Extent of leadership roles in change management process in Public Universities of Ethiopia: a mixed-methods study

The study aimed to assess the roles of leadership in the change management process within Public Universities in Ethiopia. A descriptive and explanatory research design with a mixed-methods approach was employed to establish cause-and-effect relationships between the variables under investigation. The study distributed 581 questionnaires to academic staff and leaders selected by systematic random sampling techniques. Besides, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with top management bodies and student representatives, respectively. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics, such as means and standard deviations, to summarize the collected data, as well as inferential statistics, including independent t-tests, correlations and multiple linear regressions, to examine relationships and draw conclusions. The findings revealed that leadership roles in change management processes were statistically significant, indicating a positive relationship. This suggests that while leaders in public universities demonstrated involvement in change management, their impact on the process was limited. Leaders can strengthen their influence and contribute more effectively to successful change implementation by actively engaging in change management and assuming significant responsibilities, leaders can enhance their influence and contribute more effectively to successful change implementation.