​Hey Reader,​

When we talk about change readiness, we often talk about people: how can we prepare people for change so that they move from the status quo, or what they're doing now, to the future state, or what we want them to do?

But this is a problem.

Don’t get me wrong; when it comes to managing change, I don’t think we focus on people enough! The problem arises when we only talk about people.

This becomes less of an annoyance and more of a serious issue when leaders and change practitioners frame readiness as an individual or team responsibility and completely disregard a much more crucial element.

An organization’s capacity for change.

One of the biggest issues I see as companies try to navigate change is that an organization’s systems and processes can’t support the change leaders want to see. Because the organization can’t support the change, people struggle, ignore, resist, or rebel and then the problem becomes the people.

If an organization isn’t ready for change, its people can’t be either.

Makes sense, you might say. So when we have a big change coming up, I’ll make sure we have the right systems and processes in place to support it so that folks have what they need in order to change. Sound good?

Not so fast.

A lot of the leading change management methods consider organizational readiness when a change is already in the works. But in my experience, that’s too late for the types of organizations I work with to address certain elements that are critical to the success of any change.

They’re what I call situation-independent organizational elements.

Some are specific to certain organizations.

But there are others that apply to all organizations, big or small, for-profit or nonprofit. Here are just a few:

• Does your organization have an effective and engaging internal communication strategy?
• Do you have a clear org chart and reporting structure that everyone is familiar with, as well as an organizational understanding of what different teams and leaders are responsible for and how the teams all collaborate together to work toward your company's mission?
• Does your organization have a clear onboarding process for new hires and a “re-onboarding” strategy to keep longer-term employees updated and aligned so everyone, no matter their join date, is on the same page?
• Do you have a well-defined organizational culture and employer brand, and a strategy to leverage employees as your biggest brand advocates?

If you're getting a pit in your stomach, you're certainly not alone.

These are just four of the most common situation-independent organizational elements that surface when we do readiness assessments with our clients.

None of our clients are bad organizations, and neither is yours. Just the opposite, in fact. We only work with purpose-driven companies and nonprofits who strive to make the world a better place (which is exactly why we want them to navigate change more effectively!) Every single one of the leaders we work with cares about their people. We know you do too.

As organizations grow and navigate everything the world throws at them, situation-independent organizational elements like the ones we listed get overlooked. It's normal, but we don't want to normalize it.

The worst thing about situation-independent organizational elements? Fixing or upgrading them requires resources. The best thing?

You don’t have to wait for change to happen; you can tackle them now.

They won’t just level up your organization’s ability to navigate change. They’ll align your people, improve your internal processes, and save folks time and energy on the day-to-day work that supports your mission and business goals.

So what do you think about the four examples I listed above? Do they resonate? Hit reply and let me know.

Happy change-making,

Caitlin Founder, Commcoterie

P.S. — We’ll be talking all about organizational change readiness at our next Office Hours on Thursday, May 16th. Want to figure out where your organization is now, where it needs to be, and your first best step to get there? Register here and be one of the first to submit a question for the Q&A.

How ready is your organization for change?

Want to DIY a readiness assessment? Try this to start: Think about a big change that you want to happen in the next few months. If it was going to kick off tomorrow, what are the first five things that would present a challenge to the change’s successful implementation? If you could solve one of these challenges right now, which one would have the biggest impact for your organization, regardless of the big change? What's the first best step you can take to solve this challenge? Still stuck? Get in touch

Want some support? Book a change readiness assessment with us. We’ll: Look at your organization’s overall readiness for change — this includes your people and your processes Identify red flags (that probably have a negative impact on more elements of your day-to-day operations than you realize) Help you prioritize the most urgent challenges to address so that you can start tackling them Let's set up a time to chat so that you can tell us about your organization. Let's talk

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