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chapter 8 | People and the Process of Change 109 CikguOnline
■ What can be done to prevent or overcome this
Design the Change
resistance?
The context in which the change will take place is
another factor to consider when assessing resist-
Plan the Implementation
ance to change (Lichiello & Madden, 1996). This
includes the amount of change occurring at the
same time, the organizational climate, the environ-
ment surrounding the organization, and past histo-
Implement the Change
ry of change in the organization. Is there goodwill
toward change because it has gone well in the past?
Or have the changes gone badly, generating ill will
Integrate the Change and resistance to additional change (Maurer,
2008)? There may be external pressure to change
Figure 8.3 Four phases of planned change.
because of the competitive nature of the health-
care market in the community. In other situations,
government regulations may make it difficult to
because they are poorly conceived in the first place. bring about a desired change.
Ask yourself: Almost everything you have learned about
effective leadership is useful in planning the imple-
■ What are we trying to accomplish?
mentation of change: communicating the vision,
■ Is the change necessary?
motivating people, involving people in decisions
■ Is the change technically correct?
that affect them, dealing with conflict, eliciting
■ Will it work?
cooperation, providing coordination, and fostering
■ Is this change a better way to do things?
teamwork. People have to be moved out of their
This is a good time to use creativity and innovation comfort zone to unfreeze the situation and get
(Handy, 2002). Encourage people to talk about the them ready to change (Flower & Guillaume,2002).
changes planned, to express their doubts, and to Consider all these things when formulating a plan
provide their input (Fullan, 2001). Those who do to implement a proposed change, then act on them
are usually enthusiastic supporters later in the in the next step: implementing the change.
process.
Implementing the Change
Planning
You are finally ready to embark on the journey that
Now is the time to build a “road map” to guide you has been carefully planned. Consider the following
on the journey from status quo to completed factors:
change (McCarthy, 2005). All the information pre-
sented previously about sources of resistance and ■ Magnitude: Is it a major change that affects
ways to overcome that resistance should be taken almost everything people do, or is it a minor one?
into consideration when deciding how to imple- ■ Complexity: Is this a difficult change to make?
ment a change. Does it require much new knowledge and skill?
Remember that some research has found nurs- How much time will it take to acquire them?
ing staff to be resistant to change. You are likely to ■ Pace: How urgent is this change? Can it be done
find supporters, “fence-sitters,” and resisters within gradually, or must it be implemented all at once?
your group (McCarthy, 2005). The supporters will ■ Stress: Is this the only change that is taking
help you lead people on the path to change, but be place, or is it just one of many taking place?
sure to include those who are neutral (the fence- How stressful are these changes? How can you
sitters) and opposed (the resisters) in the process help people keep their stress at tolerable levels?
and to analyze why they might be resistant. Ask
A simple change, such as introducing a new
yourself:
thermometer, may be planned, implemented, and
■ Why might people resist this change? integrated easily into everyone’s work routine. A
■ Is their resistance justified? complex change, such as introducing a medication