Change Readiness: People Science Brief

Want your organization to change? Help people move into change readiness first. Here’s what the research says…

Updated 10/16/2017

Establish beliefs to support the change you want.

Change readiness is one of the most important drivers of employee support for change initiatives at work. Change readiness happens when people believe a change is necessary, desirable, and feasible.

Peek into a course description for Accelerating Change Readiness, Agility, and Flexibility at UCBerkeley’s Haas School of Business by Dr. Homa Bahrami, researcher in “super-flexibility:”

• Ford, J.K., & Foster-Fishman, P. (2012). Organizational development and change: Linking research from the profit, nonprofit, and public sectors. In S.W.J. Kozlowski (Ed.), The oxford handbook of organizational psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 956-993). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.
• Armenakis, A.A., Harris, S.G., & Mossholder, K.W. (1993). Creating readiness for organizational change. Human Relations, 46(6), 681-703.
• Armenakis, A.A., & Harris, S.G. (2009). Reflections: Our journey in organizational change research and practice. Journal of Change Management, 9(2), 127-142.
• Holt, D.T., & Vardaman, J.M. (2013). Toward a comprehensive understanding of readiness for change: The case for an expanded conceptualization. Journal of Change Management, 13, 9-18.
• Vakola, M. (2013). Multilevel readiness to organizational change: A conceptual approach. Journal of Change Management, 13(1), 96-109.

People become ready for change as 5 key beliefs form.

Change readiness includes several dimensions:

1. Discrepancy (is there a gap between where our organization is and where we need to be?)
2. Organizational Valence (will change benefit my organization?)
3. Personal Valence (will change benefit me?)
4. Management Support (are leaders committed to change?)
5. Self-Efficacy (is change feasible?)

• Holt, D.T., Armenakis, A.A., Field, H.S., & Harris, S.G. (2007). Readiness for organizational change: The systematic development of a scale. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 43(2), 232-255.
• Ford, J.K., & Foster-Fishman, P. (2012). Organizational development and change: Linking research from the profit, nonprofit, and public sectors. In S.W.J. Kozlowski (Ed.), The oxford handbook of organizational psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 956-993). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.

Expect people who are all-in already to become most easily ready for change.

People with high levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment are more likely to experience and exhibit change readiness.

• Madsen, S.R., Miller, D., & John, C.R. (2005). Readiness for organizational change: Do organizational commitment and social relationships in the workplace make a difference? Human Resource Development Quarterly, 16(2), 213-233.
• McNabb, D.E., & Sepic, F.T. (1995). Culture, climate, and total quality management: Measuring readiness for change. Public Productivity and Management Review, 18(4), 369-385.
• Ingersoll, G.L., Kirsch, J.C., Merk, S.E., & Lightfoot, J. (2000). Relationship of organizational culture and readiness for change to employee commitment to the organization. Journal of Nursing Administration, 30(1), 11-20.
• Rafferty, A.E., Jimmieson, N.L., & Armenakis, A.A. (2013). Change readiness: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 39(1), 110-135.
• Shah, N., Irani, Z., & Sharif, A.M. (2016). Big data in an HR context: Exploring organizational change readiness, employee attitudes, and behaviors. Journal of Business Research, 70, 366-378.

Participation aids change readiness.

There is a strong reciprocal relationship between change readiness and participation. People who participate in change tend to experience greater change readiness. Reciprocally, change readiness predicts future participation and change engagement.

• Coch, L., & French, J.R.P. (1948). Overcoming resistance to change. Human Relations, 1(4), 512-532.
• Holt, D.T., Armenakis, A.A., Field, H.S., & Harris, S.G. (2007). Readiness for organizational change: The systematic development of a scale. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 43(2), 232-255.
• Cunningham, C.E., Woodward, C.A., Shannon, H.S., MacIntosh, J., Lendrum, B., Rosenbloom, D., & Brown, J. (2002). Readiness for organizational change: A longitudinal study of workplace, psychological, and behavioral correlates. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75(4), 377-392.

Some people will have an easier time becoming change-ready than others.

Individual characteristics like high self-efficacy, a problem solving orientation, and openness to change link to change readiness.

• Cunningham, C.E., Woodward, C.A., Shannon, H.S., MacIntosh, J., Lendrum, B., Rosenbloom, D., & Brown, J. (2002). Readiness for organizational change: A longitudinal study of workplace, psychological, and behavioral correlates. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75(4), 377-392.
• Rafferty, A.E., Jimmieson, N.L., & Armenakis, A.A. (2013). Change readiness: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 39(1), 110-135.

Workplace factors can also promote change readiness.

Change readiness is better in organizations with:

• more autonomy and decision-making in job design
• stronger social support
• a more flexible work culture
• clearer information sharing
• sufficient resources and capabilities

Think about change readiness as a sort of organizational fitness:

• Cunningham, C.E., Woodward, C.A., Shannon, H.S., MacIntosh, J., Lendrum, B., Rosenbloom, D., & Brown, J. (2002). Readiness for organizational change: A longitudinal study of workplace, psychological, and behavioral correlates. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75(4), 377-392.
• Madsen, S.R., Miller, D., & John, C.R. (2005). Readiness for organizational change: Do organizational commitment and social relationships in the workplace make a difference? Human Resource Development Quarterly, 16(2), 213-233.
• McNabb, D.E., & Sepic, F.T. (1995). Culture, climate, and total quality management: Measuring readiness for change. Public Productivity and Management Review, 18(4), 369-385.
• Eby, L.T., Adams, D.M., Russell, J.E.A., & Gaby, S.H. (2000). Perceptions of organizational readiness for change: Factors related to employees’ reactions to the implementation of team-based selling. Human Relations, 53(3), 419–442.
• Rafferty, A.E., Jimmieson, N.L., & Armenakis, A.A. (2013). Change readiness: A multilevel review. Journal of Management, 39(1), 110-135.

More Coetic Change Resources:

• WorkWeek Nudges ToolKits – High-impact actions that promote ongoing strategic unity and change readiness.
• More Change Engagement Blog Posts – We love helping teams and organizations move forward with important changes.
• Free Change Map Tool – A strong change vision helps promote change readiness.
• Change Map Tool: 15 Creative Uses – Idea starters for using Coetic’s Change Map Tool, including several that promote change readiness.
• Change Resistance and Change Vision in Coetic People Science – Build a deeper understanding of what makes change difficult and how to make change happen.
• Communication Whiteboard Tool – Invite change participation in a fun virtual graffiti conversation.