Readiness to Change in a Project-based Organization : Factors supporting change implementation at individual level

Abstract: Problem - The challenge investigated in this present study is for a project-based organization to create a well-planned implementation by knowing the current state of the organization and its readiness for a change. This while also taking the time for unexpected events and communicating the issue while also taking their organizational structure into consideration. Purpose - The purpose of this study is to analyze the readiness to change for the case company with focus on three aspects of readiness: information sharing, common views and implementation approach, while also taking into account the distinct features of a PBO-structured organization. The study aims to identify supporting factors for successfully managing an implementation of a new business system at the individual level. Method - This study is a case study based on a single case company: Sweco, which is a Swedish technical consulting firm that is about to change their business system. A literature review was conducted in order to collect previously conducted research within the research area. The primary methods used for data collection in this study have been semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire, the data was mainly analyzed though thematic analysis. Results – The readiness for change for the case company is affected by their organizational structure. The results of the questionnaire show that collaboration within Sweco works relatively well, but there are some aspects that can be improved, such as communication and information sharing. The results of the conducted interviews show that most employees at the case company perceive the change of business system to be good, but they were unsure about why it would be carried through. Guides on how the change would affect the specific individual and knowing where to turn for feedback and information was pointed out as a suggested improvement by the employees. A lot of responsibility of implementing the new system was put on the unit managers. Conclusions - The study strengthens the existing theory regarding change readiness and individual supporting factors for successful change implementation. It confirms some of the strengths and drawbacks for organizations working with projects. The study also concludes how the case-company and other companies in a similar situation can utilize some advantages of being familiar with working in projects.