According to a new study from researchers at the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, organizational changes are more likely to be effective when the organization’s leaders consistently support the initiative. “This suggests that CEOs would be wise to spend time ensuring that their leaders down the ranks are fully informed and committed before embarking on major change efforts,” says study co-author Jennifer Chatman.

The researchers documented the progress of a strategic change at healthcare organization Kaiser Permanente that aimed to focus on quality and service rather than cost. A second phase sought to improve the patient-doctor relationship and communication.

After studying patient and doctor satisfaction surveys, the researchers found that the more effective CEOs and department heads were perceived to be, the more physicians supported the change in strategy. Additionally, employees were more likely to achieve the strategic goals when all leaders were on board.

The study was published in the latest issue of The Leadership Quarterly.