Mercy Medical Center has resolved to change its policy concerning the employee working hours. The implementation of this change promises to transform the hospital into an effective vehicle for delivering quality care. However, the hospital needs to exercise caution as there are various hurdles that could hinder the implementation process. To identify and eradicate these barriers, the hospital needs to conduct training. Through training, the hospital will also secure the full commitment of all stakeholders.
Strategies for Securing Buy-In and Support
As part of the development of the change implementation process, non-clinical stakeholders were identified as among those who may resist the change process. To secure their support and buy-in, it is important to focus on these stakeholders. In particular, the board which is charged with the mandate of overseeing the general operations of the hospital should be persuaded to endorse the change initiative. One of the strategies that have proven effective in gaining buy-in and support from stakeholders is dialogue (“How to Gain”, 2011). Through open discussions, the stakeholders are able to raise concerns and seek guarantees that the concerns will be addressed. Another strategy for obtaining support from stakeholders is managing expectations (“Section 2: Engaging”, 2014). Essentially, managing expectations involves outlining the details of the change process so that the stakeholders fully understand the outcomes that the process will deliver. Highlighting the benefits that the change process will deliver is another strategy for gaining support. In a bid to ensure that the board fully backs the proposed changes, all these strategies will be combined. It is expected that using these strategies, the board will be convinced that the change is necessary to improve the hospital’s performance. It is the case that the board is one of the many stakeholders for whom the proposed changes will present implications. This raises the question of why the board has been selected for piloting the change. The selection is based on the board’s likely opposition to the change and the fact that it exercises authority over such issues as funding that will determine the success of the implementation process.
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Training Activities and Materials
It is understood that training is a critical component of effective change management (Sartori et al., 2018). Through training, organizations are able to provide stakeholders with the insights, knowledge and resources that they need to support and become involved in the change implementation process. The fact that it plays a critical role in facilitating change management is why it has been seen appropriate to train the board. As part of the training, a two-hour session will be conducted. The following agenda represents the main issue that the session will address:
The need for change
One of the key issues that the training session will cover is the rationale for change. This rationale is important as it will enable the board to recognize why the change is needed. While discussing this issue, particular focus will be given to the challenges that the hospital is experiencing and the role that the proposed changes will play in addressing the challenges. For example, as a result of the long working hours, medication errors have become strife. By cautioning the board that the medication errors expose the hospital to the threat of legal action, it is possible to move the board to support the change.
Making change happen
Under this issue, the measures, strategies and the tools required for the implementation of change will be explored in detail. In particular, the board will be challenged to acknowledge that it plays a central role in the implementation process. Furthermore, the board will be reminded that the implementation process will require funding which the board must avail.
Expected outcomes
At this juncture, focus will shift to highlighting the numerous ways that the hospital will be transformed by the change initiative. The benefits of the change process and the negative impacts of the process will form the bulk of the discussion. For example, the board will be assured that the change will yield improved patient satisfaction levels and enhanced practitioner productivity.
Anticipated hurdles
The training session cannot be considered complete if it fails to address the hurdles for which the hospital should brace. To allow them to insulate the implementation process against the damaging effects of the hurdles, the board will be introduced to the numerous hurdles. For example, inadequate funding could derail the implementation process.
Activities and Materials
By discussing the issues in the agenda, the board will inch closer towards the implementation of the proposed changes. However, to further enhance the success of the training program, it is vital to include activities and use various materials. Among the activities that the board will undertake include robust discussions, an examination of case studies and engagement with experts on successful change management. These activities serve important functions in learning and skill development. For example, as they examine the case studies, the members of the board will understand the practical approaches that allow organizations to achieve success in their implementation of change. The robust discussions will help to create momentum for the change process, address any concerns and ensure that all members have gained a complete understanding of how the change will be implemented. The engagement with experts will enable the board members to hear from authorities who understand the value of change in organizational growth. Some of the materials that will enhance the training process are literature that addresses such issues as how other organizations have implemented change.
