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Reply to KATR 1

Company A is a substance abuse rehabilitation centre with two location; one which houses a 15 bed inhouse treatment facility and one which is the clubhouse (this concept is a place where addicts in active use come for the day to be in a safe drug free environment to reduce usage in the day and help move them to contemplating going into treatment. Staffing included the Executive Director, Assistant Director/Counselor, Program Manager/Counselor, two staff counselors and one volunteer counselor. (That was my position) Funding for the facilities were provided by 15% donations and 85% from the Bermuda Government. The Bermuda Government has substantially reduced its annual budget to subsidize substance abuse facilities on the island. Company A was receiving $450,000 per year up to 2013 and this has steadily decrease to nothing in 2017. This is how organizational change came and what they were forced to do.

Poor performance is one reason the government reduced the grant funds. Statistics provided showed that over 60% of the clients who received treatment relapsed and ended up going to another facility or repeating treatment. The clubhouse only facilitated 4% clients who decided to received treatment. In 2014, the Program Manager was let go, in 2015, over a three month period the 2 staff counselors and the Assistant Director were let go. This left the Executive Director to function alone with the Volunteer Counselor (ME).

The Executive Director, who started the company over 25 years ago was not willing to see the change in the delivery of service would enhance abstinence and reduce relapse. Being accustomed to the way that was started with, she did not embrace ideas from any of the staff. She was stuck and kept holding on to the belief that the government would fund her but it didn’t happen. She didn’t even let the Board of Directors assist her in change. She said No to everything. She had a certain style of dealing with clients that she didn’t want to change, she had a fear of someone else doing it better than her and losing her power as the boss. These behaviours forced change on the organization as well.

I created a business plan showing how she could save what she started but resistance was high. I outlined how we could reduce costs (close the clubhouse) and be able to maintain the treatment facility with staff. Because Financial Assistance (Similar to your welfare program) was prepared to assist addicts in treatment and aftercare, there would be sufficient funds to pay employees and living expenses for the clients.

If I had been in Leadership, I would have shut down the clubhouse as statistically, the number of people who moved from precontemplation stage to entering in treatment was 4%. This number of clients could not possibly encourage the Government to support the concept any longer. I would have continued to operate the treatment facility which then transitioned clients to life skills/aftercare with housing available on the property. Once working, these clients could pay a monthly rent and for those who could not find employment, financial assistance was available to then. This facility is the only transitional housing on the island for addicts which gave us a bargaining tool. I suggested these things to the Executive Director who did not want to let go of the clubhouse concept. 1 year later from my departure, she now owes $60,000 in back rent and only 2 clients have gone to treatment within the year. The facility used for treatment is now only used as a transitional housing facility and the Executive Director is the only staff member. She is 75 years old.

Reply to SACA 1

“In any case, regardless of the type, change involves letting of the old ways in which work is done and adjusting to the new ways.” (The Saylor Foundation, 2014, ch.14 p. 21).

I have had experiences working with culturally diverse organizations, baby boomers and millennials and have seen many changes in the workplace and how they impact employees, especially baby boomers. This particular scenario involves changes made from paper to electronic records at a medical facility I used to work for. The plan was to do away with the time consuming and extensive writing in paper medical records and replace it with an electronic medical record system. However, the program was introduced to the staff without any prior training. It was a terrifying situation for the baby boomers, they had a hard time adjusting. This form of reaction is known as compliance. “This involves going along with the proposed changes but with little enthusiasm” (The Saylor Foundation, 2014, ch.14 p. 26). We were expected to utilize the help desk and an online tutorial as we progress through the transitioning process and until a trainer becomes available. Though this was a tedious process, it was consequently a success and is gradually being accepted. “Despite all of the talk and expense, most organizational change efforts have not achieved the intended results.” (Winum et al 1997).

While the change was receptive for most, the plan was executed poorly. The fact that most baby boomers are set in their ways and are not usually receptive to changes was more traumatic for them. My plan to manage this change would first be assuring the staff of the importance of the transition and how it can benefit them and the company in the long run. The scheduling of a meeting with a representative from the company providing the services would be my next step. I would need to get information such as the intensity of the training, the amount of time it would take for the staff to learn how to effectively utilize the program, and the reliability of the program as it relates to support and technology.

I would alternate the staff to attend the training on separate dates and time. Upon the completion of the training, they will practice using a duplicate program set up for training purposes while they gradually transition and transfer records. The main objective would be proficiency and efficiency. This process would continue until 100% complete and the entire staff is proficient and comfortable using the system.