The organizational change capability of public organizations: Concept and measurement

Change is inherent to public sector management, yet many change initiatives in public organizations fail due to a lack of relevant change capabilities within the organization. This article introduces a measurement scale designed specifically to assess the organizational change capability (OCC) of public organizations. Drawing on a literature search, expert review and empirical validation involving responses from 333 professionals across multiple military organizations in Belgium, this study constructs and tests a reliable and valid scale tailored to the unique operational, regulatory, and political landscapes of public organizations. The scale includes 77 items distributed across 15 identified components, highlighting the multidimensional nature of OCCs. Principal component analysis and reliability testing confirm the scale's robust psychometric properties. The OCC scale presented in this article deepens theoretical understanding of how public organizations manage and implement change and provides a foundation for future research in diverse public organizational contexts. © 2025 The Author(s).