An exploration of the role of transformational leadership in times of institutionalization of change

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/tjhe.2130
Keywords: transformational leadership, higher education, university accreditation, institutionalization of change, planned change

Abstract

In order to adapt to an increasingly competitive world, organizations need to continuously change, yet the success of the change is conditioned by its institutionalization. The institutionalization of change is the key factor to perpetuate sustainable changes. Based on the exploration of the role of transformational leadership in times of (institutionalization of) change, the objective of this study is to analyze the contribution of the components of transformational leadership on the institutionalization of change within a Lebanese private university Redundancy, engaged in an accreditation process. Through a qualitative method on a single case study, based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 15 senior executives occupying key positions in the studied university and through 15 focus groups with 85 faculty members from four disciplinary fields, we explored the role of each of the four dimensions of transformational leadership in times of institutionalization of change. Our findings highlight the essential role of intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation of transformational leadership, while the two other dimensions, idealized influence and individualized consideration, play a limited role in the university context of institutionalization of change. Moreover, individual recognition and idealized influence are essential to convince all members of the need for change and involve them in the accreditation process. This study allows us to understand the role of each of the transformational leadership dimensions in order to promote and escort institutionalization of change within high education sector.

Received: 16 June 2021
Accepted: 20 June 2023

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Ursula El-Hage, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon

Lecturer and quality expert at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon. Her research area includes change management, quality assurance, and innovation. A Lebanese national, Ursula El Hage is also an honorary citizen of Ecuador. She holds an EDBA from Paris Dauphine-USJ and an MBA from IDE Business School, Ecuador. Besides being the director of the Career and Placement Office and at the Saint Joseph University (USJ) and an expert and lecturer on innovation and quality management, she is the former vice-president of CODEFE, the Ecuadorian partner of EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management), wherein she is a Trainer and Award Lead Assessor. Ms. El Hage co-founded the European Management Center in Ecuador and also worked at IDE Business School (IESE group) as the Entrepreneurship Center’s founding director. At the Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador, she has headed the Innovation Office responsible for the conception of the National E-government Plan, the Procedure Simplification Process, and the National Program for Excellence.

Dina Sidani, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon

PhD, is Professor at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Lebanon. Her research area includes leadership, organizational change, management of educational institutions, and smart technologies. Pr Dina Sidani holds, since 2014, a top Management position at Saint-Joseph University of Beirut as the Director of South Lebanon Campus of USJ, which regroups several branches of faculties: Business, Engineering preparatory classes, Biochemistry Science, Data Science, Higher Institute for Lebanese Educators… She joined Saint-Joseph University in 2008 and she is now a full time Associate Professor at the Business Faculty of Saint-Joseph University in Management and Strategic Management of Human Resources. Pr Sidani has been in charge for more than 17 years of developing, managing and leading administrative and academic programs for Human Resources in a learning institution and of the evaluation of their performance at both personal and organizational level. Pr Sidani research interest tackles the areas of Management, leadership, structural and organizational changes applied to various fields. In this frame, she holds several publications in peer-reviewed journals.

References

Alexander, F King. 2000. “The Changing Face of Accountability.” The Journal of Higher Education 71 (4): 411–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2000.11778843.

Armenakis, Achilles A, and Arthur G Bedeian. 1999. “Organizational Change: A Review of Theory and Research in the 1990s.” Journal of Management 25 (3): 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639902500303.

Armenakis, Achilles A, Stanley G Harris, and Hubert S Feild. 2000. “Making Change Permanent a Model for Institutionalizing Change Interventions.” In Research in Organizational Change and Development, 97–128. Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Avolio, Bruce J, Fred O Walumbwa, and Todd J Weber. 2009. “Leadership: Current Theories, Research, and Future Directions.” Annual Review of Psychology 60: 421–49.

Bass, Bernard M. 1985. “Leadership: Good, Better, Best.” Organizational Dynamics 13 (3): 26–40.

Bass, Bernard M. 1990. “From Transactional to Transformational leadership: Learning to Share the Vision.” Organizational Dynamics 18 (3): 19–31.

