White paper from the Center for Creative Leadership.which discusses in more detail the research regarding how 275 executives handled change and what made some changes successful and some not. See "What 275 Executives Said About Change-Capable Leadership" for a summary
From Psychology Today, a brief summary of why people fear change and the dilemma leaders face when trying to implement change in the face of resistance.
After surveying 148 senior executive leaders about changes they su\ccessfully implemented (see 3 Key Skills for Successful Change), the Center for Creative Leadership then surveyed 127 executives about an unsuccessful outcome.
This article looks at the levels of change leadership competency on a behavioral scale starting with the most basic level of skill and moving to the most complex level.