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Successful Healthcare Change Management Starts with a Quality Staff
John F. Kennedy once said, “Change is the law of life,” which is certainly true in the healthcare industry. For example, technological innovations or new regulatory requirements constantly change how healthcare organizations care for their patients. However, some healthcare organizations can be resistant to change, as their methods and procedures might not have been altered for years. This is when healthcare change management can be beneficial. But what exactly does managing change in healthcare mean? And how does quality staff affect organizational change?
Quality Healthcare Staff and Change Management
When healthcare organizations are at a point when they need to make a significant shift in the way they operate, change management helps to minimize disruptions during these times. This can be an organizational change, such as the modernization of patient payment options, adaptive change, such as implementing a new software platform, or individual change, such as a nurse learning a new skill.
However, any kind of wide-scale change management will only work with committed professionals on staff. Quality staff members will help their colleagues overcome resistance and get on board with changes. Also, healthcare providers who are supporters of organizational change are more likely to have:
- High levels of job satisfaction
- Increased productivity
- Reduced stress levels
- Better communication with colleagues
- Fewer workplace accidents
- Improved decision making
That’s why it is crucial that healthcare organizations ensure they have the right employees in place who are ready to embrace change.
Change Management Models in Healthcare
There are many examples of change management in healthcare, such as Lewin’s Change Management Model, which divides the process into three steps: unfreeze, which is the preparation stage, change, which is the implementation stage, and refreeze, which helps to avoid falling back into the old ways of operating. There’s also the ADKAR model, which is an acronym that stands for awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement.
One of the most common change management models is the 8 Steps for Leading Change. Also known as the Kotter Method, this model was developed by author and Harvard professor John Kotter to help organizations keep up in a world of constant change.
The 8 Steps for Leading Change are:
- Develop a sense of urgency – By creating a sense of urgency, momentum starts to build, and employees begin to become excited about the change.
- Build a guiding team – A team that is proactive about the organizational change can coordinate and guide the process.
- Get the vision right – Being clear about what to expect in the future helps to show how the change will make the organization better than in the past.
- Rally the crowd – This is perhaps the most important step of them all, as motivating healthcare providers to be enthusiastic about change is crucial for it to work.
- Empower action – By identifying and removing any obstacles that can slow down progress, healthcare organizations are more likely to succeed when enacting change.
- Create short-term wins – Each positive baby step in the process of change should be recognized and celebrated to keep the momentum going.
- Don’t let up – Even if there are bumps in the road, it is critical to keep going with the organizational change.
- Make change stick – Constant evaluation and reexamination of organizational change will help make sure that it stays for the long term.
Embrace Healthcare Change Management with Staffing from Amergis
Managing change in healthcare is a crucial aspect of care for many organizations, and Amergis Staffing recognizes that healthcare change management can make all the difference for these facilities. That’s why we’re proud to play a crucial role in providing healthcare organizations with the staff they need to enact and utilize change management strategies.
Rely on Amergis Staffing for quality, highly skilled personnel for change management in healthcare.
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