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The effect of change leadership on Effect of

change
employee attitudinal support for leadership

planned organizational change

Gechinti Bede Onyeneke and Tomokazu Abe 403
Faculty of Economics and Business, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Received 11 August 2020
Revised 9 December 2020
Abstract 19 January 2021
Accepted 5 February 2021
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how change leadership activities help bring about
employee support for planned organizational change.
Design/methodology/approach – Using a non-experimental quantitative research design, and a self-
administered Likert-type questionnaire survey, the study sourced data from employees in an organization
undergoing significant change. Data analysis was by structural equation modeling (SEM).
Findings – Change leadership behaviors bearing on; visioning, communication, participation, support and
concern for change participants’ interests were found to be of significant importance in ensuring employee buy-
in and support for planned change efforts. Although change leadership had no direct effect on employees’
behavioral intentions to support change, it was strongly related to employee cognitive appraisal of change. The
relationship between change leadership and employee behavioral intentions to support planned change was
serially mediated by employee cognitive appraisal and emotional response toward the planned change event.
Practical implications – In appraising planned organizational change efforts, managers tend to focus on
employee behaviors toward the change instead of conditions that drive such behaviors. This study underscores
the need to focus on employee attitudes as precursors to desired behavior toward change.
Originality/value – Prior research suggests that change leadership behaviors affect employee attitudinal
reactions to change but yet lacked empirical validation. By applying a multidimensional approach to attitude
and investigating its hierarchy of effects, this study enhanced our accuracy in explaining the influence change
leadership has on employee attitudinal support for change.
Keywords Planned organizational change, Change leadership, Support for change, Attitude toward change
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
Business environments are constantly changing, and such changes have implications for the
continued performance and survival of today’s organizations. However, keeping pace with
changes occurring within their environment is often challenging for organizations. When
organizations fail to create continuously adaptive systems and misalignment arises between
organizations and environmental demands, planned organizational change becomes
necessary for organizations to respond to environmental changes (Burke, 2017; Weick, 1999)
Extant literature on planned organizational change suggests a rare experience in the
successful implementation of organizational changes (Beer and Nohria 2000; Hughes and
Ford, 2016). Uncertainties and anxieties for potential threats on employees regarding the
planned changes (Bailey and Raelin, 2015), and lack of cooperation from organizational
members (Piderit, 2000), are recognized as reasons many organizational change efforts fail.
Given that the outcome of organizational change is largely dependent on the actions of its
members, it is imperative to resolve such change-related concerns to encourage employees’
cooperation and support for planned organizational change.
Scholars regard facilitating employee support as a fundamental role of leaders during
organizational change events. Specifically, planned organizational change requires leadership
Journal of Organizational Change
to enable employees’ buy-into and support planned change efforts (Burke, 2017; Stouten et al., Management
2018). Despite the numerous researches suggesting that leaders can help shape employee Vol. 34 No. 2, 2021
pp. 403-415
reactions toward change, a major concern persists regarding whether and how change leaders © Emerald Publishing Limited
0953-4814
can influence employee attitudinal and behavioral support for planned organizational change DOI 10.1108/JOCM-08-2020-0244
JOCM (Oreg and Berson, 2019). Such relationships remain open to quantitative validation, as previous
34,2 studies have been mainly conceptual (Hughes and Ford, 2016).
In this paper, therefore, we sought to understand how and under what conditions change
leadership behaviors (a concept rooted in normative change process models) affect employee
support for change (operationalized as attitudinal reactions toward change). As a
contribution to organizational change and leadership research, this study found a causal
relationship between change leadership and employee support for change and also revealed
404 the hierarchy of effects between employee attitudes that explain their support for planned
change. Our notion of leaders herein encompasses all individuals in positional authority
within an organization, namely, heads of units, divisions, departments, and top-level
managers. Planned organizational change, also referred to as “change” henceforth, implies
deliberate, strategic and goal-oriented change efforts, initiated at the higher levels of the
organization designed to accomplish desired change goals.
In the next section, we briefly outline existing theories and propose hypotheses that
explain how change leadership may serve as a precursor to employee support for planned
organizational change. This is followed by sections on the methods, analysis and results of
the study. Finally, in the discussion section, we discuss the findings of our study and conclude
by calling attention to the limitations of our study.

