ABSTRACT:The increasing pace of technological advancement, regulatory reforms, and digital transformation has made effective change management essential for co-operative banks. While leadership plays a key role in implementing organizational change, employee readiness is equally important for ensuring that such changes strengthen internal control systems. The present study explores how Leadership-Driven Change Management (LDCM) influences the effectiveness of internal controls (ICE) in co-operative banks. It also examines whether employees' readiness for change, as reflected through the ADKAR Model, helps explain this relationship. The study is based on data collected from employees working in co-operative banks in Thane District, Maharashtra. The research was carried out using a quantitative approach. It combined descriptive and explanatory designs to analyze the variables and examine the relationships among them. Primary data were collected from 333 employees using a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. The data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and Jamovi (Version 2.6). The analysis began with descriptive statistics and reliability testing, followed by correlation and regression analyses. Mediation analysis and bootstrap estimation were then carried out to examine the proposed relationships among the variables. The findings revealed that Leadership-Driven Change Management has a significant positive effect on the ADKAR Model (R² = 0.760, p < 0.001), while the ADKAR Model significantly influences Internal Control Effectiveness (R² = 0.729, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis further showed that the ADKAR Model partially mediates the relationship between Leadership-Driven Change Management and Internal Control Effectiveness, with approximately 60.4% of the total effect operating through employees' readiness for change. Bootstrap analysis confirmed the stability and significance of the mediation effect. The study concluded that leadership initiatives become more effective when they are supported by systematic efforts to improve employees' Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement during organizational change. Integrating the ADKAR framework into leadership and change management practices can strengthen internal control systems, improve governance and support sustainable organizational performance in co-operative banks.

KEYWORDS:Leadership-Driven Change Management, ADKAR Model, Internal Control Effectiveness, Co-operative Banks, Organizational Change and Mediation Analysis etc.

A STUDY ON IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP-DRIVEN CHANGE MANAGEMENT (LDCM) ON INTERNAL CONTROL EFFECTIVENESS (ICE) IN CO-OPERATIVE BANKS AT THANE: AN ADKAR MODEL PERSPECTIVE

MR. PRATHAMESH RAJESH BOBHATE, PROF. DR. SONALI BHUSHAN DEOGIRIKAR