4-5 pages total (plus a Title and Reference page) with at least 5 peer reviewed references
Introduction
Leading Change: Many changes in the healthcare system fail because leaders view change as an event rather than a process. Identify a change which yielded positive outcomes in your organization. Discuss the process of the change, and why it was successful.
Discussion
a. Assess Your Personal Reaction to Change: Leaders must continuously engage in new activities and thinking as part of change. Leading others is difficult if you do not embrace change yourself. Recent research found that leaders who do not embrace change increase their staffs’ resistance to it, and transformational leaders, who focus on creating a positive vision, lower their staffs’ resistance. People’s response to change varies /identify your own response. Do you believe you are a change proponent and why?
b. Recognize the Pace is Fast: Rapid change is the new norm. To adapt to change, a leader must consistently look ahead. You cannot remain stagnant and task oriented. The key to success is not to become ‘buried’ in fast change, but to rise above it by detecting what change is needed, and how it will successfully be implemented. What type of change do you believe is needed to make the most positive impact in healthcare today, and why?
c. Create a Network of Change Agents: Leaders must recognize informal followers and advocates of change are quite powerful in an organization. Leaders listen to what they have to say, and support them in helping drive the change. Who do you see as an informal follower that could support you in a positive change in your organization and why?
Conclusion
In today’s accelerated healthcare environment, the ability to anticipate and actively lead change is essential for leaders in all areas (bedside, information services, case management, charge nurses, unit mangers and directors as well as senior leaders). Discuss (as a Christian Leader) how you lead change on a daily basis, and what change means to you.