| dc.description.abstract | Organizational change in commercial banks within Kenya has become significant since it
has helped a number of banks in realizing their shared goals and objectives to become
more profitable. Organizational change has enabled Kenyan banks to grow their branch
networks thus increasing shareholders value whilst at the same time diversifying earnings
from enhanced business opportunities and improved product and services offerings to
customers. Organizational change has also facilitated the sharing of expertise through
constant learning and development of new skills and knowledge across the banking
industry. However, these benefits are a consequence of effective organizational
leadership in managing human resistance to change. The objective of this study was; to
determine the nature of organizational leadership, establish the nature of resistance to
change, and discover the significance of organizational leadership in managing resistance
to change in commercial banks in Kenya. Primary data was collected through a structured
questionnaire and summarized using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. The
results of this study indicated that the most essential function of organizational leadership
was the interpersonal function in which participation, involvement, support, negotiation,
agreement, effective education and communication strategies between organizational
leaders and their employees were significant in managing resistance. Organizational
leadership facilitated employee engagement, commitment and motivation to adapt to
change thereby leading to successful implementation of change. Resistance to change
was also found to be valuable during change since it provided a vital foundation for
creativity and innovation whilst eliminating unsuitable aspects of change. Resistance
stimulated organizational stability particularly where change was unfavorable. | en |
