Search results

This paper aims to explore the impact of leadership on organizational change and adaptability in a Chinese business context. Drawing on case data, this study seeks to uncover the factors that would predispose the leaders of Chinese family firms to initiate and implement organizational change and adaptation.

This study is based on 16 in-depth interviews held with key informants from the case firm. Evidence is presented in the form of interview extracts.

Research findings indicate that Chinese firm leaders can successfully facilitate organizational change by adapting their styles to match the changes in the business environment.

The issues identified are explored within a single case study setting, hence future research might replicate these findings to other samples or settings.

To lead organizational change, leaders must first be able and willing to adjust their leadership styles to match the demands of their changing business environments.

This paper adds insight to existing literature on leadership, organizational change and firm turnarounds. This paper also provides an in-depth insight into the factors that influence the leadership and management Chinese family firms.

Earlier research has identified adaptive leadership strategies and organizational culture as two key factors that influence a firm's adaptive capabilities. However, little is known about how leadership and organizational culture affect each other. Nor do the authors know how the combined effects of adaptive leadership and culture facilitates organizational adaptation over time. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap by using a co-evolutionary perspective to enhance the understanding of this phenomenon.

Data were collected through informant interviews, observations and archival material.

Study findings reveal that leaders can enhance organizational adaptability by creating an appropriate context to guide the co-evolutionary interactions between their leadership strategies, organizational culture and employees towards the ongoing achievement of firm goals.

The study enhances the understanding of how leaders facilitate organizational adaptability, especially in a family business context.