From Fragmented Concepts to Structured Insights - A Three-Layer Readiness Taxonomy Across Disciplines

Readiness is a critical yet conceptually fragmented construct in Information Systems (IS) and related fields. Existing frameworks often emphasize technology, organization, or environment but frequently overlook societal, ethical, and risk-oriented dimensions, or conflate individual, organizational, and systemic levels. This paper introduces a three-layer taxonomy of readiness that structures 14 characteristics across six dimensions, mapped by facet (what), level (who), and phase (when). The taxonomy was developed through a cross-disciplinary review of 20 high-quality articles and validated by applying it to five IS-focused studies on digital transformation, AI integration, and sustainability. Results reveal dominant patterns, underrepresented areas, and distinctive readiness “signatures” across contexts. The proposed model provides a structured lens for conceptualizing and diagnosing readiness in complex socio-technical systems. It enables comparative analysis across disciplines and supports future development of theory-driven assessment tools for digital transformation, innovation adoption, and strategic change.