Transformational Leadership’s Role in Change Management: A Quantitative Regression Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine transformational leadership’s role in the change management process at pharmaceutical organizations adopting hierarchical structures. The focus was to make sound practitioner-oriented change management inferences that could be useful in implementing and executing organizational change that reduce resistance to change. The data collection instruments were adaptations with permission from the authors of the transformational Leadership Scale (LS) MLQ-5X model by Rafferty and Griffin, and the Change Management Change Leadership (CMCL) survey by Holten, Hancock, and Bollingtoft. The Leadership Scale (LS) subdimensions: Change Vision, Inspirational Communication, Intellectual Stimulation, and Supportive Leadership measured transformational leadership. Three variables of change management change leadership were measured: Change Management, Change Leadership, and Change Experience. The sample included 43 leadership employees from different pharmaceutical companies in the United States. Multiple linear regression revealed statistically significant relationships between transformational leadership and change management and change leadership. The study analysis also detected no statistically significant relationship between transformational leadership and change experience. The study also revealed statistically significant relationships between transformational leadership subdimensions: change vision, intellectual stimulation, and supportive leadership. No statistically significant relationships existed between transformational leadership and inspirational communication. Leaders and practitioners may leverage these results to promote change vision, intellectual stimulation, and supportive leadership or change management and change leadership when initiating organizational change.