Leaders As Change Agents In This Assignment You Will Study T

Leaders As Change Agentsin This Assignment You Will Study The Factors

Leaders as Change Agents In this assignment, you will study the factors involved in making leaders change agents. For the assignment, you will put well-known personalities and yourself under the microscope to learn what makes you and the individuals you select not only leaders but also what it takes for leaders to be change agents. Using scholarly sources such as the online library, the internet, and periodicals like Fortune, Business Week, and Forbes, research biographies, case studies, and articles about leaders. Select two leaders who you consider to have been highly successful change agents and two who you believe have been unsuccessful change agents. Write a brief biography of each selected leader.

In addition, answer the following questions about your chosen leaders:

- What were the leaders' bases of power? How was it gained? What was their reach or influence?

- How did the leaders find themselves in the position to serve as change agents? Describe the situation, including the need for a change agent.

- What mode did each leader operate in?

- Were the leaders successful change agents?

- What made the leaders successful or unsuccessful change agents?

- What are the similarities between the two successful leaders and the differences between the two successful and two unsuccessful leaders?

- Are there factors about the leaders you researched that might have predicted their success or failure before they achieved leadership roles? Explain at least three such factors.

Paper For Above instruction

The role of leaders as change agents is critical in driving organizational transformation and innovation. Understanding what enables some leaders to succeed in this role while others fail offers valuable insights into leadership development and change management. This paper examines four leaders—two identified as successful change agents and two as unsuccessful—by analyzing their biographies, sources of power, positioning, operational modes, and predictive factors of success or failure.

Biographies of Selected Leaders

Successful Change Agents:

Nelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black president, was a leader whose rise to prominence was rooted in his anti-apartheid activism. A former lawyer and activist, Mandela dedicated his life to ending racial segregation and promoting reconciliation. His bases of power stemmed largely from expert power—stemming from his legal background and moral authority—and referent power, gained through his personal integrity, perseverance, and moral leadership. Mandela's influence was global, and he operated within a context that desperately required transformative leadership to heal a divided nation. His mode of operation was primarily transformative, emphasizing moral persuasion and inspiring collective action. His success as a change agent was profound, resulting in peaceful transition and social equity.

Jacinda Ardern: The former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, rose to prominence through her roles within the Labour Party, eventually becoming Prime Minister in 2017. Her leadership was characterized by empathy, transparency, and decisive action, especially during crises like the Christchurch mosque shootings and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her bases of power were primarily legitimate—derived from her elected position—and referent, based on her authentic empathy and relatability. Her influence extended across New Zealand and internationally. Operating largely in a supportive, transformational mode, Ardern’s leadership facilitated cohesion and trust. Her success in enacting social change is widely recognized, attributed to her authentic communication and adaptive style.

Unsuccessful Change Agents:

Jeffrey Skilling: Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron, was instrumental in the company’s rise and eventual scandal. His biography includes rapid ascension through the corporate ranks, largely driven by authoritative power from his managerial position and expert power based on his technical knowledge. However, his operational mode focused on aggressive strategies and risk-taking, which ultimately contributed to unethical practices. His leadership failed as a change agent because the change initiatives were short-sighted, ethically questionable, and lacked stakeholder consideration. The collapse of Enron exemplifies unsuccessful change leadership, with ethical lapses and poor stakeholder engagement as core issues.

Elizabeth Holmes: Founder and former CEO of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes aimed to revolutionize blood testing technology. Her rise was fueled by charismatic authority and a vision of innovation that captivated investors and media. However, her leadership lacked authentic transparency and ethical grounding. Holmes operated in a mode of inspiring innovation without sufficient integrity or compliance. Her leadership failed as a change agent because of widespread deception, leading to legal consequences and the dissolution of her company. Holmes’s failure was predictable given her lack of transparency and ethical oversight.

Analysis of Leadership Factors

Bases of Power and Influence:

Nelson Mandela’s power was rooted in expert and referent power, gained through moral authority, sacrifice, and personal integrity. Jacinda Ardern’s legitimacy and referent power were based on her authentic empathy and transparent leadership style. Both leaders’ influence was extensive due to their moral stature and ability to inspire trust. Conversely, Jeffrey Skilling’s authoritative and expert power was solely based on his technical expertise and managerial authority, but lacked moral legitimacy, which undermined his influence during crises. Elizabeth Holmes’s charismatic authority was initially compelling but lacked genuine expertise or transparency, ultimately eroding her influence when deception was uncovered.

Position and Context as Change Agents:

Mandela served as a change agent during South Africa’s transition from apartheid, a period marked by intense social unrest and a need for reconciliation. Ardern became a change agent during crises requiring empathy and decisive social policy changes. Skilling’s opportunity arose in the wake of technological innovation and corporate expansion, but his approach was ethically questionable. Holmes sought to revolutionize health technology amid a climate eager for innovation, but lacked credible technological proof and ethical standards.

Operational Modes:

Mandela operated in transformational and moral persuasion modes, inspiring collective action and social justice. Ardern employed supportive and transformational modes, fostering trust and social cohesion. Skilling’s mode was authoritative and risk-driven, often working in a top-down, aggressive manner. Holmes operated in a visionary and inspiring mode, but lacked the transparency necessary for ethical influence.

Success and Failure as Change Agents:

Mandela’s success stemmed from moral authority, ethical consistency, and inclusive leadership. Ardern’s success was driven by authenticity, adaptability, and empathetic communication. Skilling’s failure was due to unethical practices, lack of stakeholder engagement, and short-term focus. Holmes’s failure resulted from deception, ethical lapses, and a detachment from technological realities.

Predictive Factors of Success or Failure:

Three key factors that could have predicted success or failure include: (1) ethical integrity and transparency, (2) authentic moral and relational power, and (3) adaptability to changing socio-political contexts. Leaders with strong ethical grounding like Mandela and Ardern demonstrated potential for long-term success, whereas Skilling and Holmes’s ethical lapses and lack of authentic power foretold their failures.

Conclusion

Leadership as a change agent involves complex interactions of power, positioning, operational style, and ethical considerations. Successful change leaders like Mandela and Ardern exemplify authentic, transformative, and morally grounded leadership, whereas unsuccessful leaders like Skilling and Holmes demonstrate the risks associated with unethical practices and superficial influence. Recognizing the predictive factors of success can guide organizations in developing effective leaders capable of managing change ethically and sustainably.

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