Strategic leadership and change management: a systematic and meta-analysis

Abstract

Strategic leadership is critically linked to successful organizational change; however, the literature is conceptually fragmented across multiple perspectives, thereby obscuring the specific mechanisms of its influence. Therefore, this study systematically reviews and Meta-analyzes empirical evidence to quantify this relationship, with a specific focus on elucidating the role of the transformational dimension of strategic leadership. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search identified 210 articles, from which 14 systematic reviews (n = 5651 participants) were included. Ultimately, 8 quantitative studies (n = 2547) met the strict criteria for meta-analysis, and data on effect sizes and confidence intervals were synthesized. The results reveal a significant, positive relationship between strategic leadership and change management (theta = 0.30, 95% CI [0.17, 0.43]). However, considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 97.84%) indicates that this relationship is strongly context-dependent. In conclusion, while strategic leadership is a key driver of change, its effectiveness is not uniform. Thus, the results underscore the necessity for a nuanced approach in both practice and future research to better understand the contextual factors that determine its success.