Organizations are constantly undergoing various changes and trying to adapt to various factors in the market. In the healthcare sector, change has remained constant with the advancement in technology and the need for faster service delivery and more effective treatment techniques. Even for businesses, change is inevitable for an organization to remain competitive in the market. Even though change is constant, the success of the implemented change is dependent on the effectiveness and relevance of facilitating the achievement of the intended organizational goals. The steps followed in implementing the change have a significant effect on the efficiency and success of realizing the intended changes within the organization. Proper management of change through change models helps organizations to effectively implement and realize change benefits.
Lewin’s change model is one of the most commonly used planning tools by most organizations to implement change. The model involves a three-step framework defining the proper implementation of change in an organization. According to the model, the first step in change implementation is the preparation for the intended change within the organization also called unfreezing. During this step, a sense of urgency is created, and the need for change is communicated to various stakeholders (Santos et al., 2022). The second stage is the implementation of the desired change which is done systematically and in an organized manner. This stage is simply termed “change.” The final stage in Lewin’s model is the establishment and integration of the new changes into the organization’s culture. This final step is also referred to as the refreezing step.
Lewin’s model applies simplicity and practicability to implement the desired change. During the initial change implementation stage, the model helps to create an understanding of the desired change (Harrison et al., 2021). Here, all clarifications on why the change is needed are identified and presented to the relevant stakeholders. After creating an understanding of the need for change, the model employs the simplest processes to implement the change. The move towards the desired change is now fully implemented. The model then solidifies the new change as the norm of the organization by checking and confirming that the new norm satisfies the needs.
The use of Electronic Health Record (EHRS)systems is increasingly becoming a common phenomenon in most healthcare institutions. With recent advances in technology, healthcare organizations are shifting from the use of manual health records to EHRs. EHR helps improve efficiency in data handling and management and ensures the patient information stored in these systems is easily retrievable and secure at all times (Vos et al., 2020). This change has been facilitated by the increasing cases of cyber threats and data hacking schemes in most regions. The need for faster patient services has also brought about the need for systems that enable faster retrieval of patient data.
Lewin’s change model has been crucial in implementing these changes within the healthcare system. The first step during the implementation of the change was educating members on the importance of EHR systems. Training and transitioning to the new system was the second stage of this process (Arabi et al., 2022). During this step, members were taken through training on the use and application of these systems in the recording and storage of patient data. The transition from the use of manual recording systems to the use of EHR was made within the health care system with all patient data being migrated to these systems. Finally, policies and procedures to guide the use and application of this system were established. Standard operating procedures for the systems were established to ensure a smooth integration and transition process. Policies directing the use of these systems by the practitioners to ensure their proper use were implemented during the process.
The effectiveness of the model used to implement the changes in the healthcare sector can be measured by metrics such as the level of staff satisfaction with the shift, speed of adoption, and security and accuracy of data stored in the systems (Galli, 2019). Even though the implementation was through the use of Lewin’s model largely successful, Kotter’s 8-step model could record better results. Kotter’s model creates emphasis on stakeholder engagement and creating an understanding of the change (Laig & Abocejo, 2021), a practice resulting in a smoother implementation process and greater acceptability by the staff.
In conclusion, organizational change is inevitable in every organization. With advances in technology, most institutions ought to shift and change from their initial business models to accommodate changes in the market. To ensure effectiveness in implementing changes, strategic change models such as Lewin’s 3-stage change model are crucial. Models provide a systematic and well-structured framework for managing the change to ensure effective transition and integration of the change. To ensure the effectiveness of change in an organization, members must be adequately oriented and familiarized with working with the implemented change. However, even with the strategic tool in place, assessment of the effectiveness of the tool in implementing the change is very crucial. Where the tool shows inefficiencies, alternative options can be sought to ensure the effectiveness of the changes in the organization. Measures can also be put in place to correct mistakes within the model used in cases where only minor corrections or change adjustments are required for effective change implementation.
References
Arabi, Y. M., Al Ghamdi, A. A., Al-Moamary, M., Al Mutrafy, A., AlHazme, R. H., & Al Knawy, B. A. (2022). Electronic medical record implementation in a large healthcare system from a leadership perspective. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 22(1). Web.
Galli, B. J. (2019). Comparison of change management models: Similarities, differences, and which is most effective? Innovation, Technology, and Knowledge Management, 605-624. Web.
Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R. L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S., & Le-Dao, H. (2021). Where Do Models for Change Management, Improvement and Implementation Meet? A Systematic Review of the Applications of Change Management Models in Healthcare. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, Volume 13(13), 85–108. NCBI. Web.
Laig, R. B. D., & Abocejo, F. T. (2021). Change Management Process in a Mining Company: Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model. Journal of Management, Economics, and Industrial Organization, 5(3), 31–50. Web.
Santos, E., Queiroz, M., Borini, F. M., Carvalho, D., & Dutra, J. S. (2022). The journey of business transformation: unfreeze, change and refreeze – a multiple case study. Journal of Organizational Change Management. Web.
Vos, J. F. J., Boonstra, A., Kooistra, A., Seelen, M., & van Offenbeek, M. (2020). The influence of electronic health record use on collaboration among medical specialties. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1). Web.
