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454 PART 5: THE LEADER AS SOCIAL ARCHITECT
environment. Even the United States Army is finding it needs to undergo massive

changes to fight a new kind of war. Rather than launching an all-out assault, the
Army is struggling to learn that “the more force you use when battling insurgents,
the less effective you are,” as stated in the organization’s new counterinsurgency
4
doctrine. The pressing need for change management is refl ected in the fact that

many companies are hiring “transformation officers” who are charged with radi-
cally rethinking and remaking either the entire organization or major parts of it. 5
Recall from our defi nition used throughout this book that leadership is about
change rather than stability. In recent years, though, the pace of change has in-

creased dramatically, presenting significant challenges for leaders. Many leaders
today feel as if they are “flying the airplane at the same time they are building it.” 6

The patterns of behavior and attitudes that were once successful no longer work,
but new patterns are just emerging—and there are no guarantees that the new ways
will succeed. Leaders are responsible for guiding people through the discomfort
and dislocation brought about by major change.
This chapter explores how leaders facilitate creativity, innovation,
Action Memo

and change. We first look briefl y at the need for change in today’s
organizations and examine a step-by-step model for leading major
Before reading the rest of the chapter,
change. We also explore everyday change strategies and examine how
complete the questions in Leader’s Self-
leaders facilitate innovation by fostering creative people and organi-
in your personal life.

zations. The final sections of the chapter consider why people resist
Insight 15.1 to see how innovative you are
change and how leaders can overcome resistance and help people cope
with the potentially negative consequences of change.
Change or Perish

“When the rate of change outside exceeds the rate of change inside, the end
7
is in sight.” That’s how Jack Welch, the former long-time chairman and CEO
of General Electric, emphasized the fact that internal organizational changes
must keep pace with what is happening in the external environment. What a
challenge that is today. The rapidity of social, economic, and technological
change means that organizations have to be perpetually changing and adapt-
ing to keep pace. As illustrated in Exhibit 15.1, environmental forces such as
rapid technological changes, a globalized economy, shifting geopolitical forces,
changing markets, the growth of e-business, and the swift spread of informa-
tion via the Internet are creating more threats as well as more opportunities for
organizational leaders.
A big problem for today’s organizations is the failure to adapt to all these
changes in the environment. Although there are many reasons for the failure to
change and adapt, a primary solution to the problem is better change leadership.
Leaders serve as the main role models for change and provide the motivation
and communication to keep change efforts moving forward. Strong, committed
leadership is crucial to successful change, and research has identifi ed some key
characteristics of leaders who can accomplish successful change projects: 8

• They define themselves as change leaders rather than people who want to
maintain the status quo.
• They demonstrate courage.
• They believe in employees’ capacity to assume responsibility.
• They are able to assimilate and articulate values that promote adaptability.
• They recognize and learn from their own mistakes.