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Chapter 11 - Building Commitment to Organizational Change

The Important Role of Leadership

from Part V - The Process of Change Leadership

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2023

By
John P. Meyer  and
Leonid V. Beletski
Edited by
Shaul Oreg ,
Alexandra Michel  and
Rune Todnem By
Shaul Oreg
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Alexandra Michel
Affiliation:
Universität Heidelberg
Rune Todnem By
Affiliation:
Universitet i Stavanger, Norway
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Summary

Successful organizational change requires the commitment of those charged with its implementation. We focus on the role that organizational leaders play in the development and maintenance of employees’ commitment to organizational change. We review a recent but growing body of research linking leadership to change commitment, beginning with transformational leadership, new genre leadership, change leadership, and change-specific leader behavior. In each case, we examine the link between leadership style/behavior and followers’ commitment to change, the mediating mechanisms (e.g., climate of trust, change self-efficacy) that help to explain the link, and the moderating conditions (magnitude of the change, impact on employees) that influence the strength or direction of the relationship. Evidence suggests that, although leadership at all levels can have an impact, direct managers play a particularly important role in fostering commitment and behavioral support for the change within their units. Organizations are advised to attend to this role in the planning and implementation of change, particularly when the change is likely to have a wide-ranging impact and require commitment at all levels.

Keywords

commitment to organizational changetransformational leaderhsipnew genre leadershipchange leadership
Type
Chapter
Information
The Psychology of Organizational Change
New Insights on the Antecedents and Consequences of Individuals' Responses to Change
 , pp. 237 - 262
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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