How to Adapt to Change in the Healthcare Industry to Remain Competitive?

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving and facing new challenges, such as improving the patient journey, continuously improving their processes to improve efficiency and diminish fixed costs, while engaging their employees in the process.

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These challenges require healthcare organizations to adapt and change their ways of working, but change is not easy. It can be met with resistance, confusion, and frustration from both staff and patients.

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That's why it's crucial to use a thoughtful change management approach to ensure that people are part of the development of the new practices and that they are heard, considered and valued in the process.

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Change management is the discipline of leading individuals, teams and organizations through a transition from a current state to a desired future state. It involves planning, communicating, implementing and evaluating the change initiatives.

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To receive your complimentary copy of our free PDF Guide "Lessons from The Pandemic: 10 Simple Steps to An Agile Organization" for healthcare / pharmaceutical & medical devices organizations, simply click on this link.

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8 steps to a successful change initiative

Whether you are working in a clinic or a hospital, some things are always the same.

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If you dont lead change, sooner or later you will be confronted to :

• Employee' resistance
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• Middle managers' resistance
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• Change not properly embedded in the organization

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And people will slowly go back to the old way of doing things.

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There are several change management methodologies that we could use according to the context and the challenges at hand.

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Let's review one of them :

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According to John Kotter, a renowned expert on change management, there are eight steps to lead change effectively:

1. Create urgency: get the attention of the team/community about the importance of making change. This step involves convincing them that it's important to act immediately, and highlighting the consequences of not changing.
   
   Example : What we recommend is to create a story behind the change.
   
   Why?
   Why us?
   Why now?
   When?
   How?
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2. Form a guiding coalition: make a team with key stakeholders to drive this change forward. Prioritize finding multidisciplinary, potentially even opposing members with a wealth of cognitive diversity to ensure efficacy.
   
   There will always be people against the change and others who embrace it. There will always be people who are not decided. By finding a group of stakeholders who support the change, you will count on ambassadors and influencers to help you convert the people in the middle.
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3. Create a vision: make a vision statement and strategic initiatives that will guide the coalition. This allows for accountability in decision-making and centers a commitment to shaping and improving the community culture.
   
   This is like having a lighthouse on the coast to help your ship navigate to a safe harbor.
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4. Rally and communicate: balancing both support for and opposition to the goal, bring people together around this shared vision but allow for anger, resistance, and debate. Model this behavior and show openness to feedback and error.
   
   Your role here is not only to talk but to "walk the talk".
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5. Remove barriers and empower: get rid of obstacles (institutional or otherwise) to the changes that the coalition identifies.
   
   As a sponsor of the change, you can support the coalition and the change team to move forward by tackling any obstacles that come in their way.
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6. Celebrate short-term wins: reward the achievements and progress made along the way. This helps to build momentum and confidence for the change.
   
   Every step towards the goal is a step in the right direction : recognize the people who have adopted the change and communicate about milestones so that everyone sees that the change is happening.
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7. Consolidate gains and produce more change: use the credibility and success from the short-term wins to tackle bigger and more complex challenges. Don't let complacency or fatigue derail the change efforts.
   
   Change is difficult, one step at a time. Continue to communicate.
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8. Anchor new approaches in the culture: make sure that the new behaviors and practices are embedded in the organizational culture and values. This helps to sustain the change and prevent backsliding.
   
   Make sure that people have adopted the new practices and behaviors. Provide enough opportunities for those who have not, to acquire the needed skills.
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Positive impact of change in your organization

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By following these steps, healthcare leaders can manage change in a way that:

1. Minimizes disruption
2. Maximizes engagement
3. And delivers positive outcomes for their organizations and their patients.

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If you are looking for a partner to help you navigate through change and transformation successfully and in a way that leverages your people and customers, while using best practices in the industry that can lead you to deliver unforgettable services, look no further than Bee'z Consulting.

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Bee'z Consulting is a consulting firm that specializes in leading change in the healthcare industry.

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Bee'z Consulting has a wealth of experience working with healthcare, medical devices and pharmaceutical companies, helping them implement innovative solutions that improve quality, safety, efficiency, and patient satisfaction.

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Bee'z Consulting offers a range of services, such as:

• Change management strategy and planning
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• Stakeholder analysis and engagement
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• Communication and training
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• Change readiness assessment
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• Change impact analysis
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• Change leadership coaching
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• Change measurement and evaluation

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Bee'z Consulting works with you to understand your needs, goals, challenges, and opportunities, and designs a customized approach that suits your context and culture.

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Bee'z Consulting also supports you throughout the implementation process, ensuring that you achieve your desired results.

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To learn more about how Bee'z Consulting can help you lead change in your healthcare organization, reserve your free consultation.

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We will be happy to brainstorm with you on how to achieve this important goal and develop a plan that suits your specific needs to support your company's growth.