The change process is one of the critical aspects of successful performance in an educational environment. The leadership style determines the group’s success and directly influences the change implementation. It is possible to choose from various leadership styles suitable for achieving specific objectives. The right choice in this aspect allows for continuous change and development. However, selecting an inappropriate leadership style causes considerable difficulties. Overall, leadership style is a significant factor influencing the change process.
When working in an educational institution, choosing the appropriate style is critical for successful teamwork. In this aspect, it is crucial to properly analyze the group in which one needs to be a leader and, based on the characteristics of the group members, choose the leadership style (Hord & Hall, 2019). Considering the need to work with teenagers, there was a need to determine what leadership style would support the development within the group. Given the tendency for adolescents to constantly change and the need to express themselves, coercive style and pacesetting were initially rejected because of the negative impact of these leadership styles on the group climate (Fullan & Ballew, 2020). The focus on the democratic style was essential as it allowed for sufficient flexibility for group members while maintaining positive changes. Nevertheless, I used affiliative style techniques to avoid slowing down the change process. This style establishes a balanced climate in the group and creates the atmosphere necessary for the productive development of the group as a whole. Therefore, my work experience as a leader involves a combination of leadership styles, considering the needs of adolescents.
In the context of the influence of leadership style on the change process, the impact of different techniques of different styles is critical. For instance, any attempt to use pacesetting has an adverse effect on the overall development of the group because it slows the change process for specific group members. Coercive style techniques also harm the change process because they cause a hostile reaction in most people (Fullan & Ballew, 2020). Implementing techniques from other leadership styles, in turn, positively affected the change process if implemented correctly. Nevertheless, an excessive focus on only one style caused problems that prevented the development of the whole group or its members. For example, an exceptionally democratic approach to leadership resulted in difficulties for adolescents who lacked the motivation to study. Thus, the limited use of techniques of specific leadership styles led to particular challenges with the change process or caused significant problems in the case of attempting to implement inappropriate styles.
In terms of performance and internal motivation, the change process was one of the major factors stimulating the work. The implementation of positive change, in this case, is a crucial element in maintaining a high level of motivation. Sufficient motivation, in turn, allows the leader to properly organize and maintain the change process (Jenkins-Scott, 2020). In this way, the leader’s success in performing the activity enables the constant maintenance of the intrinsic motivation necessary for positive change in the group. Furthermore, professional self-realization provides additional motivation, positively impacting performance (Levine, 2021). In this aspect, the leader’s performance serves as an inspiration for good performance and allows for maintaining a high level of productivity. In general, successes in the process of change and leadership emerged as a primary source of internal motivation.
Nevertheless, the change process has negatively affected intrinsic motivation due to several challenges. The temporary lack or slowing down of the process led to a partial decrease in motivation and performance. The ability to act in situations that required a change in the leader’s activity was critical in this respect. A sense of urgency in this regard is one of the main factors contributing to an immediate increase in performance (Tang, 2019). It was possible to overcome the problems connected with the lack of inner motivation by creating a sense of urgency to introduce changes into the leader’s activity quickly. In addition, to avoid motivation issues, it is necessary to clearly understand the values of group members and correlate them with the leader’s values (Watkins, 2022). Overall, the process of change had a positive impact on the leader’s performance despite several challenges.
Change and innovation processes are essential in educational environments as they enable people to achieve and sustain progress. Appropriate leadership is vital to the success of these processes. In turn, leaders need to be able to select and use different leadership styles to organize the proper change process. Mistakes in applying different styles or techniques can be critical because they can cause a hostile response, making the process of positive change difficult or impossible. Given the severe impact of leadership style on the change process, the leader needs to choose a style that is appropriate for the group and considers all its members’ individual needs and features. In this way, the leader can support the process of positive change without significant problems. In general, leadership is a crucial aspect in the process of change in the educational environment since it allows one to organize the work at different levels properly.
References
Fullan, M. & Ballew, A. C. (2020). Leading in a culture of change. Jossey-Bass.
Hord, S.M. & Hall, G. E. (2019). Implementing change: Patterns, principles and potholes. Pearson.
Jenkins-Scott, J. (2020). The 7 secrets of responsive leadership: Drive change, manage transitions, and help any organization turn around. Career Press.
Levine, J. (2021). Leadership in planning: How to communicate ideas and effect positive change. Routledge.
Tang, K., N. (2019). Leadership and change management. Springer.
Watkins, A. (2022). Step change: The leader’s journey. Routledge.