Nurses' views of organizational readiness for change

"Organizational readiness for change" is critical to successfully managing change in healthcare organizations. Yet healthcare and nursing studies about this relatively new concept are few and lack clear criteria on what comprises "organizational readiness for change."

This study assessed organizational (hospital) readiness for change, as perceived by registered nurses in two types of hospital in Jordan.

Using a quantitative research design, the researcher collected data from a convenience sample of 153 nurses from one major government hospital and one major private hospital. The response rate was 64%.

The lowest means, indicating unreadiness for change, were reported for the following items: having developed plans for expanding ambulatory care or enhancing continuity of care, including nurses on all committees, and involving them in policy development and strategic planning efforts. The only difference between the types of hospitals in terms of readiness for change was the use of "collaboration and multidisciplinary work": the governmental hospital was more ready than the private hospital in this regard.

To prepare for change, nurse leaders should initiate interventions to enhance organizational readiness and facilitate the integration of change, such as continuing education courses for staff and focus on teamwork, open communication, total quality management, strategic planning, advanced nursing practice and participatory management, especially shared decision-making and policy development. Successful leaders support employees' creative ideas, focus on the timing of the change, and provide training on change management.