# Managers’ perceptions of organizational readiness for change within disability healthcare: a Swedish national study with an embedded mixed-methods approach

## TL;DR

This study explores how managers in Swedish disability healthcare view their organization's readiness to implement changes aimed at improving care for people with disabilities.

## Contribution

The study introduces a mixed-methods approach to assess organizational readiness for change in disability healthcare from a national perspective.

## Key findings

- Managerial characteristics like gender, age, and experience influence perceptions of organizational readiness.
- Enabling factors include trust-based leadership and staff involvement, while barriers include complex processes and lack of support.
- Organizational dynamics and resource availability are critical in shaping readiness for change.

## Abstract

People with disabilities experience significant health inequities compared with the general population. Addressing these inequities requires the development and implementation of tailored interventions, but a gap often exists between recommended best practices and the actual care provided. Successful implementation is complex, involving multiple organizational factors. Assessing organizational readiness for change is crucial to overcome barriers and improve health outcomes for people with disabilities. This study aims to examine managers’ perceptions of their organization’s readiness for change regarding the implementation of interventions within disability healthcare in Sweden.

This descriptive cross-sectional study employs an embedded mixed-methods approach. The primary approach for the overall study is based on quantitative data, while qualitative data is analyzed to provide supplementary deepened information. Both types of data were collected simultaneously through a web-based survey. The data analysis involves various statistical techniques for the quantitative data and inductive content analysis for the qualitative data.

Several key factors influence managers’ perceptions of their organization’s readiness for change, including gender, age, tenure, organizational type, managerial level, and experience. Enabling factors for implementation include trust-based leadership, staff involvement, motivation, and engagement. Barriers include complex processes, lack of support, resistance and fear, and insufficient time and resources.

This study highlights the complexity of organizational readiness for disability healthcare interventions, shaped by both individual and organizational factors. In particular, managerial characteristics, organizational dynamics, and resource availability play key roles. These findings suggest that a comprehensive strategy can strengthen healthcare organizations’ ability to navigate implementation challenges effectively.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-025-12808-4.