BSBLDR801: LEAD PERSONAL AND

STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION

Chapter 2 : Lead in a transformational manner

Topic Model and encourage collaborative

communication and learning approaches in the
workplace
Collaborative Communication: Why It
Matters
Traditional, hierarchical organizational structures are increasingly
being replaced with flatter models and more open lines of
communication. Flexibility is the order of the day in the modern
workplace with more staff members telecommuting and working
flexible hours at least some of the time. According to the latest
research, 4.3 million employees in the US now work from home at
least half of the time. This is a trend that’s only going to increase as
among the non-self-employed, the number regularly working at home
has grown by 140 percent since 2005..
In today’s ever-changing and highly competitive marketplace,
businesses that can foster creativity, agility and problem-solving
capabilities have an enhanced ability to adapt and respond to change.
In fact, it could well give you that all-important advantage over the
Why Communication Matters
Effective collaboration cannot take place without the support of good
communications. And successful collaboration goes beyond merely dividing
up tasks and assembling a finished product. It’s more about fostering a
genuine determination to reach a common objective by sharing knowledge,
insights and learning to build a consensus.

Collaborative Communication Culture

Before an effective collaboration can take place, however, each team will
need to spend time creating the right environment. This means setting out
and communicating team members’ roles and responsibilities so, that
everyone is clear about their contribution to the process. Uncertainty or a
lack of clarity over roles and expectations can lead to resentment or even
Collaborative Communication Skills

So, what are the collaborative communication skills that team members need to bring to the
table to be successful? Well, it’s surprising how many organizations take it for granted that
staff members instinctively know how to work together. However, that isn’t always the case
and like a great many other skills in the workplace, collaboration needs to be nurtured and
developed.
Here are the top ten skills needed to support effective collaboration:
1. The Ability To Get On With People
2. Being Able To Listen
3. Respect For The Contribution Of Others
4. Being Open-minded
5. A Willingness To Compromise
6. Able To See The Big Picture
7. Problem-solving Abilities
8. Effective Organizer And Project Manager
9. Able To Give And Receive Constructive Feedback
10. Commitment and Enthusiasm
 Collaborative Communication Tools
Now that we understand what collaborative communication is all about and the skills and
attributes needed to support it, let’s turn our attention to how it can be achieved in the workplace.
Communication and Collaboration in The Workplace
Supporting Personal Connections: One of the biggest barriers to effective collaboration and
communication is that team members simply don’t know each other. The team may be made up of
people that haven’t worked together before and have no personal connection. If at all possible, get
the group together informally over a shared lunch or a coffee away from the office.
Streamlined Working Processes/ File and Document Sharing: File sharing tools are another
essential item in the collaboration toolbox. Being able to quickly and easily share documents and
files is essential to the smooth functioning of collaborative communication. And there are a
number of software platforms out there that you can choose from. Dropbox is perhaps the most
well known.
Real-time Editing and Collaboration
Furthermore, anyone who has had experience of collaborating with others on a
document using Word’s track changes and email will know what a challenging
process it can be. Keeping on top of where things are at is not easy. And having to
notify all project members every time there’s even a minor revision is time-
consuming. It’s easy to see how mistakes and errors can creep into the process.

Shared Project Spaces : In addition, the cloud intranet offers the opportunity for
team members to brainstorm ideas, easily share insights and data either through a
collaborative workspace or a project blog. Access can be restricted to only the
relevant team members through a series of intranet site permissions. Workspaces or
blogs can transcend time and location and enable employees to connect, share and
collaborate effectively.
Collaborative Communications: Making the Difference In The Workplace:

There’s no doubt that collaborative working is the future. And so, if your business
is serious about promoting collaboration, then the starting point must be
communications. Flexible, adaptable and dynamic collaborative communication
channels will ensure collaborative working is a success in your business.
Topic - Cultivate existing and new collaborative
and participative work relationships
The advantages of collaboration can also be seen in terms of individual output.
Creating a sense of teamwork and building bonds encourages team members to
work for the collective rather than just themselves.
• Show respect and value for the skills, experiences, creativity, and contributions
of group members.
• Adhere to leadership and decision making guidelines.
• Embrace diversity.
• Listen to and acknowledge the feelings, concerns, opinions, and ideas of others.
Here are six ways to cultivate a collaborative environment.

1. Communicate company expectations. Make it clear that collaboration is

the minimum standard. 2. Set team goals. ...
3. Foster a creative atmosphere. ...
4. Build cohesion. ...
5. Know one another. ...
6. Leverage team member strengths..
Cultivating Collaboration in the Workplace:
The notion of collaboration is nothing new to any progressive workplace.
Collaboration is the stuff that binds a team together and allows new skills
and opportunities to present themselves. As the workplace becomes ever
more flexible, more connected and more digital, it is important to keep in
mind what forms the basis of effective collaboration, and how to harness its
potential in an increasingly fast-paced environment.

