Factors influencing individual readiness for change in a health care environment

This study investigates the relationships between factors that influence individual readiness for change in organizations, focusing on variables at the individual, workplace, and organizational levels. These include demographic characteristics, disposition towards change, professional nursing practice, structural empowerment, and emotional climate. The study was set in a large, not-for-profit hospital system located in the northeastern United States about to embark on a major effort to improve patient satisfaction efforts. As a result of their critical role in these improvements, registered nurses were the primary target of the study. Data were collected through anonymous, web-based surveys. The study used the Nursing Work Index-Revised to collect information about the professional nursing environment, the Conditions of Work Effectiveness II to evaluate structural empowerment, the Resistance to Change Scale to measure individual inclination to resist change, the Geneva Emotion Wheel to assess the existence of an emotional climate, and Hanpachern's Readiness for Change tool. Statistical tests included correlation and regression analysis to test the hypotheses and assess the strength of relationships among variables. Significant correlations were found between individual readiness for change and the constructs of professional nursing environment and dispositional resistance to change. The study's results provided evidence that factors associated with the individual and context are important influencers of individual readiness for change, although organizational characteristics did not appear to directly influence individual readiness for change. These findings suggest that hospitals interested in increasing the readiness of employees for change programs should focus efforts on improving aspects of the work environment that relate to the individuals' perceptions of their own capabilities, professional competency, and participation