The Turnaround Story at Leonard Cheshire

Posted: July 13th, 2021

The Turnaround Story at Leonard Cheshire

Introduction

Clare Pelham was appointed as the chief executive of Leonard Cheshire when the company was experiencing an income deficit. Through her management and leadership, the organization was able to turn around and increase its income. The various images of change that were demonstrated by Clare Pelham as the chief executive at the company are discussed in this paper, as well as the lessons that leaders can learn from her style of leadership.

Images of Change Management

Clare demonstrated a number of images of change management in her leadership at Leonard Cheshire. She demonstrated the images of a director, a navigator, and a coach. As the leader, she took the responsibility of designing the change process and directing the staff towards the fulfillment of change objectives. She was able to develop a strategy of change and come up with the targets of change. She also involved the company’s board in the development of a change strategy (Myers, Hulks, & Wiggins, 2012). As a navigator, Clare Pelham developed a change process within the company and came up with a way to best meet the change objectives. She ensured that fundraisings were used to increase revenue and that procurement was improved. She was able to improve staff morale by stopping the fifteen-minute visits. As a coach, Clare Pelham assisted the members of the company to develop essential capabilities for success achievement (Kuipers et al., 2014). She was also able to ensure trust and openness between the leadership and the employees by leading by example. Pelham also stressed the importance of assisting employees to realize their role within the company to ensure that they work with passion and commitment.

Insights into the Role of a Change Leader

The leadership role that Clare Pelham played at the firm contributed to the success of the company. The role of a change leader within an organization should include improving collaboration with the employees and encouraging feedback. A leader needs to involve the employees in the process of implementing change and transforming the organization (Cummings & Worley, 2013). Just like Clare involved her employees in the entire change process, a change leader should include employees in strategic planning and goal setting. By involving the employees, a change leader ensures that employees are pressured into achieving the goals they set. It also ensures that a good environment for open communication is established. Another insight into the role of a change leader is that a leader needs to track the change progress to ensure that focus on goals is maintained. By tracking the change implementation progress, a change leader generates the urgency of the change process and builds the confidence and morale of the employees (Cummings & Worley, 2013). Clare also demonstrates that a change leader needs to ensure consistent communication and lead by example. Communication ensures that confusion and misunderstanding are avoided during the change process. By leading by example, a change leader sets the pace and directs employees through the change process.

Managing Organizational Change

Clare Pelham shows that planning early is important for successful change implementation. She also shows that planning should involve the employees of an organization to ensure their commitment and encourage open commitment (Myers, Hulks, & Wiggins, 2012). Planning for change should first identify the needs of an organization and then proceed to identify ways by which they can be fulfilled while solving the existing problems and challenges. Lastly, the organizational change should seek to develop a better organizational culture.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the various images of change management contribute to the success of the change process. A change leader plays an important role in the change process by developing the best change strategy and initiating the change.

References

Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2013). Organization Development and Change. Stamford.

Kuipers, B. S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J., & Van der Voet, J. (2014). The management of change in public organizations: A literature review. Public Administration, 92(1), 1-20.

Myers, P., Hulks, S., & Wiggins, L. (2012). Organizational change: Perspectives on theory and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.