The Distinctiveness and Stability of Employee Attitudes Toward Change and Their Relationship with Leadership: A Longitudinal Study

We examined state-readiness for change and trait-resistance to change, and assessed the distinctiveness of the two constructs, their stability over a four-to-six-month period, and the capacity for each to be influenced by transformational leadership. Equivalence testing suggested that each construct was measuring a distinct phenomenon. However, neither readiness for a specific change (state-readiness) nor resistance to organizational change in general (trait-resistance) were particularly stable over time (rs = .31, .30). In addition, while transformational leadership was significantly correlated with both state-readiness and trait-resistance at Time 1 (rs = .40, –.24), it was only significantly correlated with state-readiness at Time 2 (r = .34). Transformational leadership at Time 1 had a small predictive relationship with state-readiness several months later at Time 2 (r = .20). However, this predictive relationship was no longer significant after controlling for precursory and contemporaneous employee attitudes toward change. Results are discussed with a particular focus on the management of unplanned change events such as the recent Covid-19 pandemic. The implications of this research for traditional versus emerging leadership ontologies are also explored.

MAD statement

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, where workplaces were required to implement major changes with little advance notice, the stability of employee attitudes toward change has been a critical consideration. The present study suggests that organizations may approach their preparations for future unplanned changes with a degree of optimism. Employee attitudes toward change may be less stable than previously suggested. Our findings revealed that the behaviour of designated leaders had only a small and temporary association with employee attitudes toward change. The study suggests the promise of emerging leadership perspectives that reconceptualize leadership as a collective social process driven by all employees during times of significant change.