Common-sense philosophy for managing change?

On the one hand, there seems to be those business "leaders" with philosophical approaches that are debasing to others. They call on change managers to help them when they are regularly treating co-workers as if they are cogs in the system's machine, worker-bees, self-interested to the core, and readily expendable when budgets need to be balanced, even if only momentarily. They seek more efficiency from the change effort.

On the other hand, there seems to be those business "leaders" with philosophical approaches that are founded on their personal greatness. They call on change managers to help them when they see themselves as innocent, blameless, god-like, inherently omniscient, the true standard of goodness, deserving of praise, if not idolization, for their depth of humanity. They seek more effectiveness from the change effort.

Is there a common-sense philosophy of change management that can better deal with both extremes of such business "leader" philosophies, other than simple behavior modification with limited duration?

I've posted this on LinkedIn as well. To see what others answered there click here.

What do you think?

John