Communicative Leadership During Organizational Change: A Case Study of a New University President’s Change-Initiative Team

As the economy continues to struggle in its recovery from the recent recession,
higher education institutions have been hard-hit, affecting stakeholders at all levels,
including boards of trustees, students, faculty, and the surrounding communities. In the
middle of the turmoil and period of change are the presidents, needing to answer to board
members as well as other institutional stakeholders, while still maintaining a balance of
organizational consistency and change. Nearly all organizational change literature
incorporates interpersonal communication as an integral component in effective change
efforts; therefore, the constantly changing higher education landscape necessitates
presidents who are skilled in communicative leadership, of which interpersonal skills are
a cornerstone. Although all presidents need these skill sets, this study examines only a
newly appointed president and one of his change-initiative teams to capture the dynamic
environment surrounding new administration.