Gina Temple: The Four Principles of Change Management
According to healthcare leader and visionary Gina Temple, change management has four core principles. Today, she discusses these principles in detail.
Principle #1: Understanding Change
You must understand the advantages and benefits of change to promote them successfully. There are several questions you can ask. What are the organizational benefits and advantages of the change? What are the steps people should take to allow this change to happen? How will this affect the way people work? What can you do to make a difference in the context of the change? What are your main objectives during the change? What will this change do for people?
It might be helpful to look at the negative consequences of specific actions. For change to succeed, Gina Temple says there must be enough dissatisfaction with the current way of doing things. People also have to feel that the innovative approach is overall better and that there is a rather straightforward way to get there.
Principle #2: Plan Change
It is impossible to make effective change happen by chance alone. Any plan you create must be tailored to your company or institution. Each organization’s approach to managing projects revolving around change will always differ. Some organizations have extremely rigid change processes, while others projects are more flexible and open to change.
Gina Temple mentions that you should consider a few things.
First, you can only make positive changes when you can support your team from all levels of the company. You should know your plans to accomplish this. You also have to think about what success looks like. Ask yourself how you can determine the impact of these changes and how you can assess them. In line with this, you have to know your goals.
You should also know who will be involved and participate in the change project. Determine if you require external expertise or if you can make use of your resources. Also, figure out if you need sponsorship. Sit down and list the things you can do to secure, engage, and use high-level sponsorship. It can greatly help support the change.
Gina Temple says you have to know how you can make positive changes. There are a lot of ways to implement your changes. There are many models and ways to do this.
To achieve this, you must recognize any training requirements the people have to accomplish for the change to be implemented. You also have to agree on the changes’ success criteria and ensure they are measured and reported regularly. You have to see that everyone involved understands what the changes imply.
After that, you’ll have to identify the key stakeholders involved in the change. You can do this by mapping them as well as defining their involvement. Designating “change agents” to aid in implementing the new practices is a must, and so is ensuring that everyone is supported throughout the entire change process.
Principle #4: Communicate Change
Lastly, Gina Temple says that communication is vital to change management. Ensure that the changes you are trying to implement are clear and pertinent so that people can understand why they are important. You must also set the right tone to obtain the desired emotional response.
Connect the changes you plan to your organization’s vision and mission statements. It will allow people to see how positive change can affect the “bigger picture.” The right way of communicating will also provide them with an inspiring and common vision for the future.
Effective communication at this time will also help you send the right message at the right time to the right people so you can get the support you need.
Gina Temple has served in the healthcare community for over 30 years with experiences ranging from for-profit to not-for-profit organizations, unionized to non-unionized facilities and acute care settings to outpatient centers. Read similar articles on healthcare and leadership from Gina Temple by clicking here.
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