Power as a Managerial Tool
Since time immemorial power has been a thing desired, coveted, feared and sometimes unleashed too to give people what they needed. From the courtrooms of the kings to the boardrooms of top leaders, power has held an integral part in determining how things get done. So, what is power in relevance to the modern-day originations […]
Leadership: Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
The previous article introduced the concept of leadership development and the steps that organizations can take to ensure that leaders are groomed by identifying potential leaders and then fast tracking them. This article looks at one trait of potential leaders that goes a long way in determining the success or otherwise of the leaders. This […]
Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA): What is it, What are the Benefits, and How is it Done?
Risk and control self-assessment (RCSA) is an internal procedure used to identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks within a company.1 In this article, we will discuss the purpose and benefits of this process, before exploring the key stages involved in conducting a thorough RCSA. What is the Purpose of an RCSA? Regular engagement in RCSAs […]
Marxian Traditions and their Approach to Public Administration
Karl Marx has often been cited as the most powerful personality in the history of human civilization. He was a philosopher while being an economist, a socialist who was also a journalist and a historian who proposed the materialist conception of history. His views regarding his areas of work and interests are collectively termed as […]
Types of Captive Insurance Companies
In the previous article, we have studied about the concept of captive insurance companies. We have also enumerated the various advantages of using captive insurance companies over traditional insurance companies. However, there was an underlying assumption that all captive insurance companies are the same. That is not the case! There are various types of captive […]
The other articles in this series on Change Management have listed the business imperatives for change as well as the various barriers to change that arise from internal and external resisters.
In this article, we examine the other side of driving change and that is to do with the role of people who can act as catalysts in driving change.
Every organization has high performers and those who are steady as well as those who make up the bottom of the performance chart. Though it is not necessarily the case that the top performers are the ones who should drive change, more often than not, that is the case. However, there might be pearls waiting to be discovered as well.
The broader point that we are making is that management and the HR department must institute a program that would identify potential “change agents” who can act as catalysts for the change initiatives which the management might be planning.
Most organizations have lists of employees whom they consider “High Potentials” or “Fast Trackers” which indicate that the people in these lists are being marked for higher positions and they are groomed accordingly.
In addition to that, the management along with the HR department can compile a list of people who take initiative in their roles and are not content with merely doing their assigned tasks but are proactive about trying on new ideas and concepts. These people are an asset to any organization and the management must identify such people and get them together to brainstorm about new initiatives and how to make the organization more successful.
The qualities that are needed in such change catalysts are impatience with the status quo, out of the box thinking, a different perspective than others about the strategies that the company is pursuing etc.
When we mentioned that such people might not be necessarily the top performers, what we meant is that there might be employees at all levels who given the chance to change the existing paradigm may very well end up as the stars that the company needs. And when there is a need for change, such people turn out to assets that the company had undervalued all the while.
The point about the catalysts for change initiatives is that they have the personal attributes needed to motivate and inspire others to follow their lead.
The key point here is that they would be people enablers and leaders as far as leading from the front are concerned. Plus, they would with their infectious attitude towards change be able to convince those who are skeptical about the change initiatives.
Hence, organizations need to rethink their system of rating the employees and include the change agent part of it and maybe, assign it more weight in determining the overall grade of the employee. Though this does not take anything away from the employees who are diligent and produce results, change initiatives can be driven only by a new way of thinking and hence non-linear thinking must be encouraged.
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