Bass, Bernard M, and Ruth Bass. 2008. Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Application. Free Press.

Bass, Bernard M, and Ronald E Riggio. 2006. “Transformational leadership.”

Beer, Michael. 1984. “Organization Change and Development: A Systems View.”

Beer, Michael, Russell A Eisenstat, and Nathaniel Foote. 2009. High Commitment High Performance: How to Build a Resilient Organization for Sustained Advantage. John Wiley & Sons.

Beer, Michael, Russell A Eisenstat, and R Spector. 1990. “The Critical Path to Corporate Renewal.”

Brandt, Tiina, Erkki K Laitinen, and Teija Laitinen. 2016. “The Effect of Transformational leadership on the Profitability of Finnish Firms.” International Journal of Organizational Analysis.

Buchanan, David, Louise Fitzgerald, Diane Ketley, Rose Gollop, Jane Louise Jones, Sharon Saint Lamont, Annette Neath, and Elaine Whitby. 2005. “No Going Back: A Review of the Literature on Sustaining Organizational Change.” International Journal of Management Reviews 7 (3): 189–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2005.00111.x.

Burnes, Bernard. 1996. “No Such Thing As… a ‘One Best Way’ to Manage Organizational Change.” Management Decision 34 (10): 11–18.

Burnes, Bernard. 2017. Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational Dynamics. Pearson Education.

Calegari, Mary F, Robert E Sibley, and Marlene E Turner. 2015. “A ROADMAP FOR USING KOTTER’S ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MODEL TO BUILD FACULTY ENGAGEMENT IN ACCREDITATION.” Academy of Educational Leadership Journal 19 (3): 31–43. https://search.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/roadmap-using-kotters-organizational-change-model/docview/1768629258/se-2?accountid=163274.

Chemers, Martin M. 1997. “Leadership, Change, and Organizational Effectiveness.” University of California, Santa Cruz.

Clark, Shawn M, Dennis A Gioia, David J Ketchen, and James B Thomas. 2010. “Transitional Identity as a Facilitator of Organizational Identity Change during a Merger.” Administrative Science Quarterly 55 (3): 397–438. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.2010.55.3.397.

Cooperrider, D L, Suresh Srivastva, R W Woodman, and W A Pasmore. 1987. “Research in Organizational Change and Development.” Research in Organizational Change and Development 1: 129–69.

Cummings, Stephen, Todd Bridgman, and Kenneth G Brown. 2016. “Unfreezing Change as Three Steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s Legacy for Change Management.” Human Relations 69 (1): 33–60.

Cummings, Thomas G, and Christopher G Worley. 1997. “Organization Development.” Consulting and Change, South-Western, Minneapolis, MN.

. 2019. Organization Development and Change. Cengage learning.

Dale, B G, R J Boaden, M Wilcox, and R E McQuater. 1999. “SUSTAINING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES?” Quality Engineering 11 (3): 369–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/08982119908919253.

Eckel, Peter D, and Adrianna J Kezar. 2003. Taking the Reins: Institutional Transformation in Higher Education. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Golm, Heather. 2009. Examining the Relationship between Transformational, Transactional, and Change-Oriented Leadership and Their Influence on Leadership Effectiveness. Columbia University.

Goodman, Paul S, and James W Dean. 1999. “The Process of Institutionalization.”

Harb, B., and D. Sidani. 2019. “Transformational leadership for Organizational Change in the Lebanese Public Sector.” Problems and Perspectives in Management 17 (2): 205–16. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.17(2).2019.15.

Harigopal, K. 2007. “Management of Organizational Change: Leveraging Transformation.” NHRD Network Journal 1 (5_Special_Issue): 128–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0974173920070527S.

Harvey, Lee, and James Williams. 2010. “Fifteen Years of Quality in Higher Education.” Quality in Higher Education 16 (1): 3–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538321003679457.

Helms-Mills, Jean, Kelly Dye, and Albert J Mills. 2008. Understanding Organizational Change. Routledge.