2. Theoretical background
2.1 Employee attitudinal support for change
Employee support is a sine qua non for the successful implementation of change. For years,
scholars have focused on attitudinal constructs in explaining conditions under which
employees support or resist change (Choi, 2011; Oreg and Berson, 2019; Piderit, 2000). Such
attitudinal constructs weigh in on employee change-related responses, namely, their
cognitive responses, emotional responses and behavioral intentions toward change events.
For example, in explaining cognitive response to change, studies have focused on employee
appraisal and assessment of the essence and value of change, such as employees’ opinions or
convictions about the appropriateness of, support for, and value of a desired change
(Armenakis et al., 2007), a mindset that binds employees to a course of action toward a
change (Herscovitch and Meyer, 2002), and an employee’s belief of the motives for a specific
change (Stanley et al., 2005). Also, to explain emotional responses, prior studies have focused
on employees’ feelings regarding pleasantness of the change (Bartunek et al., 2006), change-
related stress, anxiety and fear (Smollan, 2015), anger and frustration (Kiefer 2005). Finally,
researchers have also studied behavioral responses to change, such as employees’ behavioral
intentions to support or resist the change (Stanley et al., 2005; Szabla, 2007), and their
willingness to support change (Wanberg and Banas, 2000). Others focused on overt behaviors
such as employees’ inquiry for information and feedback regarding a change (Ashford, 1988),
active participation with regards to change (Coyle-Shapiro, 1999), compliance, cooperation
and championing behaviors in response to change (Herscovitch and Meyer, 2002) and
application of change (Jones et al., 2005).
For every change event, employees experience such cognitive, emotional and intentional
attitudinal responses which become part of their decision processes on whether to resist or
support the change effort (Armenakis et al., 2007; Piderit, 2000).
Furthermore, studies suggest plausible causal relationships between these different
dimensions of attitude and also that variation in evaluation along a particular attitudinal
response will cause variations in others (Oreg and Berson, 2019; Piderit, 2000; Valente et al.,
1998). The theory of reasoned action shows that beliefs, in conjunction with attitudes and
intentions, shape individuals’ overt behaviors (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Valente et al.’s
(1998) learning model of behavior change demonstrates a relational ordering between the
dimensions of attitude, whereby cognition precedes emotion, which in turn influences
behavior. The crux of such premises is that individuals first learn about a change and then Effect of
develop feelings toward it, and it is based on these two change-related responses, that they change
develop behavioral intentions to support or resist the change. These understandings lend
credence to a multidimensional approach to examining and understanding employee
leadership
attitudinal support for change.
2.2 Leading organizational change
Several factors may serve as precursors to the aforementioned attitudinal responses to 405
change, including leadership activities during change events, which are recognized as a
significant driver of attitudinal responses toward change (Choi, 2011; Herold et al., 2008; Oreg
and Berson, 2019; Szabla, 2007). In discussing the relevance of leadership within the context
of organizational change, some studies focus on leadership actions that are situation-specific
e.g. change leadership, while others look at leader behaviors that are more stable and
transcend a given organizational context, e.g. transformational leadership (Herold et al., 2008;
Hughes and Ford, 2016).
Although highly overlapped, both concepts have significant contrasting features and
each leadership style may vary in the mechanisms through which they affect employee
reactions to change (Oreg and Berson, 2019). Herold et al. (2008) explain that change
leadership is tactical and focuses on leadership behaviors toward implementing specific
episodic change. Conversely, transformational leadership is strategic, with effects that extend
beyond a particular change situation. Unlike change leadership, it requires a long-term
relationship to be established between leaders and followers through many interactions and
is expected to lead to robust identification with change visions in a broad sense.
Transformational leadership assumes that certain types of leaders will naturally handle
change situations better. In contrast, change leadership assumes that through specific
change-related behaviors, any leader can bring about employee support for planned change
and ultimately achieve positive results.

