Leadership Support and Organizational Change Readiness: Evidence from an Employee Engagement Survey in Knowledge-Based Organizations
Keywords:
Organizational Behavior, Change Adaptability, Survey-Based Research, Leadership Support, Organizational Change ReadinessAbstract
The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between leadership support and readiness for change in a knowledge-based organization. In particular, it explores the impact of leadership-related variables (such as fairness, feedback, and employee inclusion) on employees' readiness to embrace and support change in the workplace. This study used a quantitative cross-sectional research design with secondary data obtained from an employee engagement survey. The sample consisted of 321 employees from a knowledge-based organization over two years (2022-2023). A five-point Likert scale was used to measure variables. Leadership support was the independent variable, and readiness for change was measured using surrogate indicators. Descriptive statistics, reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) measures, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data. The findings suggest that employees felt that leadership was supportive, change was necessary, and they were ready to change. There was a significant positive relationship between leadership support and change readiness (r = 0.617, p < 0.001). Fairness in evaluation (β = 0.3502, p < 0.001), and employee opinion consideration (β = 0.2972, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of change readiness, accounting for 46.5% of variance in regression analysis. Comparisons across 2022 and 2023 indicated no significant difference in perceptions. The results suggest that transparent, fair and participatory leadership approaches play a crucial role in building change readiness. Companies should focus on communication, employee participation, and equitable assessment practices to boost flexibility. This research offers empirical insights into the association between leadership support and organizational change readiness based on engagement data, bridging the gap in both change and engagement research.
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