A fraternal greeting from Puerto Rico to all colleagues and readers of this column. It is a pleasure to share again with you.
By Héctor R. Torres
ABD, MBA, CPP, CFE
Organizational change, second installment
Before entering fully with this topic we first have to provide a small background and make the definitions of rigor.
As we had already discussed in the previous column, the effects of globalization and advances in technology have created a volatile and changing business environment. This has established, in turn, the need for organizations to be agile in order to adapt to this environment. However, for organizations to be agile in their rapid adaptation, their managerial functions will also have to change, including the managerial function of corporate security.
In the twenty-first century, corporate security leaders must become agents of change to effectively lead organizational change within this function. In their role as change agents, leaders become the people who act as a catalyst and take responsibility for managing change activities in an organization. Leaders as change agents influence transformation within an organization in four categories: structure, technology, physical framework and people.
• Structure: when leaders are agents of change, they modify the structure of the organization, change the relationships of authority, the control mechanisms and the design of work.
• Technology: being the leaders agents of change, they transform technology and its use. By doing this they modify the way work is processed, as well as the methods and equipment that are used.
• Physical framework: leaders as agents of change reform the physical framework of the workplace, changing the use of space and altering the organization of it.
• People: When leaders are agents of change, they change people, their attitudes, skills, expectations, perceptions and behavior.
As we can see, organizational change is based on the actions of leaders when they exercise their role as agents of change; a role that becomes more important in the global business world. But leaders need a good model for implementing organizational change.
That's when the question arises: what leadership model can we use to lead organizational change?
One of the best leadership models that can be used to implement organizational change is Transformational Leadership. This model involves the interaction between leaders and followers to create a connection that elevates the degree of motivation and morality in both.
Transformational Leadership is based on the fact that leaders must provide a futuristic vision in order to transform an organization. Likewise, the theory is based on the principle that nothing can be changed in an organization until the collective way of thinking of the organization is changed; and this is achieved when the leader provides a vision about the future of the organization.
This type of leadership also involves maintaining an interaction between the leader and his followers, where a connection is created that increases the degree of motivation and ethics in the organization. In addition, this leadership model helps to focus collective efforts to achieve the goals of organizational change.
The great advantage of this leadership model is that it allows leaders to be agents of change, transforming the way of thinking of the members of the organization. By changing the way of thinking, the attitudes, skills, expectations, perceptions and behavior of the members of the organization change change, and thus facilitates organizational change. In addition, by changing the way members think, they will accept, participate and support organizational change. Instead of perceiving organizational change as a threat to the status quo, they will perceive it as a great opportunity for the organization.
I invite you to continue to share your ideas and concerns from the world and security management.
If you wish you can write to the author at the following email [email protected]
