New Insights in the Basic Psychological Needs of Leaders Not to Fail Organizational Change: Post-Pandemic View on Leader’s Experience—A Qualitative Content Analysis ()
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This paper aims to uncover underlying mechanisms and basic psychological needs
of leaders that will enable them to cope with organizational change in a multi-crisis context. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study uses the qualitative
research approach of qualitative content analysis to explore leader’s positive
and negative experiences during change in a multi-crisis context. Findings: This research highlights the critical role of leaders’ basic psychological needs in organizational change within a multi-crisis context, thereby illustrating the necessity
of providing need-based experiences and need-supported change designs. This study has recognized the importance of taking into consideration all four identified
levels of change: personal, situational, decisional, and transitional—when implementing change initiatives, as a need-supported change design. Data indicate that, despite expressing a leader’s strong need
for involvement and community, the need is not adequately satisfied by rituals and
communitas. These results indicate the need to integrate both success factors and
failure factors in a simultaneous manner to increase leader’s positive experiences and reduce
negative experiences during change, with the aim of providing need-based experiences. Originality/Value: This paper provides new findings and theoretical descriptions in the understudied area of a leader’s basic psychological needs and
emerged success and failure factors during change in a multi-crisis context.
Share and Cite:
Krauter, J. (2023) New Insights in the Basic Psychological Needs of Leaders Not to Fail Organizational Change: Post-Pandemic View on Leader’s Experience—A Qualitative Content Analysis.
Open Journal of Leadership,
12, 193-257. doi:
10.4236/ojl.2023.123013.