It sometimes amazes me that even now, here in 2012, with all the constant changes occurring around us with computing, healthcare, social media and a rapidly shrinking world, that people would have become agents of change overnight, but of course, that's hardly the case.
From the big overhauls such as ICD10 or moving up to a Stage 6 EHR on the HIMSS ladder to the small steps in between, getting people to adapt to the new reality of the workplace can be demanding and difficult, but necessary for a successful conversion.
Wanna succeed? Give these a try...
1. Be Up Front: I'm sure your parents told you that honesty is the best policy, and when it comes to big changes, be up front early and often. When I took our department through the conversion from a paper-based, traditional model to a fully electronic scanning one, we told the staff early on about the process and the big changes that would be coming. By letting them in on these events during the early planning stages they can go through the fear and anger stages sooner and move on to being productive.
2. Control the Story: To some degree you have to be a PR expert and control the way information is presented, spinning the information positively whenever possible. You need champions who are in the weeds, people who are front-line and can help dispel gossip or rumor-mongering. Since you can't be everywhere at once, you need people on your side. Create talking points and ways to deflect negativity.
3. If The Change Calls For A Reduction In Forces, Be Fair, Be Honest: Part of this ties back to #1, but, and this should go without saying, if the change calls for some staff to be let go, you need to work with HR on developing clean, fair methods to determine which staff should be retained and which should be let go. Performance, years of service and adaptability should all be considered.
4. Offer The Tools Staff Need To Change: If roles will be changing, provide training or opportunities for education to allow them to learn the new process and succeed under it.
