ISSN: 2226-3624
Open access
This study investigates the direct and indirect relationship between leadership change and employee readiness to change, with organizational culture and organizational commitment serving as mediators in open online flexible distance learning higher education institutions.
Primary data was collected through survey questionnaires distributed via email to selected participants using purposive sampling. Out of 483 distributed surveys, 380 were collected, yielding a satisfactory response rate of 78.6%, with 353 surveys deemed suitable for analysis. SmartPLS 4 software was employed to conduct data analysis and hypothesis testing using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques. The hypotheses testing results reveal several key findings. Leadership change was found to directly influence employee readiness to change, as well as indirect effects mediated by organizational culture and commitment. Organizational culture and commitment were also shown to impact employee readiness to change directly. The study highlights the varied impact of the variables, with effect sizes ranging from small to large. To enhance employee readiness to change effectively, the study suggests that open online flexible distance learning higher education institutions should adopt a multifaceted approach focusing on leadership development, organizational culture, and commitment. Investing in transformational leadership skills, cultivating a culture of innovation and collaboration, and fostering organizational commitment are crucial for navigating change successfully. Future studies should explore how different leadership styles impact employee readiness for change within the unique context of online higher education, investigate the moderating role of technological advancements and the digital landscape, and consider the implications of organizational culture and commitment on employee attitudes towards change over time. By understanding these relationships, institutions can better support their employees and create an environment conducive to change and growth in online higher education.
Adiwijaya, S., & Hayati, K. (2023). The effect of transformational leadership on readiness for
change mediated by organizational commitment. Asian Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting, 23(15), 69-80.
Ali, M. A. S., Negm, A. P. D. E. M., El Mokadem, A. P. D. M., & Ragheb, M. A. (2022). The Impact
of leadership Style and organization culture on employee readiness to change with mediating role of employee commitment to energy management An empirical study on petrochemical secto in Egypt. Res Militaris, 12(6), 37-46.
Alolabi, Y., Ayupp, K., & Al Dwaikat, M. (2022). The Effect of Transformational Leadership on
Individual Readiness to Change: The Mediating Roles of Work Engagement and Organizational Justice (A Study of UAE Construction Industry). International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 11(3), 538-570.
Al-Tahitah, A., Muthaliff, M. M. A., Sammari, N., & Abdulrab, M. (2021). The mediating effect
of learning organisational culture between leadership styles and readiness for change: An empirical study in Yemen. International Journal of Learning and Change, 13(6), 609-626.
Amtu, O., Souisa, S. L., Joseph, L. S., & Lumamuly, P. C. (2021). Contribution of leadership,
organizational commitment and organizational culture to improve the quality of higher education. International Journal of Innovation, 9(1), 131-157.
Angle, H. L., & Perry, J. L. (1981). An empirical assessment of organizational commitment and
organizational effectiveness. Administrative Science Quarterly, 26(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392596
Aziz, N. A. A., Asimiran, S., & Hassan, A. (2022). Mediating role of readiness for change in the
relationship between principal instructional leadership and commitment to change. International Journal of Management in Education, 16(4), 407-437.
Bagga, S. K., Gera, S., & Haque, S. N. (2023). The mediating role of organizational culture:
Transformational leadership and change management in virtual teams. Asia Pacific Management Review, 28(2), 120-131.
Bouckenooghe, D., Devos, G., & Van Den Broeck, H. (2009). Organizational change
questionnaire–climate of change, processes, and readiness: Development of a new instrument. The Journal of psychology, 143(6), 559-599.
Chen, S., Kadir, S. A., & Kang, E. K. M. S. (2023). Moderating Role of Long-Term Learning
Environment and Organisational Culture as Mediators: The Effects of Transformational Leadership on Organisational Commitment—Evidence by University Lecturers in China. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 108(108), 47-69.
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155–159. doi:10.1037/0033-
2909.112.1.155
Diwanti, D. P., Suryanto, S., Iswati, S., Agustina, T. S., & Notobroto, H. B. (2021). The Effect of
Organizational Culture and Readiness to Change on Organizational Entrepreneurship: The Role of Competence. Jurnal Manajemen Bisnis, 12(2), 248-265.
Engida, Z. M., Alemu, A. E., & Mulugeta, M. A. (2022). The effect of change leadership on
employees’ readiness to change: the mediating role of organizational culture. Future Business Journal, 8(1), 31.
Haffar, M., Al-Hyari, K., Djebarni, R., Alnsour, J. A., Oster, F., Al-Shamali, A., & Alaya, A. (2023).
The mediating effect of affective commitment to change in the readiness for change–TQM relationship. Total quality management & business excellence, 34(3-4), 326-344.
Haffar, M., Al-Karaghouli, W., Djebarni, R., Al-Hyari, K., Gbadamosi, G., Oster, F., ... & Ahmed,
A. (2023). Organizational culture and affective commitment to e-learning changes during COVID-19 pandemic: The underlying effects of readiness for change. Journal of business research, 155, 113396.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least \squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (3 ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hamidi, R., Barari, R., Sahebdel, F., & Bayat, F. (2024). Evaluating the model of causal relations
between organizational identity and organizational commitment in hospital nursing staff through the mediation of organizational culture. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 36(1), 79-100.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., and Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1): 115-135.
Herold, D. M., Fedor, D. B., Caldwell, S., & Liu, Y. (2008). The effects of transformational and
change leadership on employees' commitment to a change: a multilevel study. Journal of applied psychology, 93(2), 346.
