Leadership and individual reactions to organizational change

The process of change is quite complex in terms of organizational behavior. Individuals who participate in this process have several perceptions about the change, which directly influence the results. Considering the public context, the aim of this article is to analyze the influence of leadership behavior to employees' intention of resisting or cooperating to the creation and developing of a new management model to the Federal Institute of Minas Gerais - IFMG, which has restructured by the Professional and Technological Education Network in the country. The case study method based on qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed. Using a validated questionnaire and running interviews it was possible to collect data from the employees who participated in the change process from the operational to the management levels. Multiple regression analyzes were performed for quantitative data and content analysis for qualitative data. The results show that the performance of leadership-represented by the dimensions: extra effort, effectiveness, and satisfaction-can positively influence cooperation and individual acceptance to change, but the leadership styles were not found to influence this process. It is possible to conclude that the employees involved on the process of change were either resistant or cooperative, and the focus of management development must be on the performance of leadership behavior.