Change Leadership AND Change Management: 2 Parts of the Same Whole

Change Leadership and Change Management
MUDZINGWA DOUGLAS, Member
I agree that they are 2 parts. However, they are not the same. In short:
- Change management is all about how to manage the change process from planning to implementation.
- Change leadership is the people at an organisation tasked with leading the change process. Everything has been made ready as far as planning is concerned and someone is then asked to lead the change process.

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Editor: Please note that your definitions of the 2 terms are different from the ones Kotter mentions in their video:
- CHANGE MANAGEMENT is defined as a set of processes and methods that are designed to make sure that when you try to realize a (relatively small) change:
1. The stakeholders buy into the change.
2. The process stays under control.
3. The project keeps on budget.
- CHANGE LEADERSHIP on the other hand is emergent and empowers speculated action, and is driven by good, but yet unproven ideas. It aims at realizing a (relatively large) change by going faster and being smarter by:
1. Articulating a strategic vision of the future.
2. Mobilizing necessary resources.
3. Putting an engine on the whole change process.

Combining CM and CL as One
Martin Lekoski
Change leaders are like any leaders, they are there to motivate people. The problem with leaders is that they are an informal role. An average Joe can become a leader without any knowledge of the problem or solution.
So to say that without a CL the need for CM is questionable may not be good. Indeed the role of CL is valued in times of crisis or change, but good communication from the CM to the employees can have the same effect without all the fancy words of encouragement.
Leaders in general were more valued in the past when there was a lot of uncertainty, little information available and people were not educated. Nowadays many managers are advised to communicate with their employees and include them in decision making. So in a sense they are advised to make managers out of their workers. And when you have such managers, leaders are basically not needed.

Change Management
H. Bosman, Member
My view on management is a little different. In my opinion leadership is just one of the aspects of management. (Like being a judge or a motivator).
So, the manager should be a leader when it is necessary.
This means that a manager without leading qualities is just half a manager.
For this reason I stopped the leadership / management discussion some years ago.
Regarding CM, all aspects of management are important. Of course, Kotter's view is very interesting, but the most imported issues are the choices made by the manager (and his team) which are very much depending on the situation.
In many cases don't talk about changes, but use development or extension since in many cases this is simply the situation.
In my opinion, one of the most interesting aspects of Kotter's view is the political aspect of CM. (The coalition).
For this reason I recommend that the responsible manager should be very smart and sly. Of course in every phase of a change process, he (or she) should play the roles perfectly.

'Push' Management or 'Pull' Leadership?
Jean Letourneau, Member
- Change management is about PUSHING CHANGE into the organization. Change leadership is about achieving the desired results through people's willing participation (PULL).
- Change management is typically a PLANNED program, change leadership is NATURALLY EMBEDDED in how people do things.
- Kotter's model is TOXIC as someone needs to create a sense of urgency, a fire. Change leadership is TONIC, as it connected to people's heart and emotions.

Change Leadership and Change Management
Dr Robin C Hesler, Member
CL and CM are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they should compliment one another if an organization is to achieve synergy.
The leadership culture of an organization should be such that it creates buy-in, both internally and externally. Without buy-in no change is possible and thus the leadership has failed. You can order changes but they won't happen or will only partially happen this way. The leadership has to create a culture in which suggestions are listened to and acted upon and then fostering that into allowing people to make decisions at various levels and thinking that everyone is in the "we" category and not the "them" category. ONCE IN THE "WE" CATEGORY, CHANGE CAN BE INTRODUCED AND ACCEPTED. The organization is set then with multiple change leaders who are motivated and not just by the name of their position in the org. chart.
CM & CL are cause and effect in action. Effective CL causes change and change causes the way leadership is applied to achieve the desired outcome(s).

Change Leadership/Management: What's in a Name?
Derek Lark, Premium Member
If you focus on the outcomes desired and then design the inputs to get you there does it really matter what you call any of the parts?

Which is More Important Depends on the Context
srinivas, Member
Both need to be at work for an organization to sustain at any given point of time:
- Change Leadership is required for adapting to a CHANGING ENVIRONMENT by taking the route of untested ideas and to innovate, to take risk in putting that first step where the organization has not taken the path before.
- Change Management is for a reasonably STABLE SYSTEM and changes need to be implemented by taking into ideas which are time tested.

Change Leadership and Change Management
Rilwan, Member
Change Leadership and change Management are COMPLIMENTARY:
- Change Leadership is required to sponsor and give direction to the change programme by providing the needed resources, enabling environment, support and strong and visible ownership to enable
- Change Managers to develop the strategy plan, activities and implement same.
The Leadership and Management must SYNERGISE to achieve the articulated change vision.

Change Management VS Leadeship
Niaz, Member
Change management is like the human body and Change leadership is like the soul.
Management gets its life from the leadership.

Change Leadership & Change Management
Qazi Ata, Member
Sorry to note that even the crux of both terminologies under discussion is under dispute. Nevertheless, all the views are respected. However, I will not jump in to it. Nevertheless, both are co-related and WEAK PERFORMANCE ON EITHER SIDE WITH SPOIL THE DESIRED AGGREGATE RESULTS.
But we should not forget that fish rots from the head.

