Organizational change capacity: the systematic development of a scale

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to systematically develop a reliable and valid construct that can facilitate and enhance the organizational change process by following Hinkin's suggestions for construct development. The “Organizational Capacity for Change” (OCC) construct provides a multi‐dimensional assessment tool to diagnose and guide organizational change. Design/methodology/approach In the first empirical study, the paper provides details on the creation and refinement of the OCC instrument by reviewing the results of nearly 3,600 respondents in 161 organizational units in a wide variety of industries from 1999 to 2005. In the second empirical study, it tests the OCC instrument in a single industry to determine the validity of the measures. Findings The result is a reliable and valid multi‐dimensional, 32‐item instrument which describes a new construct in the organizational sciences that can be used by executives to prepare for and enhance their organizational change process, or for scholars to study the organizational change process. Practical implications Theoretically, this measure refines and extends the dynamic capabilities literature. Pragmatically, this measure provides a tool for assisting executives to lead organization change initiatives. Originality/value This measure provides a reliable and valid tool for assessing organizational change capacity, as well as provides a means for gauging improvement in organizational change capacity over time.