Assessing individual readiness for change in healthcare: a review of measurement scales

Abstract

PurposeUnderstanding how individuals respond and adapt to change is essential to assist leaders to manage transformational change effectively. Contemporary health care environments are characterised by frequent and rapid change, often with unrealistic and challenging timeframes. Researchers have employed a range of assessment scales to assess individual readiness for change. Hence, to select the appropriate scale, it is critical to compare the properties of these instruments. A scoping review will be conducted to identify scales that measure an individual's response to change in the healthcare environment.Design/methodology/approachIn this article the authors used the PIC (Population or Problem, Interest, and Context) design and undertook a comprehensive literature search conducted in Eric, MEDLINE, EmCare, CINAHL, PsychINFO and PubMed. Management databases were also searched including Business Source Premium (Ebesco) and Business Collection (InfoRMIT). Reference lists were scrutinized, and citation searches were performed of the included studies. The primary outcome was the quality of the literature searches and the secondary outcome was time spent on the literature search when the PIC model was used as a search strategy tool, compared to the use of another conceptualizing tool or unguided searching.FindingsThis scoping review identified eight scales used to measure an individual's response to change. This scoping review did not identify any individual change readiness scales specifically designed for use in the healthcare environment. However, two scales (the Acceptance of Change Scale and the Resistance to Change Scale) had applicability across a wide variety of organisational settings.Research limitations/implicationsScoping reviews do not set out to comprehensively source all relevant literature but rather to ascertain the nature and extent of the published literature in the field. Therefore, it is possible that a systematic review might uncover additional relevant papers.Practical implicationsThis scoping review will assist change leaders to gain a better understanding of the different scales used to measure individual response to change.Originality/valueTo manage change effectively, change leaders first need to develop an understanding of how individuals respond and adapt to change. Change leaders require the necessary scales to assist them to understand change processes, providing an understanding of where individuals are placed on the change continuum. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this scoping review is the first of its kind to identify and review scales to measure individual response to change.