Mitigating anxiety: The role of strategic leadership groups during radical organisational change

This article examines the role of strategic leadership groups in radical organisational change. Previous research has focused on how ‘heroic’ individual leaders guide In contrast, we argue that are indispensable to understanding and supporting Building a longitudinal study global European company, our identifies four phases ‘negotiated order’ shape group responses Our findings reveal help manage emotions understand shifting authority relations inevitably arise during periods Drawing upon psychoanalytic concept ‘projective identification’, develop theoretical framework for tensions The model shows emotional coalitions afford source political psychological containment against anxieties These formations offer transitional spaces change, providing opportunities progress. advantage this new perspective change is it helps move organisation beyond ambivalence conflict, with positive implications practice.