Change Leadership and Change Management
jbantalyo, Member
Change leadership and change management focus on changes that an organization has to accomplish. I would agree that the 2 are related and should be administered with preparedness, since not all the personnel that is involved in this change might agree or accept it.

Change Leadership and Change Management
Ramakrishnan, Member
Change leadership and change management are CLOSE RELATIVES. One follows the other. Leadership in change inspires and prompts new directional changes, sometimes through out of the box thinking. Management implements these changes and to do this, a change management is necessary to avoid that all competent managers begin to think differently in the accomplishment of their new tasks.

Change Leadership and Management
Andrew Blaine, Member
@Dr Robin C Hesler: If you read my comment again you will find that I agree with you and do not understand why it is necessary to separate them.
They are, in my opinion, "two sides of the same coin".

Change Leadership and Change Management
OSHUN, GRACE OKAIMA , Member
I consider Change Leadership and Change Management as two sides of a coin with change management being executed by the leadership of an organisation as change agents.

Change Leadership with Change Management
Abdulrahaman Nashiru, Member
My view about the two is that the change leader is to be seen as the person who is to communicate, support and manage the change expected in the organisation.
I agree the 2 complement one another, without one present the other can not be effective.

Change Management versus Change Leadership
Adonis Friday Adoyi, Member
I really think the two subjects are similar in the sense that they speak of change. However, separated by the words management and leadership.
Change as we all know is something that is constant in nature but yet is most dreaded by anyone. While change management focuses on how to plan, organize, direct and control change, change leadership is about people at the helm of affairs facilitating the change and ensuring people follow the change process.
Though the two subjects are intertwined and compliment each other, they are yet different. It takes a change persuaded leader to implement a change management structure. Also, know that there is no change management if no change leadership, hence there must be a change leadership for change management to take effect. Consider Nigerian government. We need leaders persuaded for change for us to accomplish our desire of a corruption-free economy.

Change Leadership versus Change Management
claudius rwodzi, Member
I want to agree with most comments above on the close relationship between change leadership and management.
I look at change leadership as an aspect of organizational innovation and at change management as an organizational transition process. The leadership aspect can be considered as the change design and change management can be seen as the change maintenance.
The two therefore can be seen as the change strategy versus the change's transitional process. The two are more like the INTERTWINED STRATEGIC PILLARS OF CHANGE.

Change Management and Change Leadership
Simon Lum, Member
You MANAGE THINGS - programs, make sure things are on schedule, budget on track. But you LEAD PEOPLE to implement change to produce the desired results.
Also change has to be implemented before it can be managed. Change must bring about a set of results. It is this "achieving" part where critical leadership is most needed.

Roles in Change Management
Andrew Blaine, Member
@Martin Lekoski: Martin, I feel you could be confusing roles and responsibilities. The CL is, in my opinion, that person who identifies the need for specific change, motivates others and develops an outline plan whereby the change can be implemented. Then the CM develops the plan envisioned by the CL and implements it.
Often, particularly in small business, the same person handles both roles and, again, in my opinion, this is the optimal manner in which the function can be performed because, as we all know, even the very best plan must be changed to meet with reality.
Regarding the change in management style you refer to in the second part of your comment, collaborative management is often the most appropriate system today, whereas hierarchical management used to be in the past. The main problem is acceptability of responsibility on the part of the manager.

Change Management and Change Leadership
Ayuketa Amadou, Member
In relation to change management and change leadership it is necessary to understand the ENVIRONMENT in which the organization operates.
In this light first identify the environmental factors that will necessitate the firm to adopt to a change. Then see if there is the need for a comprehensive change process. By the way competitors will not sit back and watch you moving to another level without getting involved. Even 2 change managers may not be sufficient and avoid you sit back and one day discover you are out of business.

Change Management versus Change Leadership
Emmanuel Daniel., Member
Managers have people working for them, but leaders have people following them.
And from that I can say CHANGE MANAGEMENT is to change the way people or resources are institutionalized (what connects them while performing their works, arrangements). Which may involve change of personnel, leadership.
CHANGE LEADERSHIP (change of personnel, souls that brings inspiration to others) is a tool for change management and when employed will result in change management in order to arrange the way the resources will be planned, organized, controlled and directed.
Both concepts are related in that change management is wider and engulfs change leadership.

Change Management, Change Leadership and the People Performing them
Andrew Blaine, Member
@ Emmanuel Daniel.: Hi Emmanuel, I wonder if you are not confusing the action with the personalities. Both change management and change leadership can, and do, happen in businesses that are operated by only one person, so the relationship between the 2 concepts needs to be divorced from the personal aspect, I think?

Change Management and Change Leadership: Leaders Have People Following Them
Emmanuel Daniel., Member
@Andrew Blaine: considering the definition of leadership/ leader, I grounded the concepts on that level so I can make a comparison. In a single person-operating organization the role of leadership is questionable, I think.