Discuss the process adopted by the organization to accomplish the change and analyze the role of leader during that event.

Personal Leadership Development as a Strategic Manager

This task requires discussing the practical application of the concepts learned in the module. It will assess the concept clarity about the concepts.
In 1981, British Airways appointed a new chairperson, John King. Early on, it was noticed that the company was extremely inefficient and a lot of valuable resources were being wasted.

To help the organization become more profitable and productive, the chairperson decided to restructure the existing structure of business, decided the most efficient way to follow a change management plan. The organization soon began to cut down its workforce.

However, before this was completed, the chairman – through his change management leadership – provided the business with reasons for restructuring British Airways to help prepare them for the upcoming change.

His plan saw him axe 22,000 jobs – including half of the board – replace older planes with modern jets and eliminated unprofitable routes. One of his successors, Martin Broughton, paid tribute to King for the role he played in the transformation. He said: “Lord King transformed the airline from a position of state-owned weakness to one of financial strength and global renown as a pioneer privatized carrier.”

So, through leadership and communication, he managed to direct the business through an incredibly difficult time and turned British Airways into a profitable business. Leaders take into account all the aspects of the organization-culture, processes, management & the employees.

A good change leader must be able to identify the need of change and be willing to align the actions of organizations during the change event.

Select a change event from any organization of your choice. Discuss the process adopted by the organization to accomplish the change and analyze the role of leader during that event.