THE EFFECTS OF CHANGE LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS: LINKING TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE AND RED TAPE
Joris van der VoetNIG conference28th November 2013
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CHANGE LEADERSHIP Two common assertions in change
management literature:1. Successful change is difficult to achieve2. Leadership is crucial for organizational
change
‘Heroic’ perspective on change leadership
There is little evidence concerning the actual effects of leadership, especially in the public sector
The effects of change leadership are likely to be dependent on the public sector context: Public organizations are arguably bureaucratic
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THE EFFECTS OF CHANGE LEADERSHIP
Commitment to change
Quality of change
communication
Degree of participation
Articulate a change visionStress the urgency of changeBuild a guiding coalitionEmpower employeesMonitor progressGive individual attention
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THE EFFECTS OF CHANGE LEADERSHIPIN A PUBLIC ORGANIZATION
Commitment to change
Quality of change
communication
Degree of participation
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CONCEPTUAL MODEL
Commitment to change
Quality of change
communication
Degree of participation
Red tape
Transformational leadership style
Change leadership
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DESIGN AND METHODS Case: Separation of the City Works
Department of the Dutch city Rotterdam
Online questionnaire: 515 respondents (35,5%) Measures of employee perceptions concerning
the leadership of their direct supervisor
Analysis: Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS 18
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RESULTSQuality of change communication
Degree of participation
Affective commitment to
changeChange leadership
.487***(.036)
.377***(.041)
.252***(.041)
Transformational leadership style
n.s. n.s. n.s.
Red tape -.102**(.033)
n.s. n.s.
Change leadership * Red tape
n.s. -.084**(.028)
n.s.
Change leadership * Transformational leadership style
n.s. .094**(.028)
.088**(.029)
R-square .43 .33 .33
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RETURNING TO THE HYPOTHESES H1: Supported
Change leadership is positively related to commitment to change, communication & participation
H2: (Partly) supported Red tape mitigates the positive
relationship between change leadership and participation
H3: (Partly) supported A transformational leadership style
strengthens the effect of change leadership on participation and commitment to change
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CONCLUSIONS / CONTRIBUTION1. Change leadership may positively stimulate the
implementation of change
but the public sector context matters!
2. Red tape makes it more difficult for change leaders to stimulate participation during change
3. Leadership styles may affect the effectiveness of change leadership
transformational leaders may be especially effective change leaders
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Thank you for listening!
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