Leading Strategic Change in Organizations Today

The world is on the move in many aspects of life as it has always been. However, today we face unprecedented changes. Changing circumstances have always called for change management interventions. The need for effectiveness in managing change requires the role of strategic leadership which promises to be dynamic and futuristic in nature. Among the key dynamics in the world today is unprecedented changes in the political, economic, social-cultural, technological and legal environments of organizations and those of Nation states and countries. For example, the impact of Covid-19 and the clamor for much more inclusion of black communities in the affairs of their country in the United States of America, the call for accountability, transparency and democratic practices as well as the adherence to the rule of law in many developing and emerging economies, engender the need for strategic leadership in the management of change among other considerations. Many changes such as increased diseases in the globe such as Covid-19 and Bird flu, global warming and climate change, and changing expectations of the workforce everywhere call for a new way of managing organizations. This chapter presents the theory of strategic change management under changing dynamics. It presents the argument that leading change requires consideration of “engagement” and “inclusion” and hence engaged leadership for better results.