Organizational Change

Organizational Change

Change is a process that requires a lot of investment not in terms of monetary value but more so in terms of the will to change. Change is not a process that occurs suddenly but is a process that is ongoing from one step to the next. However, for a change process to be effective, one has to identify several issues, such as the area that requires change, reason for change and how the change will be effected. Parkway Nursing Care is facing problems with respect to the negative experiences that its employees have had specifically because of its culture. This means that for the company to achieve success, it must make some changes in its culture.

The change management theory refers to a structured approach that ensures that changes are implemented smoothly and thoroughly. It is a broad discipline that entails ensuring change has lasting benefits to an organization by providing broader impacts on the organization and the people involved in it. It is essential to understand that each change initiative undertaken is different in its own right and has unique set of objectives and activities that must be effectively coordinated to achieve the desired change (Bloisi, Cook and Hunsaker 56).

Concepts of Change Management Theory

Despite the fact that the field of change management theory has many sides and authors to it, it has certain core concepts that apply to all change management theorists. The first concept of change management theory is the fact that change does not occur in isolation. Change affects the whole system or organization where it is undertaken and the people involved in it (Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn 49). It is impossible to achieve an effective change in an organization without including the people that are engaged in that company in one way or the other. Therefore, for a change program to achieve success, it is necessary that the change process take into account the wider impacts of the changes within the organization. It is imperative to consider the personal impact of the people who will be affected by the change and the movement through the process of the change in terms of their behavior. Thus, when affecting a change process, one has to understand the meaning of the change process in that situation (Huczynski and Buchanan 34).

The second principle of change management is the change management objectives and the scope. A change management process cannot occur without objectives and scope. The objectives are remarkably significant because they determine the reason of the change in an organization. Deciding to effect a change process in an organization without defining the need and reason of the change means that the change will be impaired. The objectives of the change process determine the direction that the change will take. The definition of change management objectives should be done in consultation with all the participants who may include project managers, the human resource department, and other managers (Buchanan and Huczynski 54).

Another concept of change management theory is Understanding change. Understanding change is remarkably essential in the sense that it enables an organization and the people involved in the change process to understand the aspects of the change process. In his change management model, Lewin describes the manner in which one has to dismantle the current issues to make improvements by using the unfreeze-change-refreeze model. Beckhard and Harris’s organizational change model emphasizes on understanding change by stating that there must be an existence of real dissatisfaction with the current states of affairs. This will enable the people effecting the change process to have a vision of a better future; thus, outline clear and effective steps for a successful change process (Konopaske and Ivancevich 89).

The third concept of the change management theory is planning change. For a change process to be effective, the responsible parties have to plan for the change program. The understanding of the change process is vital before this step because it enables the change experts be able to plan for what should be changed. This concept underscores the importance of impact analysis. Planning is essential because it enables change managers plan by considering the required change, the available resources, time and the importance of the change process. For instance, the Leavitt’s Diamond change model proposes a way to work through the impacts of a change process by considering interrelated aspects, such as tasks, structure and the people involved (Johns and Saks 67).

Another core concept of change management is implementing change. In every change program, the implementation stage is always the most important stage because the implementation determines the outcome of the change process and determines the manner in which the objectives will be met. The implementation of the change program should be taken serious and be handled effectively so that the desired objectives are met. All the participants should be included in this stage and ensured that they play their roles and responsibilities. Kotter, in his change management mode outlines eight steps that are meant to guide the implementation of the change process (Kotter 23). The eight steps present the set of change management activities that must be done to achieve the change that is desired and to ensure that the change lasts in the long term. This principle underscores the importance of skills and techniques required to meet the change requirements. Thus, people must be trained and assessment done in a structured manner to ensure that the right training is done on the relevant people at the right time. This will ensure that all the planned activities are done according to the plan and that the change occurs gradually and effectively (Graetz, Rimmer and Smith 79).

