HRs Role in Change Management - Research Paper Example

HR’s Role in Change Management This paper is primarily based on contemplating a highly sensitive issue regarding change management and encouraging innovations while basing the paper on a scenario in which a major healthcare organization has decided to use electronic medical records in place of regular manual records. In the present fiercely competitive and pressure laden workplace environment, bringing changes in the healthcare system especially those related to the use of technology is of phenomenal importance.

Considering the astoundingly packed hospital rooms presently, not incorporating the latest technology based fast and speedy patient accounting and order-entry system to make medical records heavily interferes with recording foolproof patient entries, patient transfers to different location, and ordering laboratory tests. Most of the blunders occurring in the hospital setups result due to carelessness of the hospital employees working in the admitting and patient accounting departments who make medical records fraught with errors, in spite of the reality that there is no room for any error in a healthcare organization.

Considering the scenario mentioned earlier in the paper, the managing staff may show particular resistance to the policy of depending on electronic sources for making medical records for fear that this change may lead them to lose control over the work environment leaving them confused and powerless. Not much educated working staff may be exceptionally resistive to introducing change and innovation in the healthcare setup because they would surely be less capable of developing familiarity with the more complicated and high-level technology based electronic system for recording patient entries and ordering investigatory tests on time.

In a healthcare organization which does not manage to implement a productive change, close-mindedness and unwillingness to learn remain the two most frequently bizarre behaviors shown by the employees. The working staff is resistive in the hospital in which electronic medical records have started to be used recently because of its unwillingness to move out of routine and learn anything new. Therefore, this remains a reality that “employees reluctant to learn something new impede the organization’s growth and adaptation to change.

” (Stark, 2011). Another hurdle is experienced in implementing any organizational change when the employees fear that it may ruin their performance given the chance of not being able to acknowledge the requirements of the new strategy. An employee also seems to resist the changes at all costs due to the fear of having to modify his/her routine that has already become his/her second nature. Asking the employees to change the way they operate or perform myriad activities is directly asking them to abandon their comfort zone due to which they may create such a non-encouraging and chaotic work environment that implementing any possible change turns into an impossible dream and as a result, things continue in a dead, orthodox, traditional, and unproductive manner.

Avoiding the blunder of solely relying on formal presentations and written declarations for introducing changes related to technology in the healthcare setup talked about in the scenario may reduce the waves of resistance exuding from the employees. Implementing changes keeping in mind the fact that not every employee has the same level of mental efficiency required by a particular strategy also helps the managers in considering only those changes that are expected to adequately meet the academic capabilities of the working staff.

Introducing change and innovation while following the approach of not communicating with the employees about the intricate details regarding the new strategy and keeping them in utter ignorance results in a more intolerable heat of resistance emanating from the working staff. On the other hand, making efforts to keep the employees aware of any new change to be implemented in the workplace and instructing them about the potential miraculous results that change is capable of producing lead the employees to adopt a warm and welcoming attitude towards change implementation.

Change management and promoting innovation forms a major part of the role played by the human resource professionals. HR professionals should be able to speak with a gentle authority in the initial discussions on change objectives and processes, provide reassurance to both employees and management, and make it obvious that they are supporters of the change process. (Motivation Matters Limited, 2011). High-level efforts made by HR professionals are immensely needed in a hospital setup where groundless obstinacy displayed by the managers working in the admitting and accounting departments, nursing staff, and doctors mars the dynamic nature that is fiercely needed to cope with the patients’ needs.

HR professionals can handle the resistive environment created by all the healthcare professionals together by heavily communicating with the employees and raising awareness among them about the enhancement the new strategy is capable of bringing in performance and healthcare provision. References: Motivation Matters Limited. (2011). HR’s role in change management. Retrieved from http://www.motivationmatterslimited.co.uk/pages/165.htm Stark, P. (2011). Why Employees Resist Change.

Retrieved from http://www.peterstark.com/why-employees-resist-change/