Clearly communicate open communication expectations

To cultivate a strong and ongoing culture of collaboration, the first step
needs to be setting this as the base level of expectation among all team
members and leaders. Every team member needs to not only understand their
own position, but also the position and responsibilities of those around them.
In a collaborative environment, each team member will be aware of what
their responsibilities are and how these form part of the greater whole around
Set team goals
We are huge advocates for personal and professional goal setting for individuals.
Additionally, we are also big advocates for setting regular S.M.A.R.T. team goals.
Ensure these goals are concise, measurable and set at least on a quarterly basis. By having
each team focus on goals, individual efforts will stay on track while also aligning group
efforts with desired larger outcomes. Team members that feel they are working
collectively towards some larger goal will feel more connected to each step towards these
larger goals and will also be more invested in the final outcome of their individual efforts.

Encourage a creative atmosphere

Some of the most successful companies in the world are renowned for their creative
structures and processes (think of Google and Apple). By allowing team members the
opportunity to regularly brainstorm and question in an open and non-judgmental
framework, you are encouraging new strategies and solutions to appear, as opposed to
focusing on the current roadblocks of a problem.
By nurturing a ‘can do’ attitude and encouraging resourcefulness in your environment you
are sending a message to each team member that clearly indicates how important their
input and opinion is to the future of the organization.
Provide social opportunities
Although people are expected to be working when they are at work, human beings
are social and curious creatures. We need to feel that we are accepted and
acknowledged by those around us to feel comfortable and safe. Along with this
feeling of safety comes an accompanying space to think creatively, be ourselves
and perform at our peak.
Leverage the strengths in your team
Position each team member to achieve the most they can by assigning them to
tasks that will allow them to succeed. Reward both individual and team
accomplishments with acknowledgement, both public and private if the team
member is comfortable with this attention. Establishing a collaboration culture is
only the beginning. Collaboration has to be at the forefront of leaders’ minds – it
has to be a consistent policy based on openness, mutual respect and a willingness
to listen to others.
Chapter 4: Provide strategic leadership
during change processes
How to Be a Successful Change Leader
Great Change Leaders Focus on People and Process
Successful change is one of biggest problems that modern organizations face. In
our fast-changing world, the strategic imperative to change is often clear:
Without doing things differently, our company is unlikely to succeed, or last.
But change-management research has demonstrated time after time that
organizational change initiatives fail more often than they succeed, despite the
resources put into creating change management processes.
The 3 C’s of Change Leadership

1. Communicate. Unsuccessful leaders tended to focus on the “what” behind the change.
Successful leaders communicated the “what” and the “why.” Leaders who explained the
purpose of the change and connected it to the organization’s values or explained the
benefits created stronger buy-in and urgency for the change.

2. Collaborate. Bringing people together to plan and execute change is critical. Successful
leaders worked across boundaries, encouraged employees to break out of their silos, and
refused to tolerate unhealthy competition. They also included employees in decision-making
early on, strengthening their commitment to change. Unsuccessful change leaders failed to
engage employees early and often in the change process.

3. Commit. Successful leaders made sure their own beliefs and behaviors supported change,
too. Change is difficult, but leaders who negotiated it successfully were resilient and
persistent, and willing to step outside their comfort zone. They also devoted more of their
own time to the change effort and focused on the big picture. Unsuccessful leaders failed to
Leading the Process
Strategic change doesn’t happen on its own. Effective leaders guide the process from start to
finish. Here are the 3 key competencies that are part of leading the process:
• Initiate. Effective change leaders begin by making the case for the change they seek. This can
include evaluating the business context, understanding the purpose of the change, developing a
clear vision and desired outcome, and identifying a common goal. Unsuccessful leaders say they
didn’t focus on these tasks enough to reach a common understanding of the goal.
• Strategize. Successful leaders developed a strategy and a clear action plan, including priorities,
timelines, tasks, structures, behaviors, and resources. They identified what would change, but
also what would stay the same. Leaders who weren’t successful said they failed to listen enough
to questions and concerns, and failed to define success from the beginning.
• Execute. Translating strategy into execution is one of the most important things leaders can do.
In our study, successful change leaders focused on getting key people into key positions (or
removing them, in some cases). They also broke big projects down into small wins to get early
victories and build momentum. And they developed metrics and monitoring systems to measure
progress. Unsuccessful change leaders sometimes began micromanaging, got mired in
implementation details, and failed to consider the bigger picture.
Leading People
While formal change processes might be well understood, too many leaders neglect
the all-important human side of change. The most effective leaders devoted
considerable effort to engaging everyone involved in the change effort. They
exhibit these 3 crucial qualities of leading people:
• Support. Successful change projects were characterized by leaders removing barriers to
employee success. These include personal barriers such as wounded egos and a sense of loss, as
well as professional barriers such as the time and resources necessary to carry out a change plan.
Leaders of unsuccessful change focused exclusively on results, so employees didn’t get the
support they needed for the change.
• Sway. Effective leaders identified key stakeholders — including board members, C-suite
executives, clients, and others — and communicated their vision of successful change to them.
Unsuccessful leaders told us they were more likely to avoid certain stakeholders rather than try to
influence them.
• Learn. Finally, successful change leaders never assumed they had all the answers. They asked
lots of questions and gathered formal and informal feedback. The input and feedback allowed
them to make continual adjustments during the change. In the case of unsuccessful changes,
Topic - Positively convey organizational direction and values to relevant
individuals and relevant stakeholders

