Changes in commitment to change among leaders in home help services

Area of Science:

• Organizational Behavior
• Change Management
• Leadership Studies

Background:

• Commitment to change in leaders is crucial for successful organizational change implementation.
• Limited research exists on the longitudinal development of leader commitment during change initiatives.
• Understanding this development is key to supporting leaders through transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the development of commitment to change among leaders in home help services during organizational change.
• To examine the relationship between the development of commitment to change, workload, and stress.
• To provide insights into how leader commitment evolves over time.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design utilizing semi-structured interviews.
• Data collected from ten leaders at the launch of an organizational change initiative and one year later.
• Thematic content analysis applied to interview transcripts.

Main Results:

• Leader commitment to change is dynamic, not static, and develops over time.
• Initial variations in leaders' commitment to change became less pronounced after one year.
• No apparent relationship was found between differences in commitment to change and leaders' workload or stress levels.

Conclusions:

• Leader commitment to change is a developmental process that can change significantly within a year.
• Supporting leaders through organizational change is vital for sustaining commitment, potentially through management team discussions.
• This study offers novel insights into commitment to change through its qualitative, longitudinal, and leader-focused approach.