Hiatt, Jeff. 2006. ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government, and Our Community. Prosci.

Higgins, Monica C, Jennie Weiner, and Lissa Young. 2012. “Implementation Teams: A New Lever for Organizational Change.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 33 (3): 366–88. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1773.

Jacobs, Ronald L. 2002. “Institutionalizing Organizational Change through Cascade Training.” Journal of European Industrial Training 26 (2/3/4): 177–82.

Jansen, Karen J. 2004. “From Persistence to Pursuit: A Longitudinal Examination of Momentum during the Early Stages of Strategic Change.” Organization Science 15 (3): 276–94.

Judge, Timothy A, and Ronald F Piccolo. 2004. “Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analytic Test of Their Relative Validity.” Journal of Applied Psychology 89 (5): 755.

Judson, Arnold S. 1991. Changing Behavior in Organizations: Minimizing Resistance to Change. B. Blackwell.

Kanter, R M, B A Stein, and T D Jick. 1992. “The Challenge of Organizational Change: How Companies Experience It and Leaders Guide It.” New York: The Free Press.

Kezar, Adrianna. 2009. “Synthesis of Scholarship on Change in Higher Education.”

Kezar, Adrianna. 2014. Understanding and Facilitating Organizational Change in the 21st Century: Recent Research and Conceptualizations: ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, Volume 28, Number 4. Vol. 155. John Wiley & Sons.

Kezar, Adrianna, and Peter Eckel. 2002a. “Examining the Institutional Transformation Process: The Importance of Sensemaking, Interrelated Strategies, and Balance.” Research in Higher Education 43 (3): 295–328.

Kezar, Adrianna, and Peter D Eckel. 2002b. “The Effect of Institutional Culture on Change Strategies in Higher Education.” The Journal of Higher Education 73 (4): 435–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2002.11777159.

Kotter, John P. 1995. “Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail.” IEEE Engineering Management Review 37 (3): 42–48. https://doi.org/10.1109/EMR.2009.5235501.

Kotter, John P. 2014. Accelerate: Building Strategic Agility for a Faster-Moving World. Harvard Business Review Press.

Latham, Gary P, Dawn C Winters, and Edwin A Locke. 1994. “Cognitive and Motivational Effects of Participation: A Mediator Study.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 15 (1): 49–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030150106.

Nelissen, Paul, and Martine van Selm. 2008. “Surviving Organizational Change: How Management Communication Helps Balance Mixed Feelings.” Corporate Communications: An International Journal 13 (3): 306–18.

Oreg, Shaul, Maria Vakola, and Achilles A Armenakis. 2011. “Change Recipients’ Reactions to Organizational Change: A 60-Year Review of Quantitative Studies.” The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 47 (4): 461–524.

Paper, David J., and Paper David J. 2001. “A BPR Case Study at Honeywell.” Edited by Rodger James A. Business Process Management Journal 7 (2): 85–99. https://doi.org/10.1108/14637150110389416.

Pettigrew, A M. 1985. “The Awakening Giant, Change and Continuity in ICI.” Oxford: Blackwell).(1987),’Context and Action in the Transformation of the Firm’, Journal of Management Studies 24 (6): 649–70.

Pettigrew, Andrew M, Richard W Woodman, and Kim S Cameron. 2001. “Studying Organizational Change and Development: Challenges for Future Research.” Academy of Management Journal 44 (4): 697–713.

Rajagopalan, Nandini, and Gretchen M Spreitzer. 1996. “Towards a Theory of Strategic Change: A Multi-Lens Perspective and Integrative Framework.” Academy of Management Proceedings 1996 (1): 51–55. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.1996.4978183.

Reisner, Robert A F. 2002. “When a Turnaround Stalls.” Harvard Business Review 80 (2): 45–52.

Roberto, Michael A, and Lynne C Levesque. 2005. “The Art of Making Change Initiatives Stick.” MIT Sloan Management Review 46 (4): 53.

