Change Initiative Paper Essay

IntroductionPerhaps one of the greatest triumphs in United States history, innovation War II was essenti everyy ended upon the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The boom hear around the world was not the only authorised out happen just now quite what came after which was the small fry boom. M each weary husbands that were coming home to eager wives caused one of the biggest statistical jumps of birth rates pastime the war. Often referred to as the baby boomers, this generation becomes especially important to the health check field in the yield day. This is where hospice comes into play, allowing several(prenominal)s the choice of obtaining this benefit upon reaching a 6 month or less terminal diagnosis. Hospice gives the individual a chance to die comfortably in a nursing facility, a general eager hospital, or their testify home.As an individual who used to work for Vitas Innovative Hospice, I ran the Telec are department which was accountable for the after-hours phone lines available to the patients and families. enduring dish out Secretaries were assigned to handle come up tos and gain tickets ground on the customer needs whether it is a symptom or equipment failure. Nurses were similar, however, they were to receive the ejaculate from the secretary or call back the patient in order to triage the symptom properly. Vitas Telecare must adapt to be ready for the entree flux of new patients from not only the baby boomers but from future generations to come.The Need for miscellanea overThe budge to be delivered is not a specific target but rather a broad turn to efficiency to maximize profits while still maintaining Vitas core values patients and families come first. In the past ex, hospice in general has been coming under fire for keeping patients too long in their armed services should their prognosis improve. According to the Union Tribune, it was announced on February 13 of 2013 San Diego Hospice had filed bankruptcy and close d collectable to the Medicare audits that investigated patient eligibility. This type of publicity not only brought a negative light upon San Diego hospice but all across San Diego including Vitas. While the channelise whitethorn not come too easily, steps must be taken toward reshaping the public view inorder to regain their trust to put their loved ones into Vitas services. Additionally, with the parsimoniousness still not in a great sound out, lack of efficiency is costing the company. As the Patient Care Administrator of Telecare, I was responsible for maintaining a