Hey Reader,

As someone who helps values-centered companies create organizational change, clients usually come to me at a very specific time: when there’s a big change on the horizon!

Whether they have a spark of an idea and need a thought partner to help them shape a strategy or they present a clear and pressing need that must be addressed, the change is present.

But are people ready for it?

Not only are most leaders I talk to not sure, they don’t exactly know what change readiness means.

If you feel like you’re in the same boat, you’re not alone.

The Association of Change Management Professionals defines change readiness as “the preparedness of an organization or its parts to accept, effectively handle, and integrate impending change.” That’s a little dry, but you get the idea. Change readiness is readiness for change.

But why is it so important?

At the risk of getting very nerdy, social cognitive theory suggests that when organizational readiness for change is high, organizational members are more likely to:

• initiate changes like instituting new policies, procedures, or practices
• exert greater effort in support of change
• exhibit greater persistence in the face of obstacles or setbacks during implementation

Motivation theory not only supports this, but suggests that when organizational readiness is high, organizational members will exhibit more "pro-social, change-related behavior" — that is, actions that support the change effort that exceed job requirements or role expectations.

So, greater readiness = more successful change.

Here's the thing though: you can't starting thinking about change readiness when a change is right there in front of you. Readiness is supposed to take place well before you even start developing a strategy for a specific change, let alone implementing it.

But how and when is your organization supposed to develop change readiness if change is constant?

I tell my clients to look for a break in the waves.

As a kid growing up in Florida, we spent a lot of time at the beach. My siblings and I loved going out when the waves were big so that we could jump over them, laughing as we tried to keep our heads above water.

During longer lulls between waves, we were able to paddle and chat with each other or float on our backs and look at the sky, but there was always another wave on its way.

At the risk of sounding cliché, change is like the ocean; it’s always in motion. Sometimes the waves are big or small, sometimes there’s a storm, and sometimes it's still on the surface while plenty of things happen beneath.

So if change is constant, like I tell my clients: when we see a break in the waves, let's take advantage of it. It’s our opportunity to build an organization’s change capacity, employees’ individual change readiness, and an organization-specific change framework so that when the next wave appears, folks can jump up and clear it with ease — and maybe a bit of laughter.

At our next Organizational Change Office Hours, we’ll be talking about how to tell if your organization is change-ready, plus some steps you can take to build a change-ready culture.

Will I see you there? You can register for free here. And if you have a question for this month's Office Hours, just reply here after you register and I'll prioritize it during the Q&A.

Talk soon,

Caitlin Founder, Commcoterie

P.S. — Our Office Hours are free and open to all people leaders and change-makers. If you’d like to share it with your networks, here are some assets to help. We appreciate the support — and if there's anything we can do to support you or amplify your message, don't hesitate to reply here and let us know.

What we're watching

For a limited time only: Communicating Change in Times of Constant Crisis with Commcoterie & Creative Mornings FieldTrips, the replay On January 11th, we hosted a virtual Field Trip with Creative Mornings to share the three communication pillars Commcoterie uses to drive inclusive, equitable, and effective organizational change with values-centered businesses and mission-driven organizations. Attendees left with a tailored piece of communication they could use for an upcoming change and tools they can use to communicate with compassion, curiosity, and clarity and be the calm in the storm when crisis strikes. The replay of the video is still available on the registration page for a limited time, so if you missed it, now is your chance! P.S. - Don't click on the video itself or it will send you to another page that says it's expired. Simply watch the video embedded on the page. Watch here​

Reimagining Capitalism Through Purpose, With Purpose, and On Purpose by Nathan Stuck at TEDxFolsom "We, as consumers, employees, and entrepreneurs, have the power to reimagine and redefine a version of capitalism that works for everyone. Let's get intentional with how we act, what we buy, and where we work to shift the demand curve that businesses are already chasing. Let's make good business good business." Nathan is a consultant and an award-winning leader in the B Corp community. He founded and chairs B Local Georgia and serves on the board of B Academics. I like his breakdown of the "third option" between continuing with status quo (destructive, extractive) capitalism and the "burn it all down" mindset of starting completely from scratch. As someone who works with B Corps it's exciting to watch the B Corp movement normalize more equitable and sustainable ways of working. Watch here​

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