This document provides instructions for an assignment involving assessing an organization's readiness for change. Students are asked to administer an organizational change questionnaire to someone who experienced a workplace change. They then analyze the responses to determine the level of readiness based on culture, commitment, capacity, and capability. They also identify the most important cultural characteristic that impacted the change's success or failure. The assignment requires submitting a 3-4 page paper addressing these points.

1. ***ASSIGNMENT 2
SLP MOD 3**
SLP 3, MOD 3 ASSIGNMENT
Module 3 - SLP
The Four Change Antecedents: Culture, Capacity, Commitment,
and Capability
For the Module 3 SLP, you are asked to administer the adapted
Organizational Readiness to Change (Climate of Change) to
someone you know who has experienced a major workplace
change. As you learned from the Background materials, one of
the four factors that may be used to determine the potential
success of a major organizational change is the organization’s
culture; that is, the organization’s culture must exist in a state
that is ready for—and amenable to—major change or
organizational transformation. For purposes of this SLP, you are
free to administer the survey to someone who has experienced
either a major (transformational) or minor organizational
change.
This adapted survey is intended to measure an organization’s
readiness to change from the perspective of the organization’s
culture. Download the survey: Organizational Change
Questionnaire - Climate of Change - Adapted).
Following completion of the survey, respond to the following in
a 3- to 4-page paper:
1.Identify the nature of the change: What was the change that
the organization experienced? Then, identify the change as a
minor or major organizational change.

2. 2.Was the organizational change successful? In other words,
does the interviewee believe that the organization achieved its
stated purpose?
3.Provide the total score and the level of readiness for
organizational change.
4.From the perspective of the organization’s culture, what does
the interviewee believe was the single, most important
characteristic of the organization’s culture that contributed to
the success or failure of the change (e.g., open communication/
poor communication, high level of trust/ mistrust, etc.)? How
does this identified characteristic compare with the general
responses (and the total score) given by the interviewee?
5.Conclude your SLP by commenting on the extent to which the
interviewee’s organizational culture contributed to the success
or failure of the change. How do the interviewee’s responses
inform (or align with) the success or failure of the
organizational change?
SLP Assignment Expectations
1.Your SLP should be 3-4 pages in length (not including Cover
and Reference pages).
2.Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.
3.Upload your paper to the SLP 3 Dropbox before the
assignment due date.
•Module◦Characterize adaptive versus planned organizational
change, and distinguish these organizational change processes
from organizational transformation.
◦Explain the role that four antecedents—namely Culture,
Commitment, Capacity, and Capability—play in successful
organizational change.
•Case◦Assess the extent to which Culture, Commitment,
Capability, and Capacity factor into the readiness for purposeful
organizational change processes.
•SLP◦Following the administration of an adapted Organizational

3. Climate questionnaire, determine the extent to which the
organization’s culture was successfully prepared prior to
embarking on a major organizational change or transformation.
Module 3 - Home
The Four Change Antecedents: Culture, Capacity, Commitment,
and Capability
Modular Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be
able to satisfy the following outcomes:
•Case◦Assess the extent to which Culture, Commitment,
Capability, and Capacity factor into the readiness for purposeful
organizational change processes.
•SLP◦Following the administration of an adapted Organizational
Climate questionnaire, determine the extent to which the
organization’s culture was successfully prepared prior to
embarking on a major organizational change or transformation.
•Discussion◦In light of the intangible nature of the “construct”
of organizational Culture—one that is replete with metaphor,
stories, and artefacts—state whether an organization’s culture
be “managed” in the same sense as an organization’s people or
budgets are managed.
Module Overview

4. In Module 3, following a brief discussion of why organizations
must be willing to undergo change processes—whether such
change is adaptive or transformative—we will examine the
nature of Culture, Capacity, Commitment, and Capability, and
the role that each of these factors plays in laying the
groundwork for successful organizational change and
transformation.
MUST USE VIDEOS AND READINGS BELOW:
Module 3 - Background
The Four Change Antecedents: Culture, Capacity, Commitment,
and Capability
Required Reading
In Module 3, we will discuss the practical steps that should be
taken before an organization seeks to undertake a major change.
Bear in mind that there are various forms of organizational
change. Indeed, most organizational changes are barely
noticeable, going undetected because they consist of non-
complex, subtle adjustments (e.g., consider the small changes
that organizations routinely make to procedures). Other changes
are major, they are transformative. Often, organizations are
required to undergo a major organizational change because of
their need to adjust to significant external environmental threats
(these events may stem from political, social, technological,
and/or economic forces, for example, vastly increased
governmental regulation, the entry of a new competitor into the
industry, or an economic recession).
At other times, organizations actively choose to undergo some

