A Psychometric Analysis of the Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) in a Child Welfare Setting.

Purpose: This study consisted of a psychometric analysis of the brief and expanded versions of the Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC) to assess the scale's validity and reliability in a child welfare setting.

Method: Based on responses from a sample of 313 child welfare professionals, factorial structure was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity was assessed through correlations with theoretically linked concepts, and internal consistency was assessed through Cronbach's alpha.

Results: Factor analysis yielded a unidimensional structure for the brief version and a two-factor structure for the expanded version. However, the models did not meet the standards for sufficient fit, as evidenced by the fit indices. Both the brief and expanded versions were significantly and positively correlated with theoretically linked concepts. Internal consistency of the brief (α = .96) and expanded versions (α = .96) was excellent.

Discussion: Though the measure holds promise with respect to construct validity and internal consistency, further testing of the factorial structure in a variety of child welfare samples is warranted.

Conclusion: This study supports the field of child welfare with information regarding one possible measure of organizational readiness, an important concept in implementation science.