Role of change leadership styles on cognitive rigidity at selected automobile dealerships in Durban, South Africa

Leadership is a core component of organizational management, but its functions are getting more complex with the increasing involvement of changes taking place in the world. As such, the complicated operation of managing cognitive rigidity as a form of resistance to change amongst employees is very critical. On the other hand, resistance to change is described as one of the impediments to organizational expansion due to its negative consequences. To cope with change, there is a need for an effective leadership style. This study focuses on the association between change leadership styles, i.e., transformational and transactional leadership styles with cognitive rigidity as a form of resistance to change. The study further seeks to investigate the impact of these leadership styles on employees’ resistance to cognitive rigidity at the selected automobile dealerships in the Durban Metropolitan Region of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Theories on change and leadership styles have been considered in this paper. A descriptive survey design was adopted to collect information from a stratified sample size using self-administered questionnaires to 170 staff at automotive dealerships in the metropolitan of Durban in South Africa. Pearson correlational and regression analysis were employed to analyze data. Results indicated significant correlations between these change leadership styles and cognitive rigidity as a form of resistance to change. However, the transactional leadership style revealed a more substantial possibility of increasing resistance to change. The study recommends that management practice the transformational leadership style to encourage employee participation in the decision, build confidence, accept constructive criticisms, effective communication and transparency, thereby reducing rigidity. Key Words:Change Leadership, Cognitive Rigidity, Automobile Dealership, Durban