2.3 Change leadership

Whereas a lot of empirical attention has been paid to transformational leadership, very little
attention has been paid to the role and behaviors of leaders in a change context per se (Higgs
and Rowland, 2011). As an event-based construct, change leadership plays an essential role in
implementing changes that are planned, episodic and top-down oriented. The term “change
leadership” was coined within more recent literature (e.g. Higgs and Rowland, 2005; Herold
et al., 2008), and generally stems from change process literature, which deals with actions
undertaken by change agents toward the implementation of a specific planned change. Much
of change process literature focuses on the roles that managers and change agents have, as
change leaders, and how through a sequential process, change leaders can influence the
implementation and outcome of a change at hand. However, the diverging point of emphasis
from process to leadership-oriented literature was the realization that the successful
implementation of change does not occur through a linear or step-based implementation
process, rather, successful change requires a complex responsive process, thus more
facilitating and engaging models of leadership are preferable (Dumas and Beinecke, 2018;
Higgs and Rowland, 2011).
Building on change process literature, researchers have prescribed leadership behaviors
that facilitate change. These include developing a clear and concise change vision,
encouraging active participation, persuasive communication, mobilizing coalition to support
and promote the change, showing concern for individuals who have trouble with the change,
providing change-related support, evaluating the change implementation and consolidating
the change successes (Armenakis and Bedeian, 1999; Battilana et al., 2010; Caldwell
et al., 2004; Herold et al., 2008; Higgs and Rowland, 2005; Kotter, 1997; Szabla, 2007).
JOCM The aforementioned activities are facilitated by those in change leadership positions (Kotter,
34,2 2011; Herold et al., 2008).

2.4 The relationship between change leadership and employee attitudinal support for change
Most research on leadership behaviors during change processes are based on the
theoretical argument that leaders promote change by engaging followers and shaping their
406 attitudinal responses (Higgs and Rowland, 2011; Oreg and Berson, 2019). Leadership
effectiveness in managing change is negatively related to change recipient skepticism and
stress regarding the change, and positively related to implementation success (Stouten
et al., 2018). Behaviors such as promoting the benefits of the change, justifying the need for
the change, encouraging employee participation in decision-making, fostering
collaboration between employees and decision-makers and empowering employees, are
said to elicit positive attitudinal responses toward change (Szabla, 2007). Change leader’s
communication during change processes is theorized to address subordinate’s change-
related fear, by influencing their affective commitment toward change (Luo et al., 2016).
Employees are more likely to support and champion change when they have a favorable
cognitive framework of the change and believe that change efforts are needed, appropriate
and in their best interest, when they are convinced of their capability to change and that
those in authority are behind the change (Armenakis and Bedeian, 1999). Also, it is through
consultation and participation in a change decision-making process that employees can
appraise these change consequences and explore how they can contribute to the change
effort (Oreg and Berson, 2019).
Drawing from prior studies, this study hypothesizes that employee attitudinal support for
planned change will be a function of change leadership behaviors;
H1a. Change leadership behaviors during a planned change will be positively related to
employee cognitive appraisal of the change.
H1b. Change leadership behaviors during a planned change will be positively related to
employee emotional response toward the change.
H1c. Change leadership behaviors during a planned change will be positively related to
employee behavioral intentions to support change.
Since prior studies suggest some form of causal relationships between the multiple
dimensions of attitude to change (Oreg et al., 2018; Piderit, 2000), it is hard to imagine how
change leadership can lead to supportive change-related behaviors from employees when
their cognitive appraisal and emotional response to the change are negative. To effectively
implement change, change leaders need to assess crucial precursors to employee behavioral
support for change. Armenakis et al. (2007) identified change recipients’ beliefs as a
fundamental precursor to behavior. They also argued the need for leaders to influence and
monitor these beliefs as a way of assessing the progress of change effort. Herscovitch and
Meyer (2002) suggest that a positive “mindset” toward change will positively influence
employee cooperation and support for change. Furthermore, employees’ affective and
emotional experiences during the change process were identified as a direct precursor to
behavioral responses to change efforts (Huy, 2002). It is no surprise that employee support for
change depends on changing employee perceptions and emotions about the change event,
given that behaviors are cognitively and emotionally driven. From the foregoing, this study
further hypothesizes a relational ordering of attitude where;
H2. Employee cognition and emotion toward a change serially mediates the relationship
between change leadership and employee behavioral intentions toward a planned
change.
3. Method Effect of
3.1 Research site, sample and procedure change
A research site currently experiencing change, such that its employees could easily reflect on
the leadership activities and describe their attitudes toward the change event motivated our
leadership
site selection. The Federal Ministry of Education (FME), Nigeria, provided such a site because
it was undergoing significant reform at the time of this study. The change under study was a
“Ministerial Strategic Plan” aimed at strengthening the educational systems and improving
access to, and quality of, education. The change is expected to be implemented over four years 407
(2018–2022). As at the time of this study, the change was in the preparation stage of change
(cf. Norcross et al., 2011); as an action plan toward the change had been established, and few
implementations already underway in the ministry. At this initial stage, intentions to resist or
support the change are expected to be observed. Thus, this sample was appropriate for our
research aim.
Data were collected from employees at the headquarters of the FME. The headquarters
consisted of 1,472 senior staff. This population was chosen for this study because their job
deliverables directly contribute to the actualization of the ministry policies. Change
participants engaged in workshop training to sensitize, monitor and evaluate the program.
To achieve accurate sampling according to the demographic requirements of the study, we
employed the aid of a Deputy Director in the ministry, who provided access and support for
the study. The decision to participate in the survey was voluntary. A total of 500
questionnaire surveys were randomly distributed on-site. Overall, 258 surveys were returned,
given a response rate of 51.6%. Upon screening the cases, 46 respondents were deleted due to
more than 20% missing values (Hair et al., 2014), leaving 212 complete and valid cases. Of the
212 respondents, 58% were females, 85% were principal staff, while 15% were support staff.
The average service tenure of all respondents was 17 years (SD 5 9.947), and 75% believed
the change had a direct impact on their job in the organization.

