Nurses are responsible for improved health outcomes for patients and diverse population groups. Achieving this critical objective necessitates evidence-based practice (EBP), where nurses implement projects supported by scientific evidence. Before engaging in practice change, nurses should assess the organizational culture and readiness for change. This assessment is vital since leadership, attitude, resources, and other factors determine critical aspects, including stakeholder support, participation of nursing teams, and implementation timelines. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the culture and level of organizational readiness for change in the present organization where the evidence-based practice project is proposed.
Organizational culture affects nurses’ behaviors and how they approach patient care. Ghiasi et al. (2022) described organizational culture as the shared norms or ideas that an organization develops in response to internal and external problems. These norms are institutionalized by teaching employees how the organization expects them to think and act. A critical analysis of the organization’s leadership, values, and internal relationships depicts a clan culture. Within nursing, a clan culture’s primary attributes include high internal focus and flexibility (Ghiasi et al., 2022). Such a culture supports change to a significant degree since it is people-centered and flexible, and the nursing environment management is characterized by employee participation and teamwork. Leaders are also friendly and encourage change. Although the structure is hierarchical, the present leadership promotes interprofessional collaboration to achieve patient-centered, high-quality care in safe environments. The primary mission is value-based care centered on high patient satisfaction and healthy patient-provider interactions. Open and respectful communication is highly encouraged, and the employees perceive the organization positively.
Organizational readiness for change is a critical success factor in EBP implementation. Vax et al. (2021) described readiness as stakeholders’ willingness and perceived capacity to adopt a new practice in an organization. Therefore, high readiness implies a proportional adoption rate of evidence-based projects for improved health outcomes. The readiness assessment using the Organizational Readiness to Change Assessment (ORCA) tool revealed that the current setting is ready for change due to how leaders perceive and support change, facilitation, and the overall organizational context. The ORCA tool assesses readiness from three dimensions: evidence, context, and facilitation (Kononowech et al., 2021). A successful project should be supported by solid evidence, and the organizational culture and leadership should embrace new interventions. Facilitation is primarily about the organization’s capacity to help people change their behaviors to embrace innovation (Kononowech et al., 2021). The survey results (92.8%) indicate a high likelihood of a successful project (Appendix A).
Multiple strategies can be used independently or jointly to facilitate the organization’s readiness. They include fostering a culture of innovation and teamwork and addressing staff well-being concerns. O’Hara et al. (2022) found that a culture of innovation is essential to improving healthcare quality and safety through action plans that accelerate new methods. Teamwork encourages diverse nursing professionals to collaborate and address current issues through evidence-based interventions. According to Pomare et al. (2020), change readiness is proportional to staff well-being. Therefore, addressing it improves job satisfaction and the psychological impact of organizational change.
The organization’s clan culture will fully support and sustain an evidence-based practice change. This culture encourages organizational change driven by teamwork and employee engagement (Ghiasi et al., 2022). Although it cr
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