5. form of major organizational change because they are aware of
opportunities in the external environment; such choices might
include new product innovation, the acquisition of another
company, or even a merger. Whether the organization is
responding to threats or opportunities (or both), the
organization is engaged in strategic planning—and changes in
organizational strategy constitute major organizational changes.
The important point to be made here is that major
organizational changes and organizational transformation are
events that place the organizations at the very highest of risk.
Read the following article about Organizational Transformation
(as contrasted with other forms of organizational change, such
as “developmental change” and “transitional change”):
Andersen, D., & Andersen, L. A. (2010). What is
transformation, and why is it so hard to manage? Change
Leader’s Network. Retrieved from
http://changeleadersnetwork.com/free-resources/what-is-
transformation-and-why-is-it-so-hard-to-manage
As we learned in Modules 1 and 2, major organizational
changes are often cause for resistance on the part of individuals
and/or groups; for the sake of successful change, resistance to
change must be managed. The extent to which the change is
managed well (or not) is the key determinant of whether the
change will succeed—or whether the change is doomed to
failure. Because no organization wishes for a major change to
fail; thus, proactive planning and communication are
paramount.
Today, change is rapid, change is complex. Change management
is thus made complex. As a matter of survival (let alone
organizational success), organizations must be adept at change
(recall from Module 1 how the best of organizations can fail
when they neglect to change and/or adapt to changing

6. environmental conditions). It is in this context that we turn to
discover the steps that must be taken before a major
organizational change is undertaken.
Read Sections 1 (“It’s Not Working!”) through Section 3.4
(“Capability to Change”) in the following text:
· Managing Organizational Change by Helen Campbell
· Campbell, H. (2014). Managing organizational change: A
practical toolkit for leaders. Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page.
Retrieved from EBSCO—eBook Collection.
*****As noted by Campbell, organizations must have the
following in order to change to be successful:
1.Culture “fit”
2.Capacity
3.Commitment
4.Capability
We have covered resistance to change (in the context of the
organization’s need for commitment on the part of individuals
and the organization as a collective) in Modules 1 and 2. To this
extent, let’s review the other three key concepts – beginning
with Organizational Culture in greater depth. To begin, watch
this short video on the importance of culture in the
organizational change process:
PWC’s Strategy. (2014, April 3). Culture is key: The 2013
culture and change management survey. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54VpkDeMbfI

7. Now, watch the video “Building your capability to lead
change.” Note how many of the characteristics discussed within
the video are related to the organization’s culture:
Franklin, M. (2014, July 10). Building your capability to
change. Agile CM. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBBboMQxcqk
Organizations not only require the capability (or the
competencies) to change, but they also require the capacity for
change. Among other things, “capacity” refers to needed
resources—people, capital, and money—as well as the ability of
the organization to manage the change without adversely
disrupting the organization’s existing operations. Read the
section entitled “Change Capacity,” noting the authors’
assertion that organizations undergoing major change
simultaneously require stability as well as change.
Meyer, C. B., & Stensaker, I. G. (2006). Developing capacity
for change. Journal of Change Management, 6(2), 217–231.
Retrieved from EBSCO—Business Source Complete.
Optional Reading
Read Chapter 2 (entitled “A Leader’s Guide to Understanding
Organizational Culture”) for an excellent overview of the role
that organizational culture plays in organizational change and
organizational transformation processes:
Coming Even Cleaner About Organization Change by Patterson
Patterson, J. L. (2003). Coming even cleaner about
organizational change. Lanham, MD: R&L Education. Retrieved
from EBSCO—eBook Collection.

8. For an in-depth discuss of organizational capacity, read Chapter
11 of the Focusing on Organizational Change text:
Chapter 9 of the Focusing on Organizational Change text
provides an excellent discussion of Organizational Culture
(specifically, accountable cultures).
CASE ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT 1
Module 3 – Case ASSIGNMENT
The Four Change Antecedents: Culture, Capacity, Commitment,
and Capability
Begin the Module 3 Case assignment by reading the following
Case study:
· Burton, O., & Pope, D. (2012). Winds of change at
Measurement Equipment Supply Co., Inc. Journal of Case
Studies, 30(1), 51-57. Retrieved from EBSCO—Business Source
Complete.
Then, in a well-written 5- to 6-page paper, respond to the
following:
1.What do you believe are the most important 3-4 threats
confronting the Measurement Equipment Co. Inc. (MESCO)?
Hint: As you read the case, take note as to how events that have
emerged in the company’s external environment, for example,
increased regulation, economic, social, and technological—have
created the need for the company to consider undergoing major
changes.
2.In the Background section of this module, we reviewed the
role of:
a.Culture

9. b.Commitment
c.Capacity
d.Capability
in determining the extent to which companies are prepared to
successfully undertake major organizational changes. Your task
is to rank each of these four factors from the highest (#1) to the
lowest (#4) company need as they relate to MESCO’s readiness
to change. Next, defend each of your rankings (for example, if
you ranked “Commitment” as #1, explain specifically why you
believe Commitment is the factor that the company has the
greatest need to address; what circumstances or threats faced by
the company cause you to rank this factor as being the most
important need?).
3.Using the factors you ranked as #3 and #4, provide 2 or 3
recommendations for each concerning what you believe the
company should do in order to sufficiently prepare the company
to undergo a major organizational change. For example,
assuming you have ranked the company’s “Capability” as #4
(the lowest of the four factors—and as the greatest need), what
do you recommend Bill Smith should do to improve
“Capability” before MESCO can successfully move forward
with the company’s major organizational changes?
Assignment Expectations
1.Your paper must be at least 5-6 pages in length.
2.Be sure that you incorporate sources found at the Background
page into your written analysis.
3.You may want to review information about the industry in the
library’s IBISWorld resource.
4.Be sure that you properly cite all sources used in your paper
(APA Style) in-text and in your end referencing.
5.Upload your Module 3 Case to the Dropbox before or on the
assignment due date.