Another concept of change management theory is communication. Communication is a very significant aspect in a change program. A change program cannot progress smoothly if there is lack of communication between and among the relevant participants, in the change program  (Ashkanasy, Celestine and Peterson, eds., 76). Communication is vital in the management and analysis of the change process to ensure that all things and stages are handled in a manger that underscores the importance of the change process. All people that are involved in the change process must understand the significance of communication and the ways that effective communication is done so as not to impair the change process (Ivancevich and Matteson 46)

Parkways Nursing Care

Parkway Nursing Care is an organization that has shown massive change since its establishment in the year 1972. The organization has expanded its facilities throughout the period, to own 220 facilities in the southwest section of the United States of America. The company has employed many employees who are estimated at about 30,000 in number. The organization has an integrated type of service in the sense that it runs healthcare facilities and in-home nursing care. It is also imperative to point out that Parkways Nursing Care has been very successful in the region of its operation judging by the fact that it has won numerous awards, for the achievements that it has made in the field (The Stress of Caring at Parkway Nursing Care.).

Parkways Nursing care has several problems that start with its management. The management of Parkways Nursing has become focused on achieving success for the organization to the extent that it neglects important aspects that are tied to the success of the organization. It is evident that the management has neglected its workforce in terms of attending to their needs. There are certain aspects that the workforce considers ineffective. For instance, the nurses feel that the perspectives on patient care in the organization has not been given appropriate hearing by the management. The nurses are the ones who spent much time with the patients (Osland, Turner and Kolb 36). This gives them the right and higher stance to decide the best for the patients, but the management ignores this. The management is also negligent of the fact that, for the organization to operate optimally, it should have sufficient employees who are effectively trained and highly professional. However, the new employees are recruited to fill the empty positions in order to fulfill the requirements of government. The new employees do not understand the culture of the organization and they are not adequately trained to fit into the organizations and respond to the needs of the patients. Instead, they get into the organization with personal goals and visions that do not fit into the organizational culture (The Stress of Caring at Parkway Nursing Care.).

The other problem that exists in Parkways Nursing care is the fact there is no effective communication between the employees and the management and among the employees themselves. The management does not communicate the planned changes with the employees irrespective of whether the changes affect them or not. The employees, in a similar way, do not communicate with the management on issues that affect them. Employees do not communicate among themselves regarding the problems that affect them. Consequently, what remains in these scenarios is blame game where the employees blame the management, the management blames the employees, and employees blame other employees, which show the failure of communication within the organization.

Another problem in the organization is the staffing problem. The employees that are responsible for patients are not sufficient. This has caused injuries to both the staff and the patients. The employees get injuries because of straining while attending to the patients. Similarly, the patients are injured from the falls, medication errors, slips and other accidents. The organization is understaffed but the management has not done something to ensure that the employees are sufficient. Employees do not get adequate rest that they are supposed to, and this makes them less efficient to deal with patients (The Stress of Caring at Parkway Nursing Care.).

Strategies for changing the organizational culture and work practices at Parkways Nursing

The first approach that can be used to change the organization culture and work practices in Parkways Nursing is to define the objectives of the change initiative. This will be important in the sense that it will inform all the departments in Parkways Nursing of the desired change outcome. This will help in ensuring that all participants understand their importance and the importance of others, in the change process (Robbins and Barnwell 36).

In line with the definition of objectives, the roles and responsibilities of different departments should be defined. The management as well as individual employees should not take up the roles of others or fail to undertake their roles. The management should not undertake the roles and responsibilities of the nurses. This will also show the responsibilities of each participant in the change process so that no department cuts through the roles of other departments. This means that the roles and duties of each department must be outlined clearly.

The second strategy is to improve communication. Communication is a very essential aspect of a change process. The lack of communication is the main problem that has interfered with normal functioning of the organization. The management needs to understand that it must communicate to its employees about a planned change program especially that which affects them directly. For instance, when the management plans to employ further staff, it must communicate with the human resource to be able to know the type of skills to look for when hiring. Lack of communication also seems to be evident between the employees, for instance, when an employee requests for n emergency off and dos not inform the others, it brings problems at work. Thus, employees need to communicate between themselves to improve relations among them that will help in the creation of a harmonious working environment (Kotter).

Another strategy is to improve staffing. The organization requires more staff because the patients are overwhelming the present employees and making them provides poor services. When staffing, the management, and the human resource department should cooperate and employ people who have skills that are required in the organization. In addition, the new employees should be trained to make them understand their roles and tasks within the organization. This will be significant in ensuring that the new employees merge with the present ones. The training is also meant to inform the new employees of the culture of the organization to be able to work observing that culture. The old employees also need constant training that will enable them smoothly integrate to new ways of operation, new employees and the ever changing work environment and culture (Senior and Swailes 98).

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“The Stress of Caring at Parkway Nursing Care.” (n.d.).

 

 

 

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