The Six Forces That Shape Readiness
If readiness is the key to successful change, then understanding what shapes readiness becomes essential. Leaders often sense when a team is struggling, overloaded, or losing momentum — but they can’t always pinpoint why. That’s where the six readiness forces come in.
These forces operate across all four domains of the Readiness Engine™ — structural, strategic, psychological, and behavioural. They explain why some systems move smoothly while others grind, stall, or fracture under pressure.
When leaders understand these forces, they can diagnose issues early, intervene intelligently, and build conditions where change becomes sustainable.
1. Load — The Weight the System Is Carrying
Load is the total pressure placed on people and structures. It includes:
competing priorities
workload
emotional strain
cognitive demands
operational pressure
When load is too high, capability collapses. Even simple tasks feel heavy. When load is balanced, people have the bandwidth to adapt and perform.
2. Friction — The Resistance Created by the System Itself
Friction is the drag that slows progress. It shows up as:
unclear processes
duplicated effort
bottlenecks
miscommunication
unnecessary complexity
Friction wastes energy. It makes everything harder than it needs to be. Reducing friction is one of the fastest ways to increase readiness.
3. Flow — The Ease With Which Work Moves Through the System
Flow is the opposite of friction. It’s the smooth movement of:
information
decisions
resources
collaboration
action
When flow is high, teams move quickly and confidently. When flow is low, everything feels stuck.
Flow is often the clearest indicator of readiness in action.
4. Integrity — The Strength and Coherence of the System
Integrity is about alignment and reliability. It includes:
consistency of decisions
clarity of expectations
trustworthiness of processes
alignment between words and actions
When integrity is low, people hesitate. They second‑guess. They protect themselves. When integrity is high, people commit, follow through, and trust the system.
5. Trust — The Confidence People Have in Each Other and the System
Trust is the emotional and relational foundation of readiness. It shapes:
psychological safety
willingness to speak up
openness to feedback
collaboration
resilience under pressure
Trust amplifies capability. Without it, even strong systems struggle.
6. Rupture Risk — The Likelihood That the System Will Break Under Pressure
Rupture risk is the most important — and the most often ignored — readiness force. It reflects:
accumulated strain
unresolved issues
structural weaknesses
emotional fatigue
strategic misalignment
High rupture risk means the system is close to breaking. Low rupture risk means the system can absorb disruption and keep moving.
Rupture risk is the early warning signal leaders cannot afford to miss.
Why These Forces Matter
These six forces give leaders a practical way to understand what their system is experiencing. They reveal:
where pressure is building
where capability is being drained
where openness is being restricted
where momentum is being lost
where risk is increasing
Most importantly, they show leaders where to intervene first.
When leaders work with these forces — instead of against them — readiness rises, people perform better, and change becomes far more sustainable.
The Bottom Line
Readiness isn’t abstract. It’s shaped by real forces that leaders can see, measure, and influence. When organisations learn to diagnose these forces, they stop guessing and start leading with clarity.
In the next article, we’ll explore how leaders can use the Readiness Engine™ to diagnose readiness in their own teams and projects.