Jung, J. Y. (2022). The effect of authentic leadership of deans and directors on sustainable
organizational commitment at universities: mediated by organizational culture and trust. Sustainability, 14(17), 11051.
Jung, K. B., Kang, S. W., & Choi, S. B. (2020). Empowering leadership, risk-taking behavior, and
employees’ commitment to organizational change: The mediated moderating role of task complexity. Sustainability, 12(6), 2340.
Kemas, M. A., & Anwar, R. (2021). The Effect of Organizational Culture Gaps on Individual
Readiness to Change through Organizational Commitment. International Journal of Business and Technology Management, 3(3), 70-81.
Kock, N., & Lynn, G. S. (2012). Lateral collinearity and misleading results in variance-based SEM: An illustration and recommendations. Journal of the Association for
Information Systems, 13(7), 546-580.
Kock, N. (2015). Common method bias in PLS-SEM: A full collinearity assessment approach.
International Journal of e-Collaboration, 11(4), 1-10.
Liengaard, B. D., Sharma, P. N., Hult, G. T. M., Jensen, M. B., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., &
Ringle, C. M. (2021). Prediction: Coveted, Yet Forsaken? Introducing a Cross-
validated Predictive Ability Test in Partial Least Squares Path Modeling. Decision Sciences, 52(2), 362-392.
Mahendrati, H. A., & Mangundjaya, W. (2020, April). Individual readiness for change and
affective commitment to change: The mediation effect of technology readiness on public sector. In 3rd Forum in Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST 2019) (pp. 52-59). Atlantis Press.
Mansour, A., Rowlands, H., Al-Gasawneh, J. A., Nusairat, N. M., Al-Qudah, S., Shrouf, H., &
Akhorshaideh, A. H. (2022). Perceived benefits of training, individual readiness for change, and affective organizational commitment among employees of national jordanian banks. Cogent Business & Management, 9(1), 1966866.
Marchalina, L., Ahmad, H., & Gelaidan, H. M. (2021). Employees' commitment to change:
personality traits and organizational culture. Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, 37(4), 377-392.
Mladenova, I. (2022). Relation between organizational capacity for change and readiness for
change. Administrative Sciences, 12(4), 135.
Mutonyi, B. R., Slåtten, T., Lien, G., & González-Piñero, M. (2022). The impact of organizational
culture and leadership climate on organizational attractiveness and innovative behavior: a study of Norwegian hospital employees. BMC health services research, 22(1), 637.
Naseer, S., Chughtai, M. S., & Syed, F. (2023). Do high-performance work practices promote
an individual's readiness and commitment to change? The moderating role of adaptive leadership. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 36(6), 899-916.
Olafsen, A. H., Nilsen, E. R., Smedsrud, S., & Kamaric, D. (2021). Sustainable development
through commitment to organizational change: the implications of organizational culture and individual readiness for change. Journal of Workplace Learning, 33(3), 180-196.
Potnuru, R. K. G., Sharma, R., & Sahoo, C. K. (2023). Employee voice, employee involvement,
and organizational change readiness: mediating role of commitment-to-change and moderating role of transformational leadership. Business Perspectives and Research, 11(3), 355-371.
Prochaska, J. O., & Velicer, W. F. (1997). The transtheoretical model of health behavior
change. American journal of health promotion: AJHP, 12(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-12.1.38
Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1982). Transtheoretical therapy: Toward a more
integrative model of change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 19 (3), 276–288. Available: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0088437.
Rahmatullah, A., Ramdansyah, A. D., Kambara, R., & Haryadi, D. (2022). Improving
organizational performance with organizational culture and transformational leadership through intervening organizational commitment variables. Dinasti International Journal Of Digital Business Management, 3(2), 180-194.
Runa, R. (2023). Determinants of Employee Change Readiness: A Study of Transformational
Leadership and Self-Efficacy and the Role of Organizational Commitment. Almana: Jurnal Manajemen dan Bisnis, 7(1), 154-167.
Samal, A., Patra, S., & Chatterjee, D. (2021). Impact of culture on organizational readiness to
change: context of bank M&A. Benchmarking: An international journal, 28(5), 1503-1523.
Shmueli, G., Ray, S., Estrada, V. J. M., and Chatla, S. B. (2016). The elephant in the
room: predictive performance of PLS models. Journal of Business Research, 69: 4552–4564.
Shmueli, G., Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Cheah, J.-H., Ting, H., Vaithilingam, S., and Ringle, C. M. (2019). Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: Guidelines for using PLSpredict.
European Journal of Marketing. 53: 2322–2347.
Van den Berg, P. T., & Wilderom, C. P. M. (2004). Defining, Measuring, and Comparing Organisational Cultures. Applied psychology, 53(4), 570-582. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2004.00189.x
Wardani, R., Tarbiati, U., & Suhandiah, S. (2024). Organizational Culture with Individual Readiness as a Mediator for Championing Behavior Electronic Medical Record Implementation. Journal Of Nursing Practice, 7(2), 270-282.
Yasin, N. A., Nasir, M., & Kurniawaty, K. (2023). The Influence of Leadership and Organizational Culture on Organizational Commitment to Employees of Grand Mode Cendrawasih. Economos: Jurnal Ekonomi dan Bisnis, 6(1), 48-54.
(Osman & Yatam, 2024)
Osman, Z., & Yatam, M. (2024). Embracing Change: Enhancing Employee Readiness in Open Online Flexible Distance Learning Institutions. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management and Sciences, 13(2), 579–595.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seenavc at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode