Creating individual and organizational readiness for change: conceptualization of system readiness for change in school education

ABSTRACT

Readiness for change is a multi-dimensional, multi-level, multifaceted construct. Readiness is arguably one of the most important factors involved in individuals’ initial support for change initiatives. Organizational readiness for change is a critical precursor to successful change implementation. There is voluminous literature on organizational change and readiness for change. However, limited published research work has explicitly conceptualized or empirically measured readiness for change in school education from a systems perspective that investigates the interaction of both individual readiness and organizational readiness for change. This article critically reviews the literature on the organizational change process and readiness for change. Informed by documented evidence of existing literature and our previous research on the School Actualization Program in Taiwan, it proposes a conceptual framework of system readiness for change in school education. It seeks to fill the gap identified in the literature and provide insights into the dynamic interaction and readiness for change process, and therefore offer possibilities of debates and further empirical studies in school settings. It concludes with the discussion of implications of the framework in school and system improvement from a cross-national perspective.

KEYWORDS:

• Individual and organizational readiness for change
• educational change
• efficacy
• valence
• commitment
• leadership

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ting Wang

Dr Ting Wang is Professor of Education and the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra, Australia. She specializes in educational management and leadership, school leadership and professional learning communities, teacher professional development, international and comparative education. She is affiliated with Beijing Normal University as a High-End Foreign Expert awarded by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, China. She is also affiliated with Hangzhou Normal University as a Qianjiang Distinguished Scholar awarded by Hangzhou Municipal Government.

Dianne F. Olivier

Dr. Dianne F. Olivier is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Doctoral Coordinator in the College of Education, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, United States. She holds the Joan D. and Alexander S. Haig/BORSF Endowed Professor in Education and has received University distinguished recognition for her research and expertise as a doctoral advisor. Her research focuses on educational leadership, professional learning communities, change processes, school culture, and teacher self- and collective efficacy. She has authored several assessments related to her major areas of research, including the PLCA-R that has been translated into ten languages and is utilized on an international basis. Her PLC research has transitioned from the domestic national level to a global perspective as a member of a Global PLC Network.

Peiying Chen

Dr. Peiying Chen is a Professor in the Department of Education & Graduate Institute of Policy & Administration at National Taiwan Normal University. She specializes in research on school improvement, school leadership, teacher leadership, professional learning communities, and gender & education. Her work has been published in such leading international journals as School Effectiveness and School Improvement, Educational Review, School Leadership and Management, Asia Pacific Journal of Education and domestic journals. She is currently leading the large, comprehensive school reform program sponsored by the Ministry of Education, School Actualization Program, for improving high school educational quality in Taiwan.