggle then
to differentiate
adapting leadership
to change, which fromalways
is almost management
the “what”is because of how
and on rare embedded
occasions, the
inside of one another they are.  Separating them for the sake of definition is
“how”, becomes much easier, if not outright obvious.  So, even accepting the definitions
fine, but doing so for the sake of hierarchical differentiation is foolish. To do
as given by Kotter what is absolutely missing is the idea that adapting to change is not a
so, and to leave complexity to “managers” and “leaders” to bear sole
skillset in and of itself,
responsibility but rather comes
for navigating change from clarity ofmore
is nothing self and
thanofa the
setuptrueforintent of the
failure.
organization.
Managers are in
charge; Leaders
are responsible
for those “in your
charge”. – Simon
Sinek
Coping with complexity vs Coping with
change
MANAGER LEADER
Coping with Complexity Coping with Change
• Planning and budgeting • Setting direction
• Organizing and staffing
• Aligning people
• Provides control and solves
problems • Provides motivation
 Planning and Budgeting vs Setting Direction
Setting a direction is more inductive. • Planning is a management process, deductive in nature and designed to
Leaders gather a broad range produce orderly results, not change.
of data and look for patterns, • Developing a good business direction is a tough, sometimes exhausting
relationships, process of gathering and analyzing information. Leaders who articulate
and linkages that help explain things. such visions are broad based strategic thinkers who are willing to take
What’s risks.
more, the direction-setting aspect of • Visions and Strategies need not be brilliantly innovative. They just
leadership does not produce plans; it need to be effective. Whats crucial about a vision is not its originality
creates vision but how well it serves the interests of important constituencies –
and strategies. These describe a customers, stockholders, employees- and how easily it can be
business, technology, or corporate translated into a realistic competitive strategy.
culture in terms of what • One of the most frequent mistakes is too much long-term planning as
it should become over the long term panacrea for lack of direction and inability to adapt to an increasingly
and articulate a feasible way of competitive and dynamic business environment.
achieving this goal.
 Aligning People vs Organizing and Staffing

The idea of getting people Organizing Aligning

moving in the same Specific job structure Communication Challenge
direction appears to be
an organizational Precise and efficient as possible Credibility – getting people to
problem. But what believe
executives
Systems to monitor its Empowerment
need to do is implementation
not organize people but
align
them.
Motivating People vs Controlling and
Problem Solving
Motivating Controlling and Problem Solving

Requires a burst of energy Precise; fail-safe and risk free

More job satisfaction Routine jobs

Sense of achievement, belonging, recognition, Not exciting or glamorous

self-esteem
Coaching, feedback, and role modeling
IN SUMMARY – LESSONS LEARNED

Leadership and management are two distinctive and

complimentary system of action. Each has its own function
and characteristic activities. Both are necessary for success in
an increasingly complex and volatile business environment.

Companies should remember that strong leadership with

weak management is no better, and is sometimes
actually worse than the reverse.

The real challenge is to combine strong leadership and

strong management and use each other to balance the
other.
THANK
YOU