In chapter 2 we presented a framework to plan for and manage strategic and organizational change. Building upon this framework, this chapter examines the nature of the leadership tasks and skills required for leading change. It examines the nature of change leadership, identifies four “key drivers of change,” and identifies the skills that leaders need to develop to use these drivers in successfully managing change. Finally, the chapter examines some recent research that is relevant to leading successful change efforts.

Leadership required to create change

What kind of leadership is required to create change? Many scholars and writers approach this question by looking at the style or personality of the leader. There is a popular notion that leaders of change are people with bold vision, and that there is a set of leadership characteristics – including charisma – that are important determinants of leadership effectiveness. This school of thought might be termed the “heroic school of leadership.” Examples of heroic leaders are Lee Iacocca, who rescued Chrysler; Steven Jobs, of Apple and Pixar; Jack Welch, who led GE to the next level of greatness; Howard Schultz, who led Starbucks to become a coffee colossus; and Louis Gerstner, who led the revitalization of IBM. Undoubtedly these larger than life leaders do exist, and they were each successful in creating change; but it is not necessarily correct to assume that their results were the fruits of their efforts alone or that they personify the model or mode of leadership required to create change.