Leadership behavior and organizational change management in selected public universities of Ethiopia: Exploring the impact of leadership influences and change processes

The study explored the impact of leadership behavior on organizational change management process in selected public Universities in Ethiopia. The authors utilized a concurrent mixed Triangulation design, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The Quantitative data collected from 581 questionnaires were distributed to 379 academic staff and 202 academic leaders. Besides, qualitative data was collected from 12 top management bodies and 48 student representatives by using interviews and focus group discussions respectively. This ensured that a representative sample was obtained from the target population. The researchers used mean, standard deviation, independent sample <i>t</i>-test, correlation and regression to analyze and interpret the data collected. The study findings revealed a positive and significant impact of autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, and transactional leadership behaviors on organizational change management process. However, there was a negative and significant impact of transformational leadership behavior on organizational change management process. Indeed, the study identified significant differences in the perceptions of leadership behaviors and organizational change management between academic staff and academic leaders. Based on the study findings, the authors recommended that leaders in public Universities customize and apply the identified positive leadership behaviors (autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, and transactional) to effectively manage organizational change.