Our change management consulting on transformational change-- whether it is IT transformation, HR transformation, or healthcare transformation--consistently points to one major change management flaw: Organizations reinforce the status quo rather than transformational change.
In the whirlwind of activity surrounding healthcare transformational change, it's easy to be uncertain of where to put your focus. So much is going on, and in many organizations the constraints are more significant than ever before. If you are charged with supporting the implementation of a project or program, where should you be spending your time?
In our change management consulting, we work across many industries and organizations that are in the throes of transformation. The healthcare industry may well be the leader in transformational change. In addition to the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act (also known as Obamacare), healthcare is experiencing a myriad of other changes, including:
"Reinforcement" and "Reinforcement Plans" are terms that are thrown around a lot in change management. Sure, we know that reinforcement is important, but what does a good reinforcement plan really look like?
If you are a Change Agent working on transformational change you are likely confronted daily with the reality of having too much to do with too few resources. You aren't alone. In our almost 30 years of change management consulting, we have never come across an organization with too many resources and with too little to do. That has never been more true than it is today.
Change Agents may not initially think they are working on a culture change, but there is a good chance that you may have one on your plate. Don Harrison, the developer of the Accelerating Implementation Methodology (AIM), likes to tell the story of a call he got a few years ago from a client. The client asked, "Don, can you come out to our site and give us a culture?"
Are your healthcare reform-related transformational changes on time and on budget? Are you seeing warning signs that some of the changes may stall, or take too long, or not drive sustained behavioral changes in important stakeholder groups, especially physicians?
Transformational change is everywhere. Or better put, attempts at transformational change are everywhere. But while there is significant focus on the strategy side of transformational change, Sponsors still don't put enough emphasis on the actual implementation of the transformation.
The terms "transformational change" and "transformation" may be two of the most over-used words in business today. In our change management consulting work, we identify three different types of strategic change:
One of the biggest aha's from our change management consulting work with leaders of transformational change is that there are certain tasks that only they can carry out. While it may be common practice for these leaders to delegate implementation responsibility, the fact is that there are six essential tasks that can't be delegated to Change Agents.
