Leadership Communication in the Context of Organizational Change

Periodic reviews of the organizational change literature over the decades have consistently pointed to leadership communication as a reliable factor in impacting change. However, what remains unclear is what constitutes leadership communication and how it is related to change processes and outcomes. By reviewing existing empirical literature, this chapter presents three streams of research that conceptualize leadership communication as: (1) change information management; (2) influential communicative performance; and (3) discursive struggle over power and control. Within each stream, the chapter details its theoretical underpinnings, major empirical findings, and advice to practitioners. Based on this analytical review and critique, the chapter offers guidance for future research development.