Industries are constantly changing. The latest development in technology has put organizations in most industries on a high level of competition. For any organization to survive the current trend in technology, changes must be implemented. The new technology systems and equipment have entirely changed organizations operations and interaction with the marketplace. The resulting change in the industry has significantly impacted healthcare organizations. Besides advanced technology, other factors such as new diseases have triggered the need for organizational policy change in healthcare. Policy change in an organization requires modification of behavior and ideas. Implementation of this change triggers different reactions from personnel within an organization (Van Dijk & Van Dick, 2009). Until the policy is fully established in healthcare, employee performance may be significantly affected. However, one strategy to ensure that employees in a healthcare organization are not adversely affected by policy change is through continuing education.
Explain the importance of continuing education regarding the organizational change (100 to 175 words).
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With the rapid change experienced in the medical industry, continuing education is essential to equip healthcare providers with the latest development in technology and skills in their work. The changing trends in patients’ needs, as opposed to earlier days, show the importance of continuing education for medical practitioners. For them to successfully handle the rising cases of cancer, for instance, they need to venture in more learning about the problem. Technology also raises the essentiality for healthcare providers to continue learning on the more advanced ways to solve various complications. Many sets of equipment have also been innovated to simplify work in the medical environment. Nonetheless, these equipment need a high level of skills to operate, thus the need for constant learning. Additionally, the healthcare industry experiences stiff competition among employees within the industry. For care providers to keep up with the increasing competition, there is a need to update their skills through learning (Noe et al., 2017). This increases their chances to outdo others and rise to higher ranks besides promoting personal marketability and increased payment. Furthermore, medical practitioners need to advance their education to remain licensed in their states continually. For instance, nurses and pharmacists are required to renew their licenses occasionally. Constant skill sharpening enables them to have a critical understanding of regulatory issues, patient counseling, and quality care. Ignorance of such skills acquired during learning may lead to cancellation of work license.
Explain the impact this policy change may have on the organizational behavior and organizational culture of the company (100 to 175 words).
Implementing this policy of continuing education in a healthcare organization leads to a positive effect on organizational behavior and culture. It results in increased productivity and efficiency. Quality work and time are two vital factors in the healthcare industry. If care providers improve their skills in treating patients, more quality work can be done within a short time. This does improve not only patients’ conditions but also improve the image of an organization. Showing employees that their organization is committed to investing in their skills through education programs is an essential way to increase their productivity. When an organization establishes plans to promote professional development in employees, improved workers’ retention is achieved. As a result, the organization is relieved of the problems associated with employee turnover. All employees within the company develop the mentality of adequate care for their customers.
Consequently, quality performance becomes the behavior and culture of an organization. Besides, encouraging the culture of continuous professional growth is critical within an organization. It is usually an assurance to the employees that the organization has a long term plan for them. It demonstrates the organization’s value of individual recognition and its plan to allow the employees to grow within the company. Also, as the healthcare industry expands, it is common for healthcare organizations to suffer from a skills gap with their employee base. Business expansion often requires broader skill sets (Noe et al., 2017). The continuing education for employees creates the behavior of problem-solving within the organization without incurring extra costs. Rather than filling the gaps through traditional means such as new hiring, education program enables the organization to modify the existing culture by training the current workers to fill the gaps.
Explain barriers to change and how to address the barriers (100 to 175 words).
In implementing policy change in an organization, various factors need to be considered. For instance, employee willingness and the impact of the change are essential. If an organization fails to look into all these factors, the policy change may face barriers during implementation. Limited understanding of change and its impact is a common challenge that may be experienced. Though continued education is vital for both employees and the organization, inefficient communication for its need and the impact to both the company and its employees may lead to its failure. Employees’ attitude is also a critical challenge to this policy. Some employees in a healthcare organization are much confident with their skills, which create a sense of unwillingness to change. There may be the attitude that continued education will be accompanied by an increased workload which they would not be able to handle. Some employees may have a fear of incapability to use the new technology (Van Dijk & Van Dick, 2009). This would make them refute any chance for continuing education to bar policy change. Moreover, an organization may lack enough resources to implement this change. Education programs are expensive, especially to an organization with a high number of employees. When only a small portion of employees are equipped with the necessary skills, the policy would definitely fail.
