Case-Based Assignment in Change Management

Change management enables an organization to continue striving for excellence through refining its operation strategies to align with the ever-rising shift in business environment. Thus, to ensure change is successfully implemented it is essential for the organization to sustain its commitment and enthusiasm to the plan. Therefore, for the organization to ensure that all the necessary aspects of the change are appropriately managed. The change management process should commence at the conception of the solution that will be proposed to implement the necessary training and imparting of skills to the staffs. Usually, it incorporates organizational tools that are utilized by individual employees to enable them to have a personal transition that is successful. Thus, it will lead to adopting and realization of the change.

The main aim of change management in an organization is to ensure that transition is achieved through following the necessary process that will have minimal or lack of disruptions. In a dynamic business world market, any organization that aims to be successful should constantly change to adapt to the current environment (Reiss 2012, p. 78). Thus, it is essential for these organizations to follow concepts that will ensure that transitional change from one mode of operation is achieved in an ongoing manner. The first concept of change management is an effective communication strategy. An effective communication strategy is in an organization is often aimed at utilizing communication tools and passing information in accordance with the organizations strategic plans (Cummings & Worley 2014). A well-developed communication will enable the organization to implement better working strategies. Therefore, ensuring that there is an efficient channel used in the organization to communicate it will enable different departments to share information (Mccalman 2008, p.23). Hence, it will ensure that the necessary conditions to facilitate change are effective.

The second concept of change management in an organization is the factor of risk mitigation. Usually, the introduction of any change in an organization will lead to the creation of a potential risk to the organization (Green 2012, 54). Therefore, it is essential for the organization to determine the potential risk that will arise once the change is implemented and develop a plan that will ensure a catastrophic impact is avoided. The chief aim of identifying any potential risk is to maximise the chances of success in all its plans and strategic operations. Thus, the concept of risk mitigation should be monitored continuously to ensure that the change will have a positive impact on the organization.

Content and Analysis

Background

Mercer Medical Center is a community hospital with 450 beds in Pacific NorthWest metropolitan area. The hospital has 650 medical staffs together with a residency area. It is a business competing to become successful under the leadership of Joseph Burns the CEO. The health system in the region is growing rapidly and it is competing with two other health centers in the city. The hospital is undergoing major changes as a result of modern technology to ensure it can remain in the marketplace that is competitive. Due to rising need of effective service delivery, the hospital is faced with the task of aligning its operations with technological changes to enable it to remain relevant to the needs of its clients and achieve its overall goals. The technological revolution around the world has driven the hospital to undergo the changes that will ensure it can remain in the health industry.

The situation at the Mercer Medical Center is a result of the failed implementation of the change management. The failure of the new changes to be adopted in the health center is as a result of resistance by the staffs. The employees of the hospital have rejected the introduction of various information systems that are meant to make their operations easier. For instance, the employees opposed the implementation of a nursing documentation system that failed due to the resistance by the medical staff. The proposed change in the hospital is the implementation of a physician order entry (POE) system by Kathryn Reed who is the medical director of information services. However, the hospital management understands that the system will face challenges since it will have a significant impact on how operations are carried out in the health center. For example, it is expected that some staff members may be rendered jobless or their duties and responsibilities reduced thus affecting their general input in the hospital management.

Types of Organisational Changes

Various factors cause organizational changes since the organizations are always striving to grow (Cummings & Worley 2014). However, the constants shifts in the process of operations can cause destabilization of the organization. Also, many factors lead the organization to need change. The types of changes are as follows: Organization-wide change which is as a result of a large-scale operation in the business that will have an impact on the entire structure. The change involves any form of resizing and restructuring of the whole organization which will affect the companys nature of the operation (Sharma 2007, p. 43). The organization-wide change will have an impact on the organizational culture which will affect employees pattern behavior. Also, this kind of changes will have a long-term impact and they should be planned properly. Effective and strategic planning needs to remain the topmost goal of the organization in order to meet its expectations in accordance with the laid down plans.

