The Power of Organizational Readiness to Boost Success With the 2008 EPAS in Social Work Education

Abstract

Social work education is engaged in a significant evolutionary phase of its development, spearheaded by the Council on Social Work Education and the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). This article suggests that an organizational change–anchored focus is a little discussed but ultimately important set of theories and frameworks that have potential to greatly affect successful EPAS implementation. Attention to the organizational change literature with specific focus on theories and models of organizational readiness for change, organizational resistance to change, and, finally, implementation science might enhance the effectiveness and, ultimately, the effect of the positive opportunities associated with the new EPAS while simultaneously protecting and preserving the most important knowledge, ethics, values, and traditions of social work education.