Organisational culture, transformational leadership, and emotional intelligence in change readiness

Orientation: Neglecting individual roles in change often leads to failed initiatives. Preparing employees to adapt and embrace change is crucial for success. Research purpose: This study examines how organisational culture (OC) and transformational leadership (TL) influence employees’ readiness for change (CR), with emotional intelligence (EI) as a mediator. Motivation for the study: Understanding employee adaptability helps leaders manage change effectively, offering insights for optimal change strategies. Research approach/design and method: A quantitative study grounded in change management theory surveyed 450 airline employees. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling (Linear Structural Model 8.72). Main findings: Organisational culture and TL enhance change readiness (CR). Emotional intelligence partially mediates culture’s effect but not leadership’s, indicating limited interaction among these constructs in this context. Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should integrate cultural reinforcement with EI training in emotion regulation, stress management, empathy while strengthening leadership capabilities to enhance CR. Contribution/value-add: This study integrates OC (contextual foundation), TL (strategic approach) and EI (psychological process) to explain how they collectively shape CR. It offers a nuanced understanding of organisational influences on individual change readiness.