Transformational is another type of change that is essential to examine the strategies adopted in the organizational operations. Hence, it is essential for the organizations to have a good connection with the surrounding environment such as the cultural trends as a result of technological advances (Dawson & Andriopoulos 2014). For instance, the transformational changes in the organization can be focused to integrate digital technologies like social media, internet, and cloud services to transform the manner in which operations are carried out (Pugh 2016, 64). Personnel change is another form in which the organization will undertake massive hiring and layoffs. Hence, the company will change its cultural organization and how processes are carried out (Thompson and Martin 2010, p.87). Thus, it is essential for the business to implement the manner in which it disperses the workload to achieve organizational change.

According to Morgan (2013), unplanned change is another form of transition that takes place in an organization. Unplanned changes in an organization can take place despite the numerous strategies that are developed. Usually, the changes take place as a result of demographic composition in the organization such as diversity inadequacy and lack of social equality (Kneer 2013, p 239). Also, the changes can take place as a result of external factors such as uncertainties in the economy and introduction of new government regulations (Hayes 2014, p.108). In addition, these changes usually cost the organization a lot of resources since the companies are required to act within a short period. Another type of change is remedial that is as a result of poor performance in the organization which is due to lack of deficiency sense to be productive. At the same time, it may be due to employee resistance to new ideas and operations within its management thus rendering their performance ineffective (Dawson & Andriopoulos 2014). Remedial changes in the organization are carried out to increase the functionality of the business. Thus, they are done by reviewing various strategies used in the organizational structure.

The type of change that the CEO of Mercer Medical Center should implement in the hospital is organization-wide. The organization-wide change will involve a major restructuring of the whole business model. Thus, it will set new strategies and plans that will be used to increase the productivity of the organization. The CEO will be required to have a change in mindset that is huge and the tools available. For instance, the POE system in Mercer Medical Center is a modern technology that will implement the way in which different departments in the health center will coordinate and share information.

If I were Mercer Medical Center, Medical Director of Information System the change and leadership theory I would use to overcome workers resistance to change and drive success to the health center is situational leadership theory. The theory is based on the leadership to adapt to various situations based on the context that is required (Harrington 2006, p. 43). Also, it emphasizes on leaders to be highly intelligent to ensure they can make a drastic decision in the operations of the organization. Therefore, the situational leadership theory will enable the CEO to overcome the resistance caused by the workers. Hence, the organization will be able to adapt to the changes that are introduced and ensure all the workers are ready for the transition (Lunenburg 2010).

Communication Management Plan

A communication management plan that is effective in an organization will ensure there is proper sharing of information between different departments in the Center. To have an effective change, a better communication plan will facilitate the transition to the hospital operations. The information to be communicated will be in the form of documents that are scanned and saved in the cloud computing system of the hospital. The cloud system will be facilitated through the use of POE in the health center. The objectives of communication in the plan will be to review the objectives and strategies set by the organization and ensure they are adhered to by the staffs. At the same time, it will have the objective to assess how effective the plan has been in the organization. It is thus aimed at streamlining the general objectives of the organization with its strategic plans in addition to its operations.

The information will be communicated to all stakeholders at Mercer Medical Center. The communication will ensure that the organization can achieve its goal and objectives through sharing of information. Sharing information is critical as it enables all stakeholders within the organization to remain relevant to the needs of the general objectives laid out. The format and the delivery mechanism of the information will involve the use of email and shared cloud access. The information will be communicated on a daily basis to ensure that the stakeholders can keep track of the process. The managers will share information regarding the status of the changes in the organization. Also, they will inform the stakeholders of the changes that will take place in the course of the transition process.

The information will be authorized to be communicated by the CEO of Mercer Medical Center. The CEO will oversee the operations that will be carried out by the managers as they manage the organizational changes that are taking place in the business. The changes in the communication will be managed in the shared access to the cloud system. The involved stakeholders will be informed of the changes that will take place and the way to access it. The flow of communication will be fast and steady since it will involve the use of email and shared cloud storage. The escalation process to resolve any communication-based conflicts and issues in the organization will be performed in a face-to-face meeting between the involved individuals. Thus, it will ensure that the issues are solved immediately to enable the transitions in the organization to be effective.

Conclusion

Management...