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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 11
Publication Date: November 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.811.11269. Freeman, H., Barnes, L., & Long, W. (2021). Leading Change Without Formal Authority: The ICC Model for the 21st Century.
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(11). 335-351.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Leading Change Without Formal Authority: The ICC Model for the
21st Century
Freeman H.
Avondale University, 582 Freemans Drive
Cooranbong NSW 2265 Australia
Barnes L.
Avondale University, 582 Freemans Drive
Cooranbong NSW 2265 Australia
LongW.
Avondale University, 582 Freemans Drive
Cooranbong NSW 2265 Australia
ABSTRACT
Change seems to be a constant feature of the 21st century workplace. Successful
organisations embrace change and make sure the personnel are valued, and that
they remain engaged and motivated. Employers do not require to formally be in
charge of a group of people to be called leader, but demonstrating leadership is an
important feature for employees at every level of an organization. Women face a
diverse range of difficulties in today’s workplace, and therefore this study aims to
focus on the phenomenon of leading change without formal authority and develop
a model for women to bring about change within their working climate. This
conceptual research aims to identify novel connections between the concepts of
leadership and feminism and in consideration of the features of the 21st century
workplace. Reviewing the relevant literature particularly around the leadership
qualities (drive, motivation, honesty, self-confidence, cognitive ability, and
knowledge of the business) this study proposes dedication, political skill and
sincerity as qualities of leadership without formal authority. Since, male and female
personalities appear to be different in a number of aspects, the basic five
personality qualities (known as the Big Five) are reviewed: neuroticism,
extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Reviewing models
of change as well as females’ qualities, this study suggests a model for leading
change without formal authority including Identifying gaps, Connecting with
emotions, and Committing to change (ICC model).
Key Words: ICC Model, Informal Authority, Leadership.
LEADING CHANGE WITHOUT FORMAL AUTHORITY: A MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
“We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be
humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational,
and so disciplined they can be free.”
– Ramdas (2020, p. II)
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 11, November-2021
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
The 21st century workplace is changing significantly (Karoly & Panis, 2004; Ware & Grantham,
2003), and change seems to be a constant feature of the work environment. Although change
and uncertainty create an opportunity to improve the status quo, it requires a deeper
understanding to be able to cope and still be productive. During the time of change and
uncertainty, organizations are successful if they are able to embrace change and make sure the
personnel are heard, understood and valued, and that they remain engaged, motivated, and
productive (Knight, 2020).
This study will look at the current literature around the features of the working environment
in the 21st century, seeking to explore the essential principles of today’s workplace; and analyse
and identify the strengths of women in today’s workplace. The primary focus of this study is on
the phenomenon of leading change with no formal authority, aiming to provide a model for
women to bring about change in their working environment.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This study will be conceptual research, which builds on prior conceptual and empirical
leadership research. Following the notion of a ‘model’ as conceptual research designed by
Jaakkola (2020), this study aims to identify novel connections between the concepts of
leadership and feminism and in consideration of the features of the 21st century workplace. As
a result, this research will develop a theoretical proposition that introduces a new relationship
between these factors. To achieve this, the relevant literature will be reported to address the
key elements of leadership, particularly leadership without formal authority, female qualities
and leading change ().
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework
The ultimate goal of the research is to develop a model that explains the relationships between
these variables in order for women to be effective leaders even without formal authorities at
the workplace.
Review of the Relevant Literature
This study aims to research literature that outlines key variables associated with leadership
without formal authority and female characteristics. Therefore, the review of literature will
focus on three major areas: leadership, feminism, and 21st century workplace features.
Leading
Change
Leadership
without authority Female qualities
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Freeman, H., Barnes, L., & Long, W. (2021). Leading Change Without Formal Authority: The ICC Model for the 21st Century. Advances in Social
Sciences Research Journal, 8(11). 335-351.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.811.11269
The Concept of Leadership
The term leadership refers to leading a group of people or leading an organisation; and leading
a group or an organisation is used to attain power, authority and control (Yukl & Gardner,
2019). As Irving and Strauss (2019) explained, in the past, leadership involved actions in order
to “convince, cajole, coerce, or compel others to do your bidding” (p. 5) . However today,
cajoling, coercing, or compelling have no place in leading others, and leadership is all about
influence, “nothing more, nothing less” (Maxwell, 1998, p. 3). It is defined as “a process that
involves influence with a group of people toward the realisation of goals” (Amanchukwu et al.,
2015, p. 7) where developing vision, aligning people with that vision, motivation, inspiration,
and making change are demonstrated in leadership (Kotter, 1999).
The term leadership has been used in different disciplines whereas it carries unnecessary
connotations that create ambiguity of implication (Yukl & Gardner, 2019). For instance,
management and leadership are usually used interchangeably to mean one and the same
concept. The next section discusses the distinctions between leadership and management.
Leadership qualities
Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) discuss traits such as drive, motivation, honesty, self-confidence,
cognitive ability, and knowledge of the business are precondition characteristics which
significantly contribute to leaders’ achievement. The next six subsections briefly introduce each
of these qualities.
Drive
In the field of psychology, the concept of drive refers to the need of an individual which
motivates his/her towards a set of actions to achieve a sense of satisfaction (Heinrich &
Spielberger, 1982; Tsolas & Anzieu-Premmereur, 2017). Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) describe
drive as a set of motives and traits reflecting a high desire. Factors such as achievement,
ambition, energy, tenacity and initiative are other aspects of drive.
Motivation
As Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) argue, for an individual, just being achievement-oriented,
ambitious, energetic, tenacious, and proactive would not be enough to be a leader, he/she must
have a strong desire to lead and influence others. Motivated leaders inspire a sense of passion
to achieve goals and improve the status quo. Motivation is a personal resource for developing
a sustainable career as a leader (Auvinen et al., 2020).
Honesty and integrity
Stephen Covey argues that "integrity includes but goes beyond honesty. Honesty is telling the
truth - in other words, conforming our words to reality. Integrity is conforming reality to our
words - in other words, keeping promises and fulfilling expectations" (2009, p. 217). Honesty
and integrity both create the basis of a trustworthy and reliable relationship between a leader
and their followers (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991) where “integrity is the correspondence
between word and deed and honesty refers to being trustful or non-deceitful” (p. 53).
Self confidence
The term self-confidence refers to an individual's belief that he/she can successfully achieve a
desired goal (Herbst, 2020). High level of self-confidence not only empowers the leader to