TY - JOUR

T1 - Leadership Style and the Process of Organisational Change

AU - Holten, Ann-Louise

AU - Brenner, Sten Olof

PY - 2015

Y1 - 2015

N2 - Purpose — This paper aims to identify processes which may contribute to followers’ positivereactions to change. By focusing on the relationship between change antecedents and explicitreactions, we investigate the direct and indirect relationships between leadership styles(transformational and transactional) and followers’ appraisal of change through managerengagement.Design/methodology/approach — Using data from a longitudinal survey among 351 followers intwo Danish organizations, our study tracked the planned implementation of team organization attwo different times. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.Findings — Transformational and transactional leadership styles were positively related to theengagement of managers. Managers’ engagement was associated with followers’ appraisal ofchange. The two leadership styles also had a direct, long-term effect on followers’ change appraisal;positive for transformational leadership and negative for transactional leadership.Practical implications — Our results have potential implications for change management, asfollowers’ change appraisal may be improved by developing managers’ leadership style andengagement.Originality/value — This is the first study to provide longitudinal evidence of the direct andindirect effects of leadership styles on followers’ change appraisal.

AB - Purpose — This paper aims to identify processes which may contribute to followers’ positivereactions to change. By focusing on the relationship between change antecedents and explicitreactions, we investigate the direct and indirect relationships between leadership styles(transformational and transactional) and followers’ appraisal of change through managerengagement.Design/methodology/approach — Using data from a longitudinal survey among 351 followers intwo Danish organizations, our study tracked the planned implementation of team organization attwo different times. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.Findings — Transformational and transactional leadership styles were positively related to theengagement of managers. Managers’ engagement was associated with followers’ appraisal ofchange. The two leadership styles also had a direct, long-term effect on followers’ change appraisal;positive for transformational leadership and negative for transactional leadership.Practical implications — Our results have potential implications for change management, asfollowers’ change appraisal may be improved by developing managers’ leadership style andengagement.Originality/value — This is the first study to provide longitudinal evidence of the direct andindirect effects of leadership styles on followers’ change appraisal.

U2 - 10.1108/LODJ-11-2012-0155

DO - 10.1108/LODJ-11-2012-0155

M3 - Journal article

VL - 36

SP - 2

EP - 16

JO - Leadership and Organization Development Journal

JF - Leadership and Organization Development Journal

SN - 0143-7739

IS - 1

ER -