Willing, Able-> Ready: Basics and Policy Implications of Readiness as a Key Component for Implementation of Evidence-based Interventions

This brief is one in a series exploring issues related to the implementation of evidence-based interventions. It describes the basics of readiness using the R=MC2 (Readiness = Motivation × General Capacity and Intervention-Specific Capacity) heuristic, examines some of the policy implications of readiness, and identifies directions for future research. “Readiness” refers to the extent to which an organization is both willing and able to implement a particular practice. An emerging body of scholarly work identifies three components of readiness that organizations should address when implementing new EBIs: (a) motivation of people within the organization to adopt new EBIs, (b) general organizational capacities, and (c) intervention-specific capacities. Motivation includes beliefs about an intervention and support for the program which contribute to the desire to adopt a practice. General capacity speaks to different aspects of organizational functioning such as culture, climate, staff capacity, and leadership. Intervention-specific capacity describes human, technical, and fiscal conditions such as knowledge, skills, and intervention-related abilities that are important to the successful implementation of a particular practice.