Policy and Practice Guidelines
The change that the board is being persuaded to support involves reducing working hours for practitioners. Before supporting this change initiative, the board needs to understand how it will affect its functions. Some of the key responsibilities of the board include budgeting and overseeing the daily operations of the firm to ensure consistency with the overall mission of the hospital. As regards the budgeting role, the change initiative is likely to compel the board to expand its sources of funding to ensure that the change implementation process is adequately financed. For example, as it implements the change, the hospital may need to recruit more practitioners. It will be the duty of the board to allocate funding for the recruitment exercise. The training program will address how the proposed change will affect the function and operations of the board. To enable the board to understand how its responsibilities will be shaped by the proposed change, various activities and examples will be used. The activities include the interaction with the experts who will use their experience and expertise to advise the board on the impacts that the proposed change will have. They will use examples from their experiences to show that such changes as overhauling staffing policies have far-reaching effects on how the board fulfills its mandate.
Importance of Changes in Policy and Practice Guidelines
Alone, the training program is insufficient to challenge the board to support the change process. This program needs to be accompanied with a discussion on the important role that the board plays and how its involvement is needed for the successful implementation of the change. In a bid to provide the board with insights on the importance of its role, focus will be given to how the proposed changes are important and the effect that they will have on the quality of care and patient outcomes in general. Some of the benefits of fewer working hours include enhanced safety, improvements in quality of care, higher patient satisfaction levels, and improvements in general organizational efficiency and performance (Gyllensten, Andersson & Muller, 2017; Rheaume & Mullen, 2017). The proposed changes will help the hospital to minimize errors and deliver work-life balance for practitioners. These impacts are the primary mechanisms through which the changes will improve quality of care and patient outcomes. To illustrate how improved quality of care and better patient outcomes are important, the board will be educated on the damage that the hospital could suffer if it fails to implement the proposed changes. For example, the threat of a lawsuit of losing the trust of the community are among the negative impacts of the long working hours. These negative impacts can be used to help the board to acknowledge that change must be implemented urgently.
Importance of Board Involvement
It has already been noted that the successful implementation of the proposed changes hinges on the full involvement and support of the board. There are various issues that make the board’s involvement significant. That it has the authority to determine the direction of the hospital is one of the issues. Given that it is in charge of the daily operations of the hospital, the board has the power to determine such issues as funding. Therefore, the proposed changes cannot be effected without the board’s endorsement. The fact that the board can rally other stakeholders to support the change is another issue that necessitates their involvement. For example, after endorsing the change, the board could reach out to stakeholders who are unconvinced that the change holds the key to improving the hospital’s performance. The board’s work is also critical because once the change has been implemented, the board will need to maintain oversight to ensure that the implementation process is proceeding smoothly. In an earlier section, it was stated that the board may be reluctant to support the change implementation. This is because the changes introduce complications in how the board performs its job. So as to secure the board’s support, its members should be empowered. Reminding them that the success of the organization rests entirely in their hands will help the board members to feel empowered.
Policy Considerations and Practice Guidelines
To have a clear direction, training programs need to outcome driven (Nurcan et al., 2005). The training plan that will be implemented includes a highlight of the outcomes that the board should witness. At the end of the training session, the board should have gained a deep understanding of how the change initiative will be implemented, the role that its members will play and how to tackle the anticipated challenges. If this objective is met, it shall be concluded that the training program has been successful. In conclusion, the training program underscores the importance of educating stakeholders. Thanks to training, organizations are able to secure buy-in while providing stakeholders with the insights they need to understand a change initiative. Given how comprehensive and robust it is, the training plan for the board of Mercy Medical Center promises to persuade the board to fully and enthusiastically support the reduction of the number of working hours for the hospital’s practitioners.
References
Gyllensten, K., Andersson, G., & Muller, H. (2017). Experiences of reduced work hours for nurses and assistant nurses at a surgical department: a qualitative study. BMC Nursing. DOI: 10.1186/s12912-017-0210-x
How to gain stakeholder support for transactions. (2011). Becker’s Hospital Review. Retrieved October 6, 2018 from https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-transactions-and-valuation/how-to-gain-stakeholder-support-for-transactions.html
Nurcan, S., Etien, A., Kaabi, R., Zoukar, I., & Rolland, C. (2005). A strategy driven business process modeling approach. Business Process Management Journal, 11 (6), 628-49.
Rheaume, A., & Mullen, J. (2017). The impact of long work hours and shift work on cognitive errors in nurses. Journal of Nursing Management. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12513
Sartori, R., Costantini, A., Ceschi, A., & Tommasi, F. (2018). How do you manage change in organizations? Training, development, innovation and their relationships. Frontiers in Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00313
Section 2: engaging stakeholders in a case management program. (2014). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved October 6, 2018 from https://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/systems/long-term-care/resources/hcbs/medicaidmgmt/medicaidmgmt2.html