However, these barriers can be counteracted by a healthcare organization through efficient planning for implementation. The company can provide the necessary awareness by making sure that every employee understands the opportunities that come with the change in policy. The consciousness can be created by sending employees emails, posters within the company, and conducting meetings. Such strategies would make the employees feel involved in the process and own it. Finances to be used in education programs must be budgeted critically before the opportunity is communicated to employees (Weiner, 2009). This would ensure that the program runs to the end as intended. Also, the strategy to change negative employee attitudes towards the program must be implemented. They must be made to realize the importance of policy change to their professional development and company benefits.
Explain how this change may affect individual job performance and job satisfaction (100 to 175 words).
Continuous advancement of employees’ professional skills is a crucial way to keep their ‘game’ on top. When an organization encourages employees to improve their skills through continuing education, increased, productivity is achieved. For instance, an advanced course in healthcare systems and equipment would enable care providers to increase their efficiency in treating the patients. Skills advancement may also help to improve overall workforce performance. This, especially when personnel with different skills within an organization, are encouraged to share information. Advanced training also provides employees with the latest knowledge in the medical field, enabling them to apply the newest technology when dealing with patients’ complications. Improved employee effectiveness may thus boost their confidence in working in a given organization. Employee job satisfaction is achieved when an organization shows effort in considering their requirements (Van Dijk & Van Dick, 2009). Since continued education policy would aim at improving personal skills and knowledge, employees may be able to rise through employment ranks to achieve their personal goals while within their organization. To achieve their goals, workers would have to work hard to attain organizational objectives. In the end, not only corporate and employees goals would be met but also high job satisfaction would be achieved.
Explain a motivational strategy that might be used for implementation (100 to 175 words).
The motivational strategy that might be used for the successful implementation of continuous education policy in a healthcare organization is developing a clear vision. The company would need to show employees the long term personal and organizational impact of implementing the change. The employees would also need to understand that there is much learning required past the initial training to achieve the company’s objectives. When the vision is properly communicated and understood by employees, they will be able to follow the required steps smoothly, and skill development would occur gradually in the process. The clear vision would also assure the employees that the company’s priority is their wellbeing, which would result in a reinforced workforce attitude (Weiner, 2009). A clear vision would also enable individual employees to visualize the skills required to achieve it. As a result, they would be able to replace the notion of training with voluntary skill development. This would create an environment of self-motivation and desire for skill advancement. For the organization to achieve the set vision, continuous learning for employees would also need to be integrated into the company’s daily routine.
Explain how teams or groups could be used to implement this policy change. Include a review of two approaches managers can use to build team performance and two organizational barriers to team effectiveness (100 to 175 words).
To use groups or organizations to initiate successful continuous education implementation, organizational managers would need to understand the components of successful teams and the steps necessary in forming the groups. Employees would be made to take education programs in teams rather than individuals. When a group made of people with similar skill sets is taken through a program, employees within the group would share knowledge and facilitate the implementation of the policy change. The groups could also be essential in performing specific required activities. When assignments are delegated to a group, it would be easier for managers to follow up and provide guidance where necessary.
Additionally, to build an effective team, the manager can use approaches such as goal setting and problem-solving strategies. Goal setting would enable the manager to set goals for the teams and individual members within the group. The problem-solving approach would outline the steps required to handle differences among the teams and within a group (Weiner, 2009). However, organizational barriers such as unclear team objectives and inefficient managerial involvement in teams’ activities would impact the groups’ effectiveness adversely.
Identify communication methods to be used to support this policy change implementation (45 to 90 words).
One of the communication strategies to be employed is honesty. The employees need to be briefed about what changing is and the reasons for the change. The managers will win employees’ trust if they (managers) communicate the intentions of the policy change in a simple and clear language. Too, the employees need to be informed of how they would benefit from the policy change (Weiner, 2009). If there are uncertainties expected, they would need to be communicated before the beginning implementation process.
References
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation science, 4(1), 67.
Van Dijk, R., & Van, Dick, R. (2009). Navigating organizational change: Change leaders, employee resistance, and work-based identities. Journal of change Management, 9(2), 143-163.
