Due to the process of globalization which is affecting the whole world, universities are faced with new challenges. In order to survive and continue to develop faculties within the university and the university as a whole must become part of a global educational network of the 21st century. Universities and all their constituents (faculties and university departments) must be prepared to monitor and manage all the changes that can affect them as an integral part of the society within they are working. Above mentioned challenges that all universities in the world are facing today are particularly difficult for the economies and countries in transition such as Croatia. Accordingly, this doctoral thesis dealt with the change management in higher education as one of the key aspects of creating and maintaining the comparative advantages of the university, and has included 25 % of public universities in the Republic of Croatia (Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek and Juraj Dobrila University of Pula). Within the doctoral thesis the following important things have been analyzed: the influence of the existence of the planning of possible changes and workflows for the management of such changes in cases of their occurrence in the strategic developmental documents of university constituents in the context of change management at the university; the impact of organizational and managerial knowledge and experience as well as leadership skills of members of governing bodies of university constituents in the context of the change management effectiveness in these constituents and in the university as a whole. The research part of this doctoral thesis consisted of theoretical and empirical part. The collected secondary data from all available sources dealing with the development strategies of university constituents were analyzed considering the plans and workflows of change management. The collection of the primary data within empirical part of this doctoral thesis took place from 15 June to 15 September 2015. and was carried out using the adapted questionnaires originally authored by E. Cameroon and M. Green, which is intended for self-evaluation of the development level of leadership skills and dominant leadership role used by each particular subject. The 105 questionnaires were distributed (for the members of governing bodies of all university constituents) and the response rate in this study was 76.2 %. The study found that in analyzed strategic development documents there were no plans for possible changes in internal or external circumstances that can affect the operation of higher education institutions and workflows for the management of such changes. It was found that 58.8 % subjects assessed their own organizational and managerial skills with grade 4 which implies their very good development and that the most frequently used leadership role among theme was the role of so called thoughtful architect. It was further found that only 17.5 % of subjects had a formal education in organization and management, and only 3.8% of them had a formal education in change management. Finally, the study found that only 36.3 % of subjects had some experience in the organization and management gained through the work within the governing body of another segment of the public sector in Croatia and abroad before assuming his/her current position as a member of the governing bodies of university constituents, while only 16.3% of them had such experience gained through the work in previously mentioned positions on of the segment within the private sector in Croatia and abroad. In conclusion, it can be said that this doctoral thesis has made major scientific contributions in the scientific area of change management which is reflected in the establishment of the importance and significance of: the development of leadership skills of the governing bodies of university constituents in the context of change management at the university; change management at the university in the context of organization and management of the university; individual characteristics of strategic documents of university constituents in the context of organization and management of the university and the definition of competitive potential of the university in the context of the scope of development of leadership skills of members of its governing bodies and the comparative advantages of university in the context of inclusion of change management in the functional and organizational structure of the university. This doctoral thesis has also given the specific recommendations to the universities regarding the inclusion of change management in their functional and organizational structure as well as specific recommendations to the governing bodies of universities in terms of their further education in the field of organization and management, change management and leadership.