3.2 Instrumentation
3.2.1 Change leadership. Change leadership was measured using Herold et al.’s (2008) change
leadership scale. This scale includes seven items covering what leaders do to effectively
implement a given change. Employee perceptions of leadership activities were rated on a five-
point Likert scale.
3.2.2 Support for change. Employee support for change was operationalized as three
dependent variables (cognitive appraisal, emotional response and behavioral intentions).
They were measured using an adaptation of Piderit (1999)’s reaction to change scale. Some
items are overlapped, thus, in this paper, reverse items were deleted and only positively
worded questions that captured the respondent’s perception regarding his/her attitudinal
reactions toward the planned change were included. Respondents were asked to rate the
extent to which they agreed with each item on a five-point scale. Further details of both
measures are given in an Appendix.

4. Data analysis
The analysis method applied in this study was structural equation modeling (SEM). After
data collection, the measures were first subjected to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using
Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS), to evaluate the data-model fit, reliability and validity
of latent variables. A four-factor CFA model was specified in line with the study variables,
and without the hypothesized relationships among them. The CFA model had a chi-square
value of 379.267 with 224 degrees of freedom, and a significant p-value of 0.00. Given the
sample size, and the number of observed variables (23 items), a significant p-value was
expected (Hair et al., 2014). A close examination of absolute and incremental fit indices
JOCM indicated that the model had a good fit; CMIN/DF 5 1.693, CFI 5 0.964, TLI 5 0.959,
34,2 SRMR 5 0.041, RMSEA 5 0.057. The reliability estimates (CR) of all factors were above 0.7,
indicating adequate reliability. The model also demonstrated sufficient convergent validity,
given that all standardized loading estimates were above the recommended minimum
threshold of 0.5, with most loadings averaging at 0.8 or higher, and the average variance
extracted (AVE) of all factors being above 0.5. A comparison of the square root of the AVE to
all inter-factor correlations indicated adequate discriminant validity because the square root
408 of AVE for each factor was greater than all inter-factor correlations (Hair et al., 2014). The
result of the analysis is summarized in Table 1. Finally, we checked for common method bias
in the CFA model using Podsakoff et al.’s (2003) unmeasured latent method factor test. A
comparison between the standardized regression rates of the CFA model with and without
the common latent factor (CLF) indicated that none of the regression weights were
substantially affected by the CLF (the differences were all less than 0.1), indicating that
common method bias did not affect the results.
To test the research hypotheses using SEM, we imputed data for the structural model and
specified hypothesized paths between constructs based on the study model. This structural
model had a chi-square value of 379.276 with 225 degrees of freedom, and a significant
p-value of 0.00. The model had a normed chi-square of 1.686, CFI of 0.964, RMSEA of 0.057,
and SRMR of 0.043, all of which are within the range associated with a good fit (Hair et al.,
2014). The validity of the structural model was assessed by comparing the fit indices of the
structural model to that of the CFA model. The result demonstrated adequate validity, given
that both fit indices were virtually the same, with no significant difference.

