At a glance
- Source
- Caci, Nyantakyi, Blum, Sonpar, Schultes, Albers and Clack (2025). Organizational readiness for change: A systematic review of the healthcare literature. Implementation Research and Practice, 6. doi:10.1177/26334895251334536
- How it was done
- The authors searched five databases, screened 2,907 studies and kept those that measured readiness for change with numbers alongside at least one other factor. Systematic review. It searches for all published studies on a question, by fixed rules, and sums up what they show.
- Who took part
- 47 studies.
- Where
- Healthcare organizations, internationally.
“Evidence about whether and under which conditions ORC is relevant for positive implementation results remains ambiguous.”
What it found
- Studies used many different readiness questionnaires. Some were home-made and some were based on theory.
- This spread confirms that researchers do not agree on what readiness is.
- Most studies measured readiness once. Readiness changes during a project, so one reading says little.
- The authors call for repeated measurement and for looking at teams as well as individuals.
(“ORC” in the quote stands for organizational readiness for change.)
When the result holds
All 47 studies come from healthcare. The measurement problems are general. How far the conclusions carry to businesses has not been tested.
Limits
- About change in general, not AI.
Practices that use this study
This study supports:
- Do not treat a maturity score as a forecast An AI maturity or readiness score describes where you say you stand. Evidence that a higher score leads to better results is thin and disputed. Use it to start a discussion, not to predict returns. Do next · Effort: low (days, one person)
- Measure readiness and resistance separately Staff can be keen on AI and worried about it at once. Ask about the two separately. A single “readiness” score hides the worry. Do next · Effort: medium (weeks, a few people)
Assessments linked to this study
- Is the new way of working becoming routine? NoMAD: is a new way of working taking hold? The staff who use the new practice · 23 questions Free to use and adapt
- Are staff committed to this change, and do they believe it can be done? Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) Staff, about their organization or team · 12 questions Not established
- What will help or block the rollout? Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) People at several levels, in interviews · Interviews on the factors you choose, out of 48 Free to use, ask before changing
- What makes this technology project hard? NASSS-CAT: complexity assessment tools for technology projects The project team, and staff in interviews · Two checklists, a 35-question form and an interview guide Free to use, ask before changing