Change Management in Healthcare Organisations

Question: Discuss about the Change Management in Healthcare Organisations. Answer: Introduction: One of the most important concern in Healthcare Management is the the management of change and it is the duty and obligation of the health care professionals to acquire, maintain and upgrade their expertise in order to perform their tasks in an effective and efficient manner. Change is a complex process and change management involves evaluation, planning and implementation of operational policy and strategies in order to ensure that the change is worthwhile and relevant. Change management is a challenging, complex and dynamic process and is an amalgamation of both people-oriented and technological solutions (Hayes, 2014). This report provides literature review on change management in healthcare organisations and examines the two important factors that has been a driving change in the healthcare system. Change Management Theory: Change management theory reflects on two important methods of change management, they are, planned change management and emergent change management. The works of Kurt Lewin proposes the planned change management that dominates the academic literature. According to planned change approach, change is perceived as a transitional process between two fixed states. This process involves a series of previously planned steps, which makes this approach compliant to research analysis. According to planned change approach, old behaviours and techniques must be relinquished, for the successful adaptation of new methods and behaviours (Gopee Galloway, 2013). Planned change approach emphasises more on the role played by managers and authority and ignores the contribution and role of the staff workers in the change process. By giving more focus on pre-planned processes, objectives and timetables, all of which are formulated by the management level, this approach neglects the influence made by staf f workers on change initiatives. On the other hand, emergent change is a newer concept and comprises of unrelated theories and thus presenting varying approaches to change management. This approach views changing process as more analytical undertaking and less prescriptive (Grol et al., 2013). It gives less emphasis on plans and procedures to understand the complex nature of the environment of an organisation and develops a series of alternatives in order to guide decision-making. According to emergent change approach, change must be linked to work organisation, market forces, system of management control and the shifting and changing nature of organisational limits and relationships. Unlike planned change, emergent change emphasises on bottom up approach to change management. Moreover, the emergent change approach also argues that due to the fast and complex nature of changing process, it might become difficult for the management to identify changes and formulate strategies in order to address them in a timely mann er ((Chassin Loeb, 2013). As a result, management must assign some of the decision-making authority to the staff members and act as facilitators of change rather than controllers of change. Though planned and emergent approaches to change are often pitted against each other, the best strategy that could be adapted by an organisation is to intelligently integrate the two approaches based on the particular circumstances of an organisation. The interrelation of factors must be considered in order to achieve successful change, which includes both organisational and environmental factors driving the change. Factors Driving Change in Healthcare: According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, jobs for health and medical professionals are expected to grow by 23 per cent through 2022, which is considerably faster than average (Riekert, Ockene Pbert, 2013). Among various factors, the two most important factors contributing to this increasing growth are ageing population and advancing technology. In healthcare organisation, ageing population is perhaps the biggest driving force. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook notes, the demand and need to remain active and fit in later life has increased with ageing population, because of which healthcare organisations are experiencing an increase in demand for medical services. In such a scenario, efficient managers are required in order to effectively manage and organise medical information and healthcare staffs in all areas of the industry (Grol et al., 2013). On the other hand, new and improved technology also plays a significant role in bringing a considerable change in the way healthcare is managed and provided. With rapid advancement in technology in recent times, medical facilities, information sharing, information system and record keeping will continue to change and become more complex. New technologies have also increased the opportunities for companies to diversify their supplies into the healthcare sphere. In addition to this, advancement in medical technology and information system have also created a need for technical healthcare managers plan, organise and integrate new technological solutions into the existing framework of healthcare organisations. Conclusion: Thus it can be concluded, by saying that , healthcare professionals need to constantly upgrade and maintain their professional expertise in order fulfil the requirements of the population and also to effectively manage and implement new and improved technologies into the healthcare system. Changes in healthcare system must be managed and incorporated in such a manner, in order to provide worthwhile medical services to people with diversified health care needs and requirements. References: Chassin, M. R., Loeb, J. M. (2013). High?reliability health care: getting there from here.Milbank Quarterly,91(3), 459-490. Gopee, N., Galloway, J. (2013).Leadership and management in healthcare. Sage. Grol, R., Wensing, M., Bosch, M., Hulscher, M., Eccles, M. (2013). Theories on implementation of change in healthcare.Improving Patient Care: The Implementation of Change in Health Care, Second Edition, 18-39. Grol, R., Wensing, M., Eccles, M., Davis, D. (Eds.). (2013).Improving patient care: the implementation of change in health care. John Wiley Sons. Hayes, J. (2014).The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Riekert, K. A., Ockene, J. K., Pbert, L. (Eds.). (2013).The handbook of health behavior change. Springer Publishing Company.