Does leadership style matter in change management success? Employee performance as a proxy of effective change / Kee Swee Lin ... [et al.]

Past researchers have indicated that an effective change requires influencing
employees positively and accomplishing group objectives. Managing change
effectively in an organization is dependent on various factors and one of them
is leadership style. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the change
effectiveness' dependence on leadership style. Data collected using a structured
questionnaire showed that leadership style does influence effectiveness of
change although out of the 3 styles used only one; participative leadership
style was a significant predictor of success. The paper outlines a clear link
between various leadership styles and the success of change management.
Furthermore this paper identifies a major new source of strategic leadership
value added in the companies' attention to creating processes and encouraging
efforts for change management. Implications of the findings, potential limitations
of the study, and directions for future research are suggested.