According to The Work of Leadership by Heifetz & Laurie (2), it is very essential for leaders to find ways of mobilizing organization to acquire new actions that will enable it to flourish in the changing business world. Without this change any organization will stumble. Indeed some organizations have realized this need and have taken up the challenge; however the ability of the executives to give leadership instead of authoritative control has been realized to be very hard.
Therefore for these organizations to compete favorably the leadership must incorporate all employees in the problem solving business. Usually the solutions to adaptive changes are not found with the executive but in the union of all employees regardless of their levels. This can only happen when the leadership provides for dialogue but not authoritative control of the employees. With the dialogue, employees across all levels and within different boundaries will learn to use one another as a useful resource and in turn will end up getting solutions to the adaptive challenge (Heifetz & Laurie 4).
Since the changes that take place in an organization are very involving, for instance the employees are expected to accept new roles and responsibilities, new approaches and values to work, it is necessary that the leaders assist them in unlearning the old tricks that are not working anymore in the new structure. Once this is done, the employees will not rely on the senior executive for solutions to their problems as it has been, but instead they will get to know that their expectations and problems are within their limits and that they are the only ones with the answer. Hence through dialogue the employees are going to learn new values and they will realize by themselves that historical practices must be done away with.
Work Cited
Heifetz, R. A. & Laurie, D.L. The Work of Leadership. Harvard Business Review, 00178012, Dec2001, Vol. 79, Issue 11. Print.
