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

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.