5. Results
Hypotheses 1 was tested by examining the coefficients and p-values of each regression path
between factors. Of the three hypothesized direct effects from change leadership to employee
attitudinal reactions to change, only the path from change leadership behaviors to employee
cognitive appraisal (H1a) was statistically significant at p < 0.001. The paths from change
leadership to emotion response (H1b), and change leadership to intentions to support change
(H1c), were not statistically significant. Table 2 gives a summary of direct effect results.

CR AVE MSV MaxR(H) COG CLB BEH EMO

COG 0.947 0.719 0.428 0.958 0.848

CLB 0.887 0.530 0.399 0.892 0.631*** 0.728
BEH 0.877 0.589 0.397 0.890 0.456*** 0.403*** 0.768
EMO 0.980 0.925 0.428 0.983 0.654*** 0.486*** 0.630*** 0.962
Table 1. Note(s): Change leadership behaviors (CLB), cognitive appraisals (COG), emotional response (EMO),
Validity, reliability and behavioral intentions (BEH), composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), maximum
latent factor shared variance (MSV), maximum reliability (MaxR(H)); ***p < 0.001, Statistics in italic represent square root
correlations of respective AVEs

No. Direct effects Coefficients S.E CR P Conclusion

Table 2.
Summary of H1a Change leadership – > Cognitive appraisal 0.632 0.128 8.614 0.001 Supported
hypothesized direct H1b Change leadership – > Emotional response 0.122 0.128 1.590 0.112 Rejected
effects H1c Change leadership – > Behavioral intentions 0.127 0.069 1.735 0.083 Rejected
 Hypothesis 2 was tested using “PROCESS” (5,000 bootstrap iterations). We tested for a Effect of
sequential indirect relationship between change leadership and employee intentions to change
support the planned change. The results indicated that employee cognitive and emotional
reactions to change serially mediated the relationship between change leadership and
leadership
employee intentions to support planned change. This mediation test was statistically
significant, evident in the fact that “0” falls outside the range between the lower limit
confidence interval (0.137) and the upper limit of confidence interval (0.332). Table 3 shows a
summary of the mediation results. 409
A summary of the structural model results is presented in Figure 1.

6. Discussion and conclusion

The general goal of this study was to examine the effect change leadership behaviors might
have on employees’ attitudinal reactions to change and to explain the overall process through
which employee support for planned change is formed. In doing so, we applied change
leadership measures (Herold et al., 2008) to predict employee attitudinal reactions to change
(Piderit, 1999). We further extended the study by examining the relational ordering of
employee attitudes toward change using a learning model of behavior change (Valente et al.,
1998). This study yielded two essential findings.
First, the verification of hypothesis 1a shows that the primary target of change-related
leadership behaviors during planned change events is to influence change participant’s
cognitions of the change at hand; it mainly affects employee reactions to change by
emphasizing the value of change (Oreg and Berson, 2019). This finding is consistent with
prior studies that found change leadership behaviors (change-selling behaviors) to be
significantly related to affective commitment to change; a construct assessing employee
mindsets toward a change event (Herold et al., 2008; Liu, 2010). The significant direct effect of

