A631.6.4.RB Transformational Strategies

I really enjoyed looking at transformational leadership from two leadership styles videos that couldn’t be more different.  In the Gallery Furniture video, Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale faces a situation in which cultural change was required due to internal and external situations.  Some of the changes included a shift in employee demographics.  At the same time, the local economy was having a direct negative impact on business profits, and the company experienced a devastating warehouse fire that was a blow to overall operations.  On the flip side, General McChrystal in his Ted Talks video called “Listen, Learn ….Then Lead” shares his leadership and how he had to change due to technology, global separation, and changing demographics in the Army. 

The common theme for both leaders is that they both highlighted leadership techniques that were examined in the course textbook; Experiential Approach to Organization Development.  However, how the techniques were applied and executed were different.  Jim McIngvale realized that his organization was in a desperate survival situation and needed an infusion of change to stay competitive and profitable.  His techniques were similar to that in the textbook.  He addressed the strategy culture matrix in which he analyzed several factors: (1) declining employee performance, (2) how to build on their strengths and (3) how to address their weaknesses to better benefit the individual and the organization.  His use of the transformational change process allowed him to get to the root cause of his companies failures.  He focused on various forms of training to include making contact with employees and helping them become more computer literate.  From the video, it would seem that the efforts were a good investment for Gallery Furniture.

General McChrystal had a totally different environment that he had to address.  I can personally relate to what the general was talking about because I spent 20 years in the military during the same timeframe.  He discusses the importance of understanding the changes in the way people communicate and how he (the leader) had to relearn how to communicate on different levels with today’s technology.  Gone were the days of looking subordinate leaders directly in their eyes to gage their confidence and understanding.  As he stated, “I had to learn to use video teleconferences, I've got to use chat, I've got to use email, I've got to use phone calls -- I've got to use everything I can, not just for communication, but for leadership” (McChrystal, TedTalks, 2011).

Both McIngvale and McChrystal discussed the importance of the ever changing environment and culture (the leaders, location, and mission) when considering making organizational changes. The correlation in both videos showed how leaders can make changes for the better during transformational change; even when utilizing different techniques. 

Brown, D.R. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development (8th ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

http://www.vitalsmarts.com/casestudies/gallery-furniture/

http://www.ted.com/talks/stanley_mcchrystal.html