Respond + summary
In our ever-changing healthcare industry today, it is fundamental for leaders have the skills to manage and adapt to change. This week we discuss the importance of leading change as a project manager. Leaders need to be experienced in theory and implementation of change in order to succeed. After reading Mitchell’s article on the importance of selecting a change theory, I gained a better understanding of the importance of following a theory and what change theory will work best in executing my proposed project plan. My framework of choice to guide me has been Lewin’s Change Theory, as I find it simple enough to follow, yet effective.
According to Lewin, there are three important steps to follow when planning and implementing change. The three steps are: the unfreezing process, the movement stage, and the refreezing process. The unfreezing process involves the impulse for change by the leader, stating why change is needed, and deciding to make the change. The movement stage requires an actual change of thoughts and actions to be made. Lastly, the refreezing process is attained once the change is established successfully (Woten & Karakashian, 2018).
I believe Lewin’s Theory of change will be a useful framework to guide organizational change in Chamberlain Hospital’s Emergency Department. I will use this framework by following the three simple steps. During the unfreezing process I will point out to the emergency department staff the need to see more patients in order to decrease the LWBS rate and patient satisfaction scores. I will do so by showing the statistics of current LWBS rates versus the benchmark to the staff. During the movement stage, staff members will choose to be mentally proactive and willing to follow the plan and implementation of increasing nursing staff in order to make improvements. Lastly, over 3-6 months, I will monitor and be involved in this phase until the change is fully accepted by staff. I look forward to hearing what theories everyone else chose. Thank you.
