Change is necessary for any institution and people need to learn to live with it. In all institutions, there is a threat of competition and to remain relevant change is necessary. In health care change is common, and nurses with their busy schedules and their need to provide quality in caring for the ailing can cause them to be anxious. It is significant to create plans to include the staff in nursing, in the change process from the start. Nurses require understand because the changes and involving them in the process from the beginning to the implementation.To adjust to change, most institutions have a formidable undertaking ahead of them in a variety of operational and procedural areas (Sullivan et al., 2004).
The procedure in change needs a clear plan before initial communication with the nurses. The manager needs to have a thorough comprehension of the changes that need to take place and the factors that drive these changes. The changes need to be noted down including the influence it will have on the staff and their working environment. Goals that are anticipated for achievementin the changes are to be described. When the plan has been defined, communication is to be made to the nurses.The formation and strategy of change procedures within an organization is most often the role of the management. It is the role of the management to ensure that the changes are accepted by the staff creating enthusiasm (Jurkowski, 2013).
The information on the changes should be communicated early to avoid rumors and misinterpretation being spread in the health care facility. Providing the information in this manner allows the nurses to internalize and to accept the changes. A schedule for the planned roll out of changes allowing the nurses to input their ideas on changes that they feel should be realized. Managers need to invite the nurses to remark and recommend through formal questioning and answering periods and commenting cards. The supervisors are to participate in formal deliberations prior the deadlines set for the change. The recommendations are reviewed with other managers to choose those to be implemented.
The nurses have tight schedules and due to this, the nurses will need small changes to be implemented gradually that lead to an overhaul. The use of information technology can be encouraged by having the supervisor telling the nurses to keying in information before removing the handwritten charts. Training sessions can be provided for the staff and recording the process can help remove the fear from the nurses. The changes need to be evaluated, and this is to be shown in the initial plan. The supervisors can assist in the process by checking on how the nurses are reacting to these changes avoiding any issues before they become problems (Brunner et al., 2010). A survey of patients on patients before being released can be able to assist in measuring the changes. Checklists can be used by nurses allowing rating to show well the changes are incorporated in their work schedules, and this can be done daily or weekly. A meeting to be arranged with the supervisors to observe the responses and make changes where there is a need. The employees need to be retrained to be prepared for variations in how tasks is done, services and information is needed, and how to deal with the patients and other staff.
Managers’ pact with change and help nurses transition to new ways of doing things and they require an edge and this are the philosophies of John Kotter and William Bridges regarded for their theories in change management. Organizational change accomplished using an active, nonlinear 8-step methodology. The steps include building guiding teams, increase urgency, get the vision right, enable action, communicate for buy-in, create short-term wins, do not let up and make it stick. The steps are arranged into three phases creating a climate for change and are made of 1, 2 and 3. The second phase is engaging and permitting the whole organization includes four, five and six. The final phase is the implementing and sustaining the change comprising 7 and 8 steps. In appreciating Kotter’s work, the manager needs to comprehend two conspicuous ideas about the suppression and engenderment of worker emotions.The period of change needs the manager to deal with feelings of satisfaction, fury, deceitful pride, cynicism, conceit, pessimism, terror, fatigue, timidity, gratification and nervousness among workers. The emotions can cause a barrier to change. Kotter’s model offers tools for turning these negative feelings into positive this are belief, confidence, assurance, determination, realism created pride, desire, enthusiasm, hopefulness and interest, feelings that encouraging change. The manager must accept before going for change inventiveness (Yoder-wise, 2014). The philosopher recognizes the analysis think change used by health care managers to initiate change. The focus is on reasoning and lucid thought, by presenting persons with evidence in the procedure of information, PowerPoint performances and Excels worksheets, which arrangement the basis of examination. This is a leading individual to change their thinking and ultimately, their behavior.Kotter approves that a manageradopts a see-feel-change method at each stage by conception of a convincing, appreciation, affected situation to allow staff to envisage a challenge and seeing a solution.
The philosopher William Bridges deduces that variations that regulate the achievement or disappointment of a project. Changes are situational whereas changes are more emotional. People often get uncomfortable with the transition and this can lead to resistance. Bridges Transition Model focuses on feelings of people need to be understood. The model centers on transition not change. Change happens to persons, but transition is internal and is what happens in the mind of the individual. Transition is slow while change is quick. The model focuses on three stages ending, losing and letting go where persons enter a preliminary stage when allowing changethe emotions in these stages are rejection, fury, unhappiness, bewilderment, hindrance, indecision and a sense of loss. The neutral zone the individuals in this stage are disorderly, indeterminate and aggravated. In the steps, people experience resentment towards the alteration inventiveness, low confidence and low efficiency, nervousness and uncertainty. The new beginning has receiving and vigor likely to have high vigor, directness to acquire and transformed pledge to the group or their role.
In comparison of the theories of Kotter and Bridges it is important for the management to be conscious that change is both situational and emotional any change is going to influence the personalities elaborated in the change procedure.The health manager should not disregard the theories in change process. A good choice will ensure that all stakeholders are involved and they are allowed to participate. Feedback is critical in the change process enabling the health manager to monitor the progress of change.
References
Brunner, L. S., & Smeltzer, S. C. O. C. (2010). Brunner & Suddarth's textbook of medical- surgical nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Jurkowski, E. T. (2013). Implementing culture change in long-term care: Benchmarks and strategies for management and practice. New York: Springer.
Sullivan, E. J., & Decker, P. J. (2004). How Organizations are designed. In Effective Leadership & Management in nursing (sixth ed., p. 14). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2014). Leading and managing in nursing. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier Mosby.