Strategic leadership
Strategic leadership involves use of strategy to manage workers in an organization
(Cyprus, 2010, Para1). Strategy refers to a long-term plan of action that has been
laid down by a company in order to achieve competitive advantage, by meeting the
market needs and the stakeholders’ competition, through proper combination of
resources (Johnson & Scholes, 2011). The basic strategy that managers employ in
organizations is motivation of workers in order for them to be productive at the end
of the day. For strategic leadership to be successful, the managers ought to be
critical thinkers and to apply the theories of strategic planning.
Organizational Change
Organizational change refers to a situation whereby an organization adopts a new strategy in the
way it carries out its activities and management for better or removes a major section or an
operational department (McNamara, 2011). Organizational change may also occur when the
organization evolves through growth with time from what was established to something else after
input of resources. This is the development that an organization gains as it grows and it is a major
and very significant process of organization change. Since no organization remains static or the
way it was established, the topic of organization change has become a very common and
widespread topic among business people as well as scholars (McNamara, 2011).

Reasons for organizational Change

Organizational change is brought about by different reason, some of which are from the
management whereas others are out of human control. Natural disaster and acts of terrorism are
some of the major reasons that may bring about organizational change. For instance, the long
time war in Afghanistan and Iraq has affected many organizations leading to implementation of
new strategies and dynamics. This is because the terrorist attacks may at times target an
organization in such a manner that it is not possible to continue with its ordinary culture.
Change management theories

An organization must be in a position to understand the changes itmight be going through

for it to manage it successfully, otherwise, any change is doomed to serious problem and
failure. Some of the change management tactics include accepting the brief, diagnosing
the change through investigation to be able to understand the change, managing the
stakeholders carefully, planning for change by creating a bullet proof plan, managing
change project by making it happen in practice, investing in means of turning the plans in
to reality, designing the organization in such a manner that it will accommodate the
changes and successfully move from the old organization in to a new organization,
employing change techniques that will instill personal change among the parties involved
in the organization to make it easy in to reality and adopting the 4D change project
framework that is good at managing organizational change projects (Annon, 2002-2011,
Chapman, 2005-2010).
Let us look at some of the change
management theories in details.
Action Research Model
Action Research Defined - Action Research Model is a method to facilitate
change by helping involve the client system in a diagnostic, active-learning,
problem-finding, and problem-solving process.
 Lewins Model/ Theory
Kurt Lewin developed a change model involving three steps: unfreezing,
changing and refreezing. ... For Lewin, the process of change entails creating the
perception that a change is needed, then moving toward the new, desired level of
behavior and finally, solidifying that new behavior as the norm.
 Schein's Model
Edgar Schein's Model of Organizational Culture. Edgar Schein proposed a
model of organizational culture where the basic assumptions shape values
and the values shape practices and behavior, which is the visible part of
culture.
 Lippitt, Watson and Westley’s Expansion of Lewin’s Change Model
This model expands and changes the Lewins model by making the steps of change
five instead of three. The five stages of the expanded model include unfreezing,
establishing a change relationship, moving, refreezing and finally achieving a
terminal relationship.
 Kotter’s Model
Kotter’s model of change management is an eight phase theory whereby each step
lasts a certain period and mistakes in one phase can affect the success of the whole
plan. This model is best suit in strategic leadership and strategic management
whereby through changing the vision of an organization, it is possible to change
the vision of the organization. The eight phases of Kotter’s model include 1)
Creating a sense of urgency 2) Proper handling of the resistant groups 3) Creating
a plan of action 4) Proper communication of change to the organization 5) Doing
the necessary training pertaining the new idea 6) Short terms rewards to those who
have embraced change 7) Process evaluation and implementing the necessary