Critical Thinking Example: Strategic Leadership and Change Management

Communication is a strategy that many leaders use to fulfill the interest of stakeholders. Leaders initiate dialogues with the most influential stakeholders to manage their expectations. As indicated by Carroll and Buchholtz, (2014), leaders try as much as possible to administer the kind of information that the stakeholders get, their perceptions, and try to clarify the kind of feedback that is needed to be effective in fulfilling stakeholders interest. Also, effective communication means that the opinions of stakeholders are put into consideration and act as a basis for decision-making. For instance, I was an intern in a consulting firm where the management used the communication approach to manage stakeholders interest. A communication planning matrix was utilized to take stakeholder analysis and identify each stakeholder and the role they play in the firm. The model helped in the identification of the information that each stakeholder would receive, when and how and whether a response was needed. This approach was very effective in keeping stakeholders in check while at the same time fulfilling their interests.

Examples of Unethical Behaviors

Breaking laws

An example of breaking the rules is the Volkswagen car manufacturers who ignored the Environmental Protection Policy which requires diesel vehicles to be installed with software that prevents the emission of pollutants. The company ignored this regulation and manufactures 482,000 cars that violated the standard by emitting nitrogen oxides which can result in respiratory conditions like asthma (Reitze, 2016).

Legal but Unethical Behavior

Labor practices are often arising ethical issue since it requires employers to use legal practices which may be immoral in the face of employees and cutomers. For instance, one can legally work with foreign suppliers who have labor practices that do not fit the moral expectations of local customers.

Acts of Omission Rather than Commission

Accounting for expenditures that are not recorded, neglecting to disclose data that is necessary as well as a company using overseas suppliers but do not check their welfare are examples of acts of omission.

Activities of a Strategic Leader

Finding and maintaining a competitive advantage in the industry.

Formulation appropriate mission, vision, and goals.

Forecasting events that could help the business grow and attain its objectives.

Creating an efficient, motivated team as well as managing the team.

Practicing effective communication practices.

Fostering ethical practices.

Resisting Change Efforts

Resistance to change is inevitable in many organizations. People may resist change in various ways. For instance, they may choose not to attend meetings or training, or when they decide to attend, they may not fully participate. Likewise, people may opt to continue doing things the old way and ignore the change as well as mobilize their colleagues to take part in strikes or lockouts.

Example of Resistance to Change

A situation where I was involved in resistance to change is at the consulting firm where I was an intern. The supervisor of my team introduced new project management software which we did not want to use. The software was complicated and required employees to spend a lot of time to understand it. It also required us to work individually, yet we were working in teams. Besides, the supervisor gave us limited time and expected us to deliver exemplary results. He did not bother to offer training. We ignored the software and ended up missing important deadlines that made the company lose a lot of money.

References

Carroll, A., & Buchholtz, A. (2014). Business and society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management. Nelson Education.

Reitze, A. W. (2016). The Volkswagen air pollution emissions litigation. Browser Download This Paper.