Indirect Upper Lower

No Serial mediation effect limit limit Conclusion
Table 3.
H2 Change leadership – > Cognitive appraisal 0.228 0.332 0.137 Supported (Serial Summary of
– > Emotional response – > Behavioral mediation) hypothesized
intentions mediation

Figure 1.
Structural model
results (SEM)
JOCM change leadership on employee cognitive appraisal also underpins the claim that change
34,2 recipients are guided by reason and will adopt a change if the change is logically justified to
them (Szabla, 2007). Furthermore, it also concurs with prior studies that had shown that an
individual’s attitude toward an event is learned and cognitively driven and often results from
the number of persuasive messages the individual is exposed to (Greenwald, 1968).
Contrary to the expectations, the study could not verify Hypotheses 1b and 1c. We assume
this is because change leadership is first and foremost, a persuasive and promotive process,
410 through which change agents build the understanding of a change event. Change leadership
behaviors are characterized as mostly enabling behaviors through which leaders provide a
structure that guides followers’ sensemaking of change (Higgs and Rowland, 2011). This
could explain why change leadership directly influenced change participants’ cognitions of
change rather than their emotional or behavioral reactions. Although several qualitative
research has argued that change leadership behaviors may affect follower’s emotional
response to change, very few empirical studies have tested such mechanisms. (Oreg and
Berson, 2019). Also, studies show that change leadership requires both task and people-
oriented behaviors (Battilana et al., 2010; Stouten et al., 2018). The change leadership
behaviors explored in this study were somewhat task-oriented in that the behaviors were
mostly centered on the practical significance of the change. A significant amount of people-
oriented behaviors, such as paying attention to subordinates’ emotional needs and
encouraging subordinates to express a wider range of emotions (Huy, 2002), may be
required to elicit favorable responses beyond cognition. This might explain why studies look
to broader leadership conceptualizations (e.g. transformational leadership) or a combination
of both (transformational and change leadership) to explain leadership effect on employee
reactions to change. Given this understanding, we suppose that a more comprehensive
sampling of change leadership behaviors may better reveal such relationships.
Second, this study showed that change leadership affects other dimensions of employee
attitude toward change by influencing their cognitive appraisal of the change. By treating
employee support for change as a multidimensional attitudinal construct, this study revealed
how change leadership ultimately engenders employees’ intention to support planned
change. This “intention” dimension of attitude is considered important because of its
tendency to directly predict how people act or behave in response to change (Piderit, 2000).
The results affirm that employees’ cognitive appraisal and emotional response serially
mediates the relationship between change leadership and employees’ intentions to support
planned change (H2). Change leadership helped shape employees’ beliefs and understanding
of the proposed change, which, in turn, influenced their emotional response toward the
change, and employees’ emotional response toward the change ultimately influenced their
intentions to support or resist the change. These findings are consistent with other change
literature, which suggests that change recipient’s appraisal of change events is shaped by
change contexts and processes and that such appraisals will exert influence on their affective
and behavioral response to the change (Oreg et al., 2018).

