Neil Varma of New York is a financial industry professional and former military finance manager. In the following article, Neil Varma delves deep into the intricate interplay between these two domains, illuminating the distinct roles they play and the powerful synergies they create.
As creatures of habit, humans often view change as a negative occurrence, but it’s happening at an ever-increasing pace, complexity, and volume, especially in businesses. Even though it certainly can be chaotic, the best leaders put every effort into ensure it happens to prevent stagnation and grow their companies.
Some leaders are more adept at navigating organizational and procedural changes, boasting a unique ability to guide others through potentially uncomfortable times. But many have the power to be effective leaders — by following change leadership and change management concepts. Despite widespread belief, these are not interchangeable terms; they are simply interlinked.
Neil Varma of New York says that both practices are used in business and many leaders switch between the two. However, experts note that understanding the differences is essential. After all, there is a fundamental distinction between “leadership” and “management,” regardless of the specific type upheld by an individual.
Neil Varma Explains Change
Change leadership is the ability to leverage people power, inspiring and motivating teams to craft a sense of urgency and influence them to take action toward long-term, large-scale, sustainable organizational transformation.
Neil Varma of New York explains that this proactive approach focuses on shifting the entire company by looking at big visions and preparing people to respond with resilience, agility, and open mindedness during periods of disruption. It’s a people-centric method that considers how changes affect the humans employed by the business, cultivating emotional and social intelligence alongside prioritizing areas that can contribute to massive, positive change.
Understanding Change Management
Neil Varma of New York also notes that change management, on the other hand, is considered a reactionary, linear process, with one goal in mind and preset checkpoints. Defined by self-proclaimed change managers and implemented by many individuals, it’s an intermittent project that addresses a couple of big-ticket things, like adding a new IT system or restructuring the company.
As any professional knows, change is rarely that straightforward. However, this management approach utilizes knowledge, mechanisms, and tools to address it systematically, preparing and supporting individuals to cope with the change.
Its overall aim is to mitigate negative consequences for a smooth-as-possible transition. Characterized by a leadership hierarchy, experts note it’s an effective strategy when introducing new product lines, integrating new technology, or upgrading processes.
The Key Differences Between Change Leadership and Change Management
Neil Varma of New York notes that the major difference lies in a simple statement — change management has a start and a finish, while change leadership moves beyond particular projects and focuses on the wider organizational picture. The former is used during the next project; the latter lays the change logs, ignites them, and uses the flames to achieve grandiose things.
Instead of fearing change, change leadership welcomes and embraces it. The minute organizations shift to this way of thinking, motivation rises and groups start proactively moving toward a brighter future.
Neil Varma of New York says that on the other hand, change management is typically reactive. It’s well-documented that leaders who use this form of management often wait too long to act. Thus, the change occurs in a crisis situation, costing more money and limiting the chances of people acting positively toward it.
At its core, change management attempts to answer the question: how can the organization achieve this change? Change leadership defines what sort of change the company wants. Breakthroughs don’t exist without the leadership side of the change coin.
Distinctions Within Core Concepts
The core concepts of both change leadership and management outline the differences further, allowing interested parties to dig down into the true impacts of each one.
Neil Varma of New York says that as for change leadership, it has culture at its core, while still challenging the status quo and defining the vision. It offers an opportunity for individuals (and the organization as a whole) to change and ensures a robust network of support is involved to aid people on the sometimes-uncomfortable journey.
Change management’s core concepts rest on the specific project, with discrete yet known beginnings and endings. It aims to appeal to the rational and emotional sides of individuals; however, it remains a reactionary proceeding.
Change Leadership vs Change Management: The Linked Yet Non-Interchangeable Concepts
Neil Varma of New York says that despite the similar terms, they’re different concepts. However, they both have a distinct place in the business world, letting leaders incite company-wide changes and ensure particular projects go off without a hitch.