Sayli, H, and Z Tufekci. 2008. “The Role of a Transformational Leader in Making a Successful Organizational Change.” Journal of Economices and Administrative Sciences Faculty 30: 193–210.

Senge, Peter M. 2006. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Broadway Business.

Steckler, Allan, and Robert M Goodman. 1989. “How to Institutionalize Health Promotion Programs.” American Journal of Health Promotion 3 (4): 34–43.

Stirman, Shannon Wiltsey, John Kimberly, Natasha Cook, Amber Calloway, Frank Castro, Martin Charns, Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, et al. 2012. “The Sustainability of New Programs and Innovations: A Review of the Empirical Literature and Recommendations for Future Research.” Implementation Science 7 (1): 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-7-17.

Twidale, Michael B, and David M Nichols. 2013. “Agile Methods for Agile Universities.” In Re-Imagining the Creative University for the 21st Century, 27–48. Brill Sense.

Vandangeon-Derumez, Isabelle. 1998. “La Dynamique Des Processus de Changement.” Paris 9.

Ven, Andrew H Van de. 1986. “Central Problems in the Management of Innovation.” Management Science 32 (5): 590–607. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2631848.

Wang, Gang, In-Sue Oh, Stephen H Courtright, and Amy E Colbert. 2011. “Transformational leadership and Performance across Criteria and Levels: A Meta-Analytic Review of 25 Years of Research.” Group & Organization Management 36 (2): 223–70.

Waytz, Adam, and Malia Mason. 2013. “Your Brain at Work. What a New Approach to Neuroscience Can Teach Us about Management.” Harvard Business Review 91 (7–8): 102–11.

Published
2023-11-30
How to Cite
El-Hage, Ursula, and Dina Sidani. 2023. “An Exploration of the Role of Transformational Leadership in Times of Institutionalization of Change”. Tuning Journal for Higher Education 11 (1), 175-95. https://doi.org/10.18543/tjhe.2130.
Issue
Vol. 11 No. 1 (2023): Educational Journeys in times of uncertainty: Weathering the storms
Section
Articles

Authors are required to sign and submit a copyright transfer agreement after acceptance but before publication of their manuscript. To that effect, they receive, from the Managing Editor of Tuning Journal for Higher Education, a standard copyright assignment form designed along the following lines:

1. Authorship:

The author who signs the copyright transfer agreement must be the sole creator of the work or legally acting on behalf of and with the full agreement of all the contributing authors.

2. Copyright and Code of conduct:

a) Authors warrant that their work is original; has not been previously copyrighted or published in any form; is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; its submission and publication do not violate TJHE Ethical Guidelines for Publication and any codes (of conduct), privacy and confidentiality agreements, laws or any rights of any third party; and no publication payment by the Publisher (University of Deusto) is required.

b) Authors are solely liable for the consequences that may arise from third parties’ complaints about the submitted manuscript and its publication in Tuning Journal for Higher Education (TJHE).

c) Authors grant to the Publisher the worldwide, sub-licensable, and royalty-free right to exploit the work in all forms and media of expression, now known or developed in the future, for educational and scholarly purposes.

d) Authors retain the right to archive, present, display, distribute, develop, and republish their work (publisher's version) to progress their scientific career provided the original publication source (Tuning Journal) is acknowledged properly and in a way that does not suggest the Publisher endorses them or their use of the wortk.

e) Authors warrant that no permissions or licences of any kind will be granted that might infringe the rights granted to the Publisher.

3. Users:

Tuning Journal for Higher Education is an Open Access publication. Its content is free for full and immediate access, reading, search, download, distribution and reuse in any medium or format only for non-commercial purposes and in compliance with any applicable copyright legislation, without prior permission from the Publisher or the author(s). In any case, proper acknowledgement of the original publication source must be made and any changes to the original work must be indicated clearly and in a manner that does not suggest the author’s and or Publisher’s endorsement whatsoever. Any other use of its content in any medium or format, now known or developed in the future, requires prior written permission of the copyright holder.