Change management is how an organization prepares and handles a
new process, technology, or policy changes. In the case of a new
electronic health record system change will require employees going
from a paper system of records to an electronic system, which will
bring a myriad of challenges and changes for the organization and
how they embrace and lay out the change can have a huge impact on
the success rate and adoption of the change. The first step would
be to create a roadmap for the change that indicates what the
current process is and where they want to be in the future, how they
will get there and why the change is needed, indicates what new
workflows will be needed and why, includes the new technologies
and the new skills that will be needed, and finally provide them with
how and when the new skills will be learned and how the new
technology will benefit their work life. Then create a climate for
change that clearly explains why they need to leave the current state,
why the future state will be better and spells out what the benefits of
the future state are for the organization and the employees. Then
using the town hall be open and honest with employees, explain the
why behind the change, many employees need to understand the
why before they can accept the change and achieve the buy in
needed to accomplish the change. Allow for questions to alleviate
employee concerns and be honest and as transparent as possible and
if a question doesn’t have an answer at that time be honest and
indicate that there is no answer at that time but that once an answer
known, it will be communicated. schedule a demonstration of the of
the new process, will help employees to see the benefits of the new
system first-hand and can see how it will make things better and
easier, also help to ease fear and allow for acceptance and even
excitement for the future state. These are just a few ways
management can handle change that respects employees’ natural
fears and hesitation toward change.
