Before the change has been introduced, workers are performing in the pre-initiative stage. Whether or not this
stage finds workers in a positive work environment depends on the cultural environment of the organization.
Before work begins on a new project that will impact the organization, it’s critical to perform a cultural
assessment of the organization. This will provide key insight into the level of resistance to change that may
surface and how loyal workers are to their work environment (and how loyal they may remain in the face of
change). Regardless of what the cultural assessment yields, if the project team decides to go forward with
the change initiative, then workers will begin the change initiative from the pre-initiative stage in which they
are unaware of any impending changes and are used to the status quo. In a positive work environment, these
workers will be found to be generally confident in performing their job tasks. They come to work on time,
perform well, and get along with their coworkers.
A later section of this SMA explores what the cultural assessment measures and how the results will impact
the future organizational change management work and activities.