What is organizational readiness?

At some point, most organizations will go through significant changes. Realizing this inevitability, you may wonder if your organization is ready for a transformation. That can be difficult to gauge as there is no one-size-fits-all approach to transformation and many contributing factors to an organization's preparedness for change, or organizational readiness. Regardless of scale, one common element is foundational to successful change: people.

Organizational readiness puts people at the center of the equation sooner

The ability to transform is crucial in responding to changing market conditions - for survival and to remain competitive in the marketplace. More importantly, prosperous organizations know that the people within their organization are essential in helping them reach their goals. Inviting those impacted by a change to share their perspectives and participate in developing solutions intended to drive the business forward helps to promote innovation. Further, it instills a greater sense of purpose, acceptance and belonging in the work. The most effective companies driving transformation today begin planning for change with the voice of their people in the decision-making.

By using insights provided by early participation and ongoing assessment, organizations can identify and understand critical factors that enhance or challenge a successful transformation, enabling them to proactively mitigate obstacles and leverage their collective strength to support the mission. As a result, the organization's workforce has a better experience with changes to technology, processes and organizational priorities, resulting in easier adoption and better utilization while optimizing efficiency and maximizing ROI.

Organizational readiness takes a proactive approach to change

By operating from a holistic mindset for end-to-end transformation, organizational readiness establishes early leadership alignment, builds understanding and desire across the organization and drives optimization through a commitment to continuous improvement. While every change initiative is different, Baker Tilly's approach focuses on three pillars essential to successful digital transformation, with people as the central focal point: