A Proposal for Enhancing the Training and Development Function in Hospital X - Term Paper Example

Managing Change: A Proposal for Enhancing the Training and Development Function in Hospital X Background of Organization The health care provider that is of main interest in this paper is a district general hospital that was granted a Trust status in 1991. Because it is situated in a southwest city, it has endured competition within the marketplace along with other hospitals located nearby (Kempton, 1996). The hospital has attempted to gain competitive advantage over the others and improve their market shares by obtaining a higher level of performance in terms of effectiveness, quality of care, and service costs. The Trust board, however, has realized that such areas can only be fully responded to if the hospital takes a comprehensive approach when attaining competitive advantages. In order to determine the necessary improvements, management consultants had been required to conduct an extensive review of their organization, helping them make decisions about redesigning their services and care in such a way that the needs of their patients are given the most importance of all. It was pointed out in the review that the delivery of care from the hospital staff focused more on their own convenience, conducting activities that they find easier or more beneficial to them. Meanwhile, their patients’ needs have not been fully addressed. Several issues were found to be extremely relevant as these represented weak points of the hospital that need to be considerably enhanced to enable them to perform better than competitors (Kempton, 1996). First, it was identified that there was a delay in the delivery of services owing to a lack of coordination among staff members, unproductive scheduling, and ineffective communication among the hospital’s departments. Furthermore, many of the activities that were related to patient care have been carried out by staff members who were either inadequately trained or were still undergoing training. Finally, members in charge of patients are not capable of responding quickly to certain changes as they were not provided adequate support and supervision. Approach Consequently, further training was identified to be an effective response to help prepare staff members and allow them to undertake new tasks. This may be concretely done by developing and improving skills and knowledge; preparing them for organizational change; and fully integrating such changes into their organizational culture. Generally, training enhancements will be conducted by teaching staff members to align patient services towards improved patient satisfaction; create care teams that are accountable for care delivery; reduce interaction with too many patients at a time, thereby allowing staff to focus providing effective continual care; develop multi-skilled staff; and to improve the documentation of patient records for the hospital. Generally, the team assigned for training and development programs realized the need to enhance such programs. This is intended to primarily bring about organizational change, further develop staff knowledge and abilities, and ensure that quality of care and support remains at satisfactory levels. Possible impacts of such programs for training and development may include increased commitment among their employees as they are expected to be more satisfied with the learning acquired and the ability to effectively use this knowledge in providing timely and effective patient care (Lehouz et al 2003). There is also anticipated increase in the focus on patients and their needs as staff members are trained and assigned in handling fewer patients at a time. This is done to ensure that special care and attention is provided. Eventually, if such practices are kept, staff members will become in fully in charge of their tasks. Moreover, they are expected to be more involved in their development. Eventually, excellence in support and care delivery for patients will be attained. Financial stability, as a result, will ensue as an end outcome (Sobotova, Noskova, Volekova, and Aghova, 2003). Positive word-of-mouth recommendations may also be brought about by an organization that shows sincere concern towards their clients and satisfaction with the delivery of services (Khurshid, 2010). Research Plan It is known for a fact that today’s organizations rely on constant change to survive in a competitive environment. Consequently, changes have been taking place in such organizations at a pace with which staff members are not able to constantly keep up with. These environmental triggers also challenge employees to remain effective and responsive in their jobs (Lamm and Gordon, 2010). Management plays a crucial role in seeking strategies that can help their workers address increasing work demands, particularly organizational change. It has been an issue, though, that individuals are often resistant to changes as they have established certain patterns in the way they conduct their activities. Generally, individuals take considerable time and effort in developing new ways to work and tailor such changes to meet individual needs and preferences (Nye, Brummel, and Drasgow, 2010). When implementing change programs in organizations, it is more effective if learning and development is integrated into the process. Learning allows individuals to analyze the reasons behind such change and how they can create certain changes in themselves to respond to the situation (McWilliam and Ward-Griffin, 2006). For actual learning to occur, there is a need for individuals, from top management to lower level employees, to take responsibility as organizational changes which they are required to undertake need receptive responses. It is necessary that they actively participate in building competencies. The successful development and management of change, therefore, primarily relies on the involvement of the organization and its employees (Avey, Wernsing, and Luthans, 2008). From this perspective, it can be suggested that continuous development can result to long-term learning for all organizational members. Strategies for organizational change require the limitations which are set by the top management to determine the extent to which the learning of employees will occur. Generally, certain factors determine the effectiveness of training and learning including organizational objectives, culture, structure, and systems for reward and benefits. It is necessary that there is consistency between the readiness of an organization to become involved in the change process and the need for employees to go through both professional and personal change (Wheeler, 2006). This can be significantly influenced by top managers who demonstrate their openness to learning and acceptance of change (Bovey and Hede, 2001). Although senior managers may not be able to present themselves as perfect role examples, accepting ideas for change and showing changed attitudes and behaviors can encourage the organization itself to move forward. Ample research has indicated how the commitment of the top management is fundamental to the success of any improvement program. Management has become one of the main tools in allowing continuous learning and development to take place in organizations. However, only a small of number of managers and/or supervisors recognize and understand the need for changing their beliefs and attitudes to promote the new culture that they are striving for. When it comes to successful organizational change, the significant role of the senior management cannot be undervalued. Aside from setting good example, to provide constructive feedback and helpful challenges is also essential. The organization can further contribute to the success of the training and learning process by making certain that their systems and activities are in accordance with their principles for learning and development (Whelan-Berry, Gordon, and Hinlings, 2003). Moreover, conducting a learning program demands much effort from its participants as there is a need for people to have autonomy in making decisions to become involved such process (Carter, 1999). Therefore, it is fundamental that the attitudes of employees involved in training programs be evaluated when conducting learning interventions (Elias, 2009). Before any initiative for competency development be deployed, values and attitudes must be carefully considered to reduce or prevent attitudes and behaviors that will oppose change. It has been a common fact that individuals become resistant to any form of change and in organizational change, various factors are considered, including being fearful of ambiguity; the possibility for instability; or threats to interpersonal relationships (del Val and Fuentes, 2003). These reasons are likely lead to ineffective implementation of organizational change, unless leaders take the appropriate actions to facilitate the acceptance of such change. Similarly important is the difference between employees’ perceptions of the organization’s current situation and how it will evolve once the change has been manifested. Ascertaining organizational limits before change implementation plays a relevant role in the readiness of its workforce for the tolerance of such change (Waddell and Sohal, 1998). Encouraging employees to become open to change may be very challenging especially when there is no evident reason of doing so such as any form of predicament. Effective leaders, though, have a long-term vision and looks forward to a considerable time before successfully implementing organizational change (Bush, 2008). It has also been pointed out that desired that members will never accept such changes if their organizational culture is not able to incorporate their goals and implications, thus, failure of change implementation. Successful organizational change has been attributed to effective leadership, and research showed how employee empowerment and motivation can significantly lead them to open up to new changes (Eisenbach, Watson, and Pillai, 1999). Furthermore, when training programs are conducted, it is essential that the organization creates a positive environment that effectively promotes learning and presents remarkable learning experiences. Top management should also communicate to their employees that they are all capable of learning and developing the necessary skills and attributes (Bazzoli, Dynan, Burns, and Yap, 2004). The primary aim of workforce training is not to solve a certain problem; rather, it aims to help in the growth of employees for them to effectively deal with current and future problems through a more efficient manner (Bunch, 2007). Acceptance of change can also be brought about when organizational members are provided with the necessary activities, first-hand, that will help them understand the reasons behind the change as well as its possible outcomes when they adopt new actions and behaviors (Dolan and Garcia, 2002). Resources An important resource for tackling organizational change particularly in the hospital setting is the case study conducted by Anderson, Norton, Reed, and Moran (1996). The paper examined two hospitals in the United States and their response towards organizational change. First, the plan for change in one of the hospitals showed that it is important to evaluate their strong and weak points, as well as possibilities for organizational improvement. Such assessments are also a resource considered for the present hospital. For instance, through their assessment, they were able to point out how indecisive they were in making plans. Their strategies were also poorly linked to actual processes and performance, having low quality information systems. Many of their staff members and physicians were also not capable of communicating effectively and providing satisfactory services to meet the needs of both their patients and the management. These organizational members were shown to be highly resistant of innovation and new changes, and did not recognize the relevance of establishing partnerships for further competency development. Thus, such assessments shall help the present hospital solicit management support for the enhancement of their current training and development programs. It was also shown that their rewards systems were mainly based on the employees’ status and longevity in the hospital, and not on performance. In the end, the hospital determined the need for change to enhance hospital strategies for their survival, improving the management of staff and physicians, along with establishing an environment which promotes innovation and reliability. Similarly, the second hospital identified the need to improve their efficiency and timeliness in delivering care services to be the most important priority for organizational change (Anderson et al 1996). In the case of the present hospital, a critical resource is support from the HR Department, and ensuring that ample resources are available to make training programs viable. Other HR systems, such as compensation and promotion, must also be meaningfully linked to competence, which is an anticipated outcome of training and development. I believe that identifying such needs for improvement will give us all an idea of how the need for change implementation is not brought up for any insignificant reason. Organizations decide to make such important changes as a response to any of their weaker aspects to prepare them for future demands and challenges. Furthermore, both hospitals were able to realize that setting attainable and reasonable goals is the primary action to be taken when implementing organizational change. It takes considerable time and effort to redesign processes, and an open and honest communication among all those involved. In conclusion, this can serve as a guide for hospitals that attempt to implement certain changes, that identifying the most important areas for improvement should be prioritized, especially in enhancing the capabilities of staff members to provide reliable and prompt care and support services for patients. Church, Siegal, Javitch, Waclawski, and Burke (1996) help in understanding the relevance of education and training among organizational members. While the nature of programs intended to implement change focus on the various needs of target groups, these should mainly emphasize the essential aspects of change especially the employees’ responses to change and the ways with which they can be managed. Initiatives for education, training and development will empower managers in making more appropriate and responsible decisions and can significantly result to the increase in the readiness and commitment of employees in responding to demands. Training plays a crucial role in addressing the needs of the organization, its employees, and patients; therefore, providing a wide range of opportunities and experience for further workforce learning and development can bring about numerous benefits- a fact that has to be widely realized and acted upon by hospitals and other health institutions. Self (2007) also indicated that implementing such changes within the organization entails a number of necessary actions that are crucial in a long-term change manifestation. Aside from identifying the need for change, leaders should also be able to communicate to their employees the reason why such changes are the right solutions for addressing current issues for further awareness and understanding. Boosting the morale of employees is also fundamental, whether this encouragement comes from positive past experiences or constant persuasive communication between managers and employees. Active involvement from managers of all levels, as well as both formal and informal leaders, is significantly helpful in motivating workers to accept and adapt to new change. Finally, making them understand whether the outcome of this change is positive or negative can improve the reactivity of employees to its implementation. I believe that this is an important resource as Self (2007) points out the most basic yet very crucial actions to be considered for change readiness and acceptance. When hospitals are able to realize the significance of such actions, they will also recognize the need to keep their employees involved in the entire process, help them understand how they can acquire advantages, and increase the likelihood of success in change management. References Anderson, D., Norton, R., Reed, G., and Moran, J. (1996). Managing change – a tale of two hospitals in an integrated network. The TQM Magazine, 8 (3), 27–34. Avey, J., Wernsing, T., and Luthans, F. (2008). Can positive employees help positive organizational change? impact of psychological capital and emotions on relevant attitudes and behaviors. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 44 (1), 48-70. Bazzoli, G.J., Dynan, L., Burns, L., and Yap, C. (2004). Two decades of organizational change in health care: what have we learned? 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