Recommended Change Management Theories, Strategies and Support Need from the Organization
Change management can be a challenge especially if employees resist the change, and to ensure everyone reads from the same page, an organization can use Lewin’s change theory. The theorist used an analogy of melting of ice to explain how change occurs, and according to the theory, change begins with unfreezing, goes into the transition phase, and then it freezes. Prior to initiating change, one would expect employees to have a mindset in which they believe the change cannot happen.
Unfreezing seeks to address this particular problem, and it involves sensitizing the employees about the reason why change is critical. In the second phase, those leading the change come up with the plan, deploy communication tools, and encourage everyone to take part in the change. This is the stage when the organization transitions from unfreeze to the freeze stage (Harrison et al., 2021). Finally, employees embrace the change and see it as a normal process within their organization.
Lewin’s model can guide the change process involved in the verification of the TCV. The first step of the change will involve surveying the stakeholders’ views regarding the change to establish what the organization should change. This is also the stage in which the organization creates a message that explains the reason why change is necessary, and it can use the social media and other platforms to achieve this goal. The change phase is where the leadership’s role and information flow become more prominent. At this point, the leader defines the vision, and they motivate t
heir followers to support the change. To ensure that things run smoothly, the leader lets information to flow freely so that everyone works in a coordinated fashion to facilitate the verification of the facility. The leader also empowers the employees so that they acquire skills that can help them adapt to the change. The process finalizes with incorporating the new changes into the organization’s culture so that everyone sees it as a normal process (Harrison et al., 2021).
The change model alone cannot guarantee a successful change process, and to improve the chances of running a successful healthcare system initiative, a hospital needs to combine the model with certain strategies. For example, careful planning is needed, and the plan should define what the organization seeks to achieve, and the scope of the TCV. Creating a plan is the first step involved in understanding the nature of the problem and the resources that can support the change. When communicating the reason for carrying out the verification, one has to be as clear as possible to build trust with everyone.
To attract the employees’ support throughout the different stages of change, a leader should be consistent in terms of how they communicate with the employees (Harrison et al., 2021). Doing this can help address any doubt or negative attitudes that might hamper their support for the initiative. Furthermore, focusing on skill-development by offering coaching and education opportunities can help employees prepare for the change.
Anticipated Conflict Management/Resolution Strategies
Conflicts can have negative effect on the progress of the initiative, and some of the sources of conflicts may include the clash of ideas, and the lack of a clear definition of the roles of those involved in implementation of the initiative. For example, a manager may want employees to use an approach that involves the use of evidence to guide the verification process. Conversely, employees may want to perform the verification by following a certain approach which they feel is easy to use. This class of views regarding how things should be done can make employee lose morale especially if the leader coerces them to use the method (Lewitter, Bourne, & Attwood, 2019).
The Trauma Center should employ certain strategies to address the conflicts in case the conflicts occur. Coaching workers on how to manage differences is one of the strategies the hospital can use to prevent future problems. The organization’s leadership can also reduce the risks of occurrence of conflicts by encouraging members to collaborate, and coordinate decision-making. Additionally, the facility can create and cultivate a culture in which workers align their behaviors with the ethos of the hospital. By using this particular strategy, the organization will instill desirable behaviors in employees, and they will avoid conflicts instead of engaging in confrontations (Lewitter et al., 2019).