Planned intervention and organisational development: the role of leadership in change initiatives

Abstract

Every system - organisation or human being - has the tendency of striving to change for the better. Although the process can be planned or unplanned, it involves continuous adjustment to a new environment. This paper focuses on the role of leadership in planned change initiatives and the interventions that make them possible. It will also discuss some pertinent theories of change. It has been noted by some change experts that ‘guiding change may be the ultimate test of a leader as no business survives over a long term if it can't reinvent itself.’ This is because the success or failure of any organisational change hinges on the skills and capability of the leadership to implement the process as well as the support of the major stakeholders. It is therefore incumbent upon the leaders of organisations to surround themselves with honest and committed team players to enable them to navigate their organisations successfully through a planned change process.