Organizations often develop change strategies to improve their performance in the marketplace. The success of the identified change areas in driving the performance of the organization significantly depends on the change implementation strategy adopted (Ford, 2009). The process of change implementation is complex and requires effective strategies to ensure that there is a successful transition from the old system to the new. Organizations must not only ensure that key stakeholders support the change but also that the implementation program is within schedule and budget. This paper provides a change implementation plan to be used by the healthcare organization aiming to introduce beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms to reduce the risk of falling among patients in surgical units. The plan identifies the proposed change and the rationale for implementing it, the desired outcomes of the change, the stakeholders that need to be convinced, the benefits of the change to the organization, the allocation of resources and potential budget requirements, the group to lead the initiative, the proposed timeline, and measures of success.
The Change to be undertaken and the Rationale
The health organization seeks to reduce the risk of falling among patients in the surgical unit by introducing beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms, a strategy proposed by Cuttler, Barr-Walker & Cuttler (2017). The healthcare facility is likely to suffer reputational damage if patients suffer injuries due to falling after surgery. Apart from potential lawsuits, the healthcare organization will lose its competitive advantage against rivals in the healthcare industry perceived to have better quality-services. Reducing the number of falls in the surgical unit will, therefore, enhance treatment outcomes and safeguard the reputation of the organization. The use of beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms is also informed by the increasing importance of technology in healthcare. Technology has enabled effective interprofessional communication and patient monitoring within and outside healthcare facilities. Introducing beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms will, therefore, enable the use of technology in healthcare settings to improve patient monitoring and communication between healthcare professionals in the surgical unit and other departments. The change initiative has also been selected because it is evidence-based. Cuttler, Barr-Walker & Cuttler (2017) established that integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms reduced medical-surgical inpatient falls and injuries. According to Cuttler, Barr-Walker & Cuttler (2017), inpatient falls and the injuries associated with these falls are some of the most frequent hospital-acquired health conditions and with minimal effective methods of prevention. Their study used adult medical-surgical inpatients that were in four medical surgical units in an American public acute care healthcare institution. When beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms were introduced in the surgical unit, falls reduced by nearly 20% and falls with any injury declined by 40%. The findings of the study, therefore, provide evidence that introducing beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms would reduce the number of falls of patients in medical-surgical units. The use of evidence-based strategies in the healthcare sector is crucial to ensure patient safety and strategy success.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Outcomes Desired from the Change
The change strategy is expected to result in several favorable outcomes once it is implemented.
One of the most important outcomes is reduced number of falls in the medical-surgical unit. The beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms are primarily being introduced to prevent these falls and a reduction in the number of falls recorded in the surgical unit will indicate that the change process is successful.
The change project is also expected to increase treatment outcomes in the surgical unit. Since falls can led to further injuries, the prevention of falls will ensure that surgical unit patients do not suffer further injuries and that they heal effectively from their surgeries.
The change project is also expected to enhance the reputation of the hospital. A reduction in the number of falls in the surgical unit and favorable treatment outcomes will cultivate the reputation of the healthcare organization as a hospital that offers high-quality services. With this type of reputation in the marketplace, the healthcare organization is expected to attract more customers and thus realize improved profitability (Wæraas & Sataøen, 2015).
The change project should also improve interprofessional relational communication within the surgical unit and the healthcare organization. Effective interprofessional relational communication can enhance collaboration in the workplace and increase employee productivity
These desired outcomes all point to the improved performance of the organization in the marketplace. The implementation of the change project should ultimately ensure that the healthcare organization performs better than its competitors in the business environment.
Audience to be Convinced
Change projects have different impacts on the interests of the stakeholders of an organization. There is a need, therefore, to ensure that stakeholder interests are considered when implementing change projects to reduce resistance to change and ensure the success of the change project.
The management of the healthcare organization must convince the board to sanction the project. Since beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms will have to be purchased and this will have an impact on the bottom line of the company, the management must convince the board that the impact on the bottom line will be positive. The management must prepare a report on how the change project will enhance the competitive advantage of the organization in the marketplace and increase its profitability. The financial benefits of the project to the organization would convince the board to sanction the project. Since the primary objective of business organizations is to generate profits, demonstrating to the board how the project would improve the healthcare organization’s bottom line would convince the board to support the project.
