Implementing Change

Implementing change among all organizations is necessary to achieve success; within the health care industry change is constant and it is the role of management teams to assess, plan, implement and evaluate change to ensure satisfaction. Considering this among the other aspects of running a successful organization it is essential to ensure that there is minimal resistance and familiarity to change. Demands of the consumers and staff as well as regulations are continuously changing. The responsibility of managers is to successfully lead these inevitable changes.

To successfully implement change, employees need to understand how this will benefit them and impact their daily work. One of the things is that something might look good on paper can have drawbacks that are not realized by the planners, but can be easily identified by the employees who must implement the change. Therefore as a manager you need to bring the idea to the employees and get their feedback and continue to empower the employees to make the change that will work for them. Since change doesn’t happen overnight a manager needs to continually in monitoring the process and to assist the

In order to successfully and effectively implement change all of the employees should have a good understanding of how the changes will benefit the organization, their positions, and how it might impact their routines. To many employees the implementation of change is not always properly communicated, and the process of change on paper as it is being implemented can be threatening as well as confusing. Also, the people behind the scenes making the changes may not have taken specific details into consideration regarding effective changes that perhaps the employees

Implementing change in an organization is complicated. It is important that a manager understands their role and responsibilities for which could very well be the success or failure of an organization. A manager should know how to handle staff resistance, and the areas that require change. There are processes that help management with assisting their staff members with adjusting to change and concentrate on the areas of importance. This process includes planning, assessment, implementation, and evaluation. The difference between a failed organization and a successful manager is when the manager has the ability to implement change with little disruption to

The more active the participants are in the planning, the less resistance there will be later (Sullivan & Decker). If staff does not trust leadership, does not share the organization's vision, does not buy into the reason for change, and aren't included in the planning, there will be no successful change, regardless of how brilliant the strategy (Goman, 2000). How people react to change is important to understand. Change takes an emotional toll on people, some more than others. It is important not to underestimate that toll and understand who will have a harder time adapting to change. Fear of change has many roots. Those roots can be a lack of trust, fear of failure, fear of loss of income or a belief that the change is unnecessary (Sullivan & Decker). By understanding the reason for the resistance a manager can help the employee overcome his or her fear and become a supporter of the change. The last two steps are to provide feedback mechanisms to keep everyone informed of the progress of change and evaluate the effectiveness of change (Sullivan & Decker). People need to be kept informed of the change process to minimize anxiety. Sometimes there are unexpected consequences to the change, and it is important to have a system in place for those consequences to be discussed and if needed more changes made in order to accommodate those consequences.

For this reason, leaders are culpable for the perceptions of any potential alteration efforts. They should endorse the change as an occasion for employees to enhance their skills and offer guidance after implementation (Nelissen & van Sale, 2009). Not to mention if every meeting begins with communicating the vision of the company, it can advance ownership and pride that will lead to success.

As managers they need to involved every one with the change and not force the change upon them.

There are many reasons that change can or must occur within and organization. The key will be in understanding the organization and the prospective change. According to Mangundjaya (2015) "there are many variables that can influence the success of organizational change, such as the content of the change, the process of the change, individual characteristics, leadership, external environment and organizational context" (p. 67). Organizational change has the potential to successfully align an organization with its goals or completely derail any future success and progress. It is important that the organization takes the proper steps to prepare for, implement, and evaluate change.

With any change there are many factors involved within the process itself however communication has to be the key factor involved in the change process. Without this you cannot expect line managers or employees to support the change. With communication you need to ensure employees feel positive. It is also good practice the company adapts its style of communication depending on their audience and where they are in the change. Where one style might suit senior management, this might not be appropriate for administrators or cleaners. Communication can have a huge impact on the end result, it can also help to ensure targets are met, everything is kept in control and no employee disregards the change. Lack of communication could lead to frustration and lack of trust with employees.

Communication – Talk about the change vision, if people have anxieties then address these openly and honestly. Tie in the vision to all areas of the business from training to performance reviews

The merging of public expectations into a business model is not just about implementing change in an organization. It's about recognizing that change is for a reason of improving the wider social or community benefits and integrating bottom line profitability potentials. To make this happen, there has to be a blending of these values such that both elements of the new organization are realized an effort that is only now just beginning to happen (. Many organizations seem to want to achieve this goal even if it means moving their operations into the field of chaos where innovation gets to mix with opportunity.

Week 3, the lecture on Managing Change describes organizational changes that occur when a company makes a shift from its current state to some preferred future state. Managing organizational change is the process of planning and implementing change in organizations in such a way as to decrease employee resistance and cost to the organization while concurrently expanding the effectiveness of the change effort. Today's business environment requires companies to undergo changes almost constantly if they are to remain competitive. Students of organizational change identify areas of change in order to analyze them. A manager trying to implement a change, no matter how small, should expect to encounter some resistance from within the organization.

When we begin working for an organization, we expect our duties to stay the same. We become use to what the norm is for us on a day-to- day basis. However, when an organization comes across an issue that can affect the company, change is necessary. We must be ready to accept change at any moment. The organization must first be able to identify what the problem is and how its effecting the organization. Once the company identifies the problems, a leader and manager will work together to decide what’s best for the company. If everyone accepts the change, the organization will began to see growth.

Often employees are resistant to change because of a breakdown in communication, the lack of understanding the benefits to the organization, lack of trust, training deficiencies, and the feeling of exclusion. However, these resistances can be overcome by creating a team atmosphere. The company can benefit greatly by engaging the employees in the building of the business. An in-depth explanation of the company’s direction and how it will benefit the company allows the employee to feel a part of the process. Opening lines of communication between leadership, management, and the employees builds an avenue of trust. For the communication to be successful, the correct delivery channels are established along with consistent delivery, encouraging feedback from the employees. Training is important to the success of a company, especially when new technology may be introduced in the change. Time and resources must be committed to the employees for training as well as frequent assessments of the training and the operations. The company must implement a strategy for these changes.

In retrospect, what lessons have been learned? Are there ways in which the change could have been handled better? Does the case suggest any lessons for the change assessment model you have utilized?