Change can be a contradictory topic. Some people dislike change or avoid it; others think it’s necessary or crave it. Whichever side you’re on, we can all agree on two things: change is inevitable, and change is easier if you’re prepared for it.

Organizations undergo change for various reasons—to cut costs, improve operational efficiency, implement new technology, improve culture and teamwork, adapt to meet changing demands—the list goes on. When preparing for a major change in an organization, figuring out how ready your people and systems are is the best place to start. Even if the leadership team feels set for change, an organizational readiness assessment can reveal signs of misalignment between all the different stakeholders.

An organizational readiness assessment can be defined as, “an official measurement of the preparedness of your company to undergo a major change or take on a significant new project.” It is a relatively simple way to predict how an organizational change will impact staff, systems, and resources. It should reveal the scope of change, type of change, number of employees impacted and the level of change—or how far removed it will leave an organization from the current environment.

In healthcare, many institutions at the organizational level need more structure and standardization around patient handoffs between clinical staff. At the I-PASS Institute, we partner with healthcare institutions to implement a formal, standardized process around clinician communication to reduce patient harm.

Before we implement the I-PASS framework, we partner with each institution to complete an organizational readiness assessment. This fundamental first step is designed to set all parties up for success: creating a shared blueprint that helps us build a customized approach for every institution we work with.

But we know that one of the top priorities for healthcare organizations this year and beyond will be ensuring there’s a strong foundation to support a thriving safety culture. That’s why we’ve opened our organizational assessment for you to evaluate where you are today and plan for the future.

We invite you to complete our two-minute organizational assessment survey to learn where your patient safety culture stands.

Is your organization ready? Take our two-minute assessment to find out.