The surgical unit staff at the healthcare organization must also be convinced of the importance of the change project and its benefits to them. Employees can hinder the success of change projects by resisting change especially when they perceive the change to be implemented to go against their interests. The management of the healthcare organization must, therefore, convince employees in the surgical unit that the project would be beneficial for them and that they would be able to work competently in the changed workplace environment. Additionally, the management can convince the employees to support the project by having training sessions to equip them with the skills and competencies required to operate the beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms.
The change leaders must also convince all the employees at the healthcare organization to support the change. Cross-departmental functions sometimes result in employees from different departments collaborating in the workplace to ensure effective service delivery. Convincing all the employees in the organization to support the change would thus lead to a successful implementation.
Benefits to the Institution
The change project would result in many benefits to the institution. The following are some of the benefits that the healthcare organizations would attain by implementing the change project.
Improved patient safety in the Surgical Unit : The change project would result in a reduced number of falls in the medical-surgical unit. The beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms are primarily being introduced to prevent these falls. The change project will also increase treatment outcomes in the surgical unit. Since falls can lead to further injuries, the prevention of falls will ensure that surgical unit patients do not suffer further injuries and that they heal effectively from their surgeries. Improved patient safety in the surgical unit will also minimize the exposure of the healthcare organization to lawsuits and reputational damage. The change will thus prevent the health care organization from having to spend money to settle lawsuits or engage in public relation campaigns to rebuild a damaged reputation.
Reputation of high-quality services : Due to minimized safety issues, the change project will improve the reputation of the healthcare organization in the marketplace. A reduction in the number of falls in the surgical unit and favorable treatment outcomes will cultivate the reputation of the healthcare organization as a hospital that offers high-quality services. The organization will, therefore, gain a competitive advantage over rivals in the marketplace due to the reputation for offering high-quality services.
Improved profitability : A key benefit that the change will bring to the organization is improved profitability. With a reputation for high-quality services and positive treatment outcomes in the marketplace, the healthcare organization is expected to attract more customers and thus realize improved profitability. The strategy will also enable the organization to position itself as an organization that offers premium healthcare services. The positioning approach will allow it to charge premium prices for its services and thus improve its bottom line,
Effective interprofessional relational communication : The change project will also improve interprofessional relational communication within the surgical unit and the healthcare organization. Effective interprofessional relational communication can enhance collaboration in the workplace and increase employee productivity. Overall, the change to be implemented will improve the performance of the surgical unit and that of the organization due to effective interprofessional relational communication enabled by technology.
These benefits show that one of the most important reasons why organizations implement change is to improve their performance in the marketplace. The healthcare organization will benefit from improved profitability as the main benefit that it receives from the implementation of the change project.
Allocation of Resources and Potential Budget Requirements
Most change projects in organizations require resources for successful implementation (Sonenshein, 2010). The healthcare organization will require both financial and human resources to successfully introduce beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms in the surgical unit. The potential budget requirements will thus include funds allocated for the purchase and installation of beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms. Additionally, the organization will have to budget for money required to maintain these beds because exit alarms in some beds can stop functioning and this would compromise patient safety. The organization must ensure that the exit alarms are always in good condition. The money for regular maintenance services must, therefore, be allocated.
The management of the healthcare organization must also allocate funds for training employees in the surgical unit to enable them to work competently in the changed work environment. Without knowledge to operate the exit alarms, the organization would find it difficult to reduce the number of falls in the surgical unit. Training would also reduce resistance to change. The lack of skills and competencies to deliver on a role can negatively impact on the wellbeing of an employee and thus lead to the lack of job satisfaction (Imran et al., 2016). By training employees to equip them with the skills required to deliver on their roles competently, the management of the organization will be increasing job satisfaction within the surgical unit and also enhancing employee performance. The budget must thus contain funds allocated for employee training.
The management of the hospital must also consider additional employees in the surgical unit to deal with increased workload. The change can come with the additional need for employees to monitor exist alarms remotely. Employing additional qualified personnel would thus ensure that the change implemented results in increased service quality in the surgical unit.
The Group to Lead the Initiative
The group to lead the change initiative will include the head of the surgical unit, an employee in the surgical unit, the head of IT, and the head of operations. The head of the surgical unit must be part of the team that leads the initiative because the change will be implemented in her department. As the person in charge of the department, it is important for her to lead the initiative and remain accountable for the implementation of the project. An employee in the surgical unit should also be part of the group to lead the initiative to ensure that there is open communication between the management and employees. Effective communication during change implementation reduces resistance to change (Ford, 2009). The employee will also be a change leader during among employees in the surgical unit. The head of IT must be part of the group to lead the initiative because the beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms rely on technology and this falls within the docket of the IT department. Having the head of IT as part of the initiative will ensure that the technical aspects to the change implementation are considered. Finally, the head of operations should be part of the group to lead the initiative in the event that the healthcare organization would have to reorganize departments and their functions to ensure the successful implementation of the change project.