6.1 Research implications

This study is believed to have made several significant contributions to research. First, it has
responded to Herold et al.’s (2008) call to examine the possible influence various types of
leadership behaviors have on change participants’ reactions to change. The effect of
transformational leadership is well-established in the leadership literature. However,
research has paid only limited attention to change-related leadership contributions to
reactions to change. Hence, this study contributes to research by empirically validating the
relevance of change leadership in influencing employee cognitive response to change. This
also lends support to change leadership as proposed by research-oriented scholars (Herold Effect of
et al., 2008) and the normative process models of change leadership as proposed by practice- change
oriented studies (Kotter, 2011). Furthermore, exploring employee support for change in the
form of attitudinal dimensions allowed us to uncover the empirical link between change
leadership
leadership and employee behavioral intentions to support change. Unearthing this
relationship brings related researches a step closer to predicting overt employee behaviors
toward change. Finally, the correlation between the three employee attitudinal reactions
toward change suggests the possibility of bridging the silos that characterize the study of 411
attitude-related issues in change. We show that a combination of isolated attitudinal concepts
can, in research, prove a better way to study people’s experiences of change.
Managerially, the findings of this research present relevant information that can help in
the planning, implementation and adoption of change. The study shows practitioners,
managers and change agents the salient role of employee attitudinal reactions (especially
their cognitive appraisal of a proposed change) in building support for a planned change
initiative. For a successful implementation of change, concerns of employees should be taken
seriously, since it is through their cooperation and actions that organizations can bring about
the needed change. When reviewing and evaluating organizational efforts toward
implementing a planned change, there is a tendency for managers to emphasize employee
behaviors toward change instead of the conditions that drive such behaviors. This study
shows change agents the need to focus on employee attitudinal reactions as precursors to
such desired behavior toward change.

6.2 Limitations and recommendations

This study has certain limitations under which the findings must be interpreted carefully.
First of all, the study was conducted within a single organization (with multiple departments)
and, as such, might raise concerns about the scalability and applicability of the results and
findings. Specifically, we presume the susceptibility of our findings to cultural factors unique
to the study sample. More multi-organizational studies would prove beneficial to this study.
Second, the study was cross-sectional, as it examined employee attitudinal reactions at a
specific point in time within the change implementation process. Given that employee
attitudes to change may evolve over time, paying attention to this evolution might yield
insights about how to better manage change initiatives successfully. The study also could not
investigate possible effects on overt behavioral reactions, given that it was carried out during
the early stage of change implementation. Future studies may consider a longitudinal study
design and investigate employee support for change at several stages in the change
implementation continuum.
Finally, one could argue that the variable predicting employee support for change was not
all-encompassing and that the observed hierarchy of effect over-simplifies the highly
complex nature of employee attitude to change, given that attitude can be ordered in multiple
ways (Valente et al., 1998). Future studies might consider including other leadership styles,
e.g. transformational leadership when investigating change leadership effect on employee
attitudinal reactions to change, as such combinations may reveal a more holistic influence on
employee attitudes toward change.

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Appendix

Study measures

Change leadership behaviors (CLB)

CLB_1. Developed a clear vision for what was going to be achieved by our department.
CLB_2. Made it clear to those in our department why the MSP was necessary.
CLB_3. Made a case for the urgency of the MSP prior to implementation.
CLB_4. Built a broad coalition up front to support the MSP.
CLB_5. Empowered people to implement the MSP.
CLB_6. Carefully monitored and communicated progress of the MSP implementation.
CLB_7. Gave individual attention to those who had trouble with the implementation of the MSP.

Attitudinal support for change

Cognitive appraisal (COG)

COG_1. I care about how this MSP will affect my daily work
COG_2. I care about how this MSP will affect this department as a whole
COG_3. This MSP seems likely to improve my satisfaction with my job
COG_4. This MSP will probably improve the way this department works
COG_5. It is important to me that MSP is implemented
COG_6. This MSP makes it more likely that I will continue working here
COG_7. I can see the potential advantages of this MSP

Emotional response (EMO)

EMO_1. When I think about this MSP, I feel happy
EMO_2. When I think about this MSP, I feel excited
 EMO_3. When I think about this MSP, I feel relieved Effect of
EMO_4. When I think about this MSP, I feel hopeful change
leadership
Behavioral intentions (BEH)
BEH_1. How strongly do you intend to suggest ways in which to carry out this MSP?
BEH_2. How strongly do you intend to encourage others to make this MSP effective? 415
BEH_3. How strongly do you intend to help make sure this MSP is effective?
BEH_4. How strongly do you intend to speak up about the advantages of this MSP?
BEH_5. How strongly do you intend to support the implementation of this MSP?
Note(s): MSP stands for “Ministerial Strategic Plan”; this was the particular change investigated in this
study

Corresponding author
Gechinti Bede Onyeneke can be contacted at: [email protected]

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