Proposed Timeline
Every change project must have a timeline to prevent cost overruns that are often associated with projects that take too long to implement. The table below shows the proposed timeline for the implementation of the project.
| Task | Begin | End |
| Auditing of the Surgical Unit | 12-Dec-2019 | 15-Dec-2019 |
| Budget Preparation | 17-Dec-2019 | 20-Dec-2019 |
| Training of employees | 10-Jan-2020 | 14-Jan-2020 |
| Acquisition and installation of beds | 20-Jan-2020 | 23-Jan-2020 |
| Post-implementation assessment | 23-April-2020 | 24-April-2020 |
Table 1: Project Timeline
Measures of Success
A project must be evaluated to determine whether it has resulted in benefits or losses (Kash et al., 2014). However, this is only possible when the parameters for success have been determined. The success will be measured using the SMART framework for developing performance objectives. The framework suggests that the strategic objectives selected should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant to the organization, and time-bound. The element of specificity eliminates any ambiguity that would hinder the ability of the organization from driving success using the change project. Measurability allows for the evaluation of the success of the project. Attainability ensures that employees are not frustrated as the organization pursues goals that cannot be achieved. Being time-bound is also important to ensure that projects are not implemented forever. Without a timeline for achieving certain objectives, the organization would not have a reliable basis for evaluating progress. For this particular change project, the following are the success parameters developed as SMART objectives.
Reduce the number of falls in the surgical unit by 50% within 3 months of the installation of the beds with integrated three-mode sensitivity exit alarms. The hospital will need to have the data before the implementation of the project to evaluate the success of the implemented project.
Increase the number of customers in the surgical unit by 10% within six months after the project has been implemented
Improve the reputation of the hospital in the marketplace within 12 months after the project has been implemented. This success can be measured by conducting consumer surveys and using social media analytics to establish how the organization is perceived in the business environment
Reduce the number of employees exiting the surgical unit by 50% within 12 months after the project has been implemented. The project is expected to result in improved employee wellbeing in the surgical unit. This will enhance organizational commitment among staff in the surgical unit.
Conclusion
The report outlines the crucial issues to consider during the implementation of the change project. The report provides the rationale of the project and how the organization would benefit from it. Using an evidence-based approach, this report demonstrates why it is necessary for the healthcare organization to implement the project. Organizations should use reliable data and information to identify suitable change projects that would improve their performance in the business environment. The report also outlines project expectations and the stakeholders that must be convinced in order to find support for the project. The two key stakeholders to be convinced are employees in the surgical unit to obtain their support for the project and prevent resistance to change and the hospital’s board due to the financial risks associated with implementing the project. The report further identifies the resources required to implement the project and potential budget requirements in addition to the group to lead the initiative. The timeline for the implementation of the project has also been drawn to ensure that costs associated with delayed projects are eliminated. To ensure that the project is effectively monitored and evaluated, the measures of success have been outlined within the SMART objectives framework. Overall, the report shows that the change implementation process is a crucial part of change management that should be properly planned and executed. Even when the change project would result in improved organizational performance, the lack of proper change implementation would hinder the organization from benefiting from its change project.
References
Cuttler, S. J., Barr-Walker, J., & Cuttler, L. (2017). Reducing medical-surgical inpatient falls and injuries with videos, icons and alarms. BMJ open quality , 6 (2), e000119.
Ford, M. W. (2009). Size, structure and change implementation: An empirical comparison of small and large organizations. Management Research News , 32 (4), 303-320.
Imran, M. K., Rehman, C. A., Aslam, U., & Bilal, A. R. (2016). What’s organization knowledge management strategy for successful change implementation?. Journal of Organizational Change Management , 29 (7), 1097-1117.
Kash, B. A., Spaulding, A., Johnson, C. E., & Gamm, L. (2014). Success factors for strategic change initiatives: A qualitative study of healthcare administrators' perspectives. Journal of Healthcare Management , 59 (1), 65-81.
Sonenshein, S. (2010). We're changing—Or are we? Untangling the role of progressive, regressive, and stability narratives during strategic change implementation. Academy of Management Journal , 53 (3), 477-512.
Wæraas, A., & Sataøen, H. L. (2015). Being all things to all customers: Building reputation in an institutionalized field. British Journal of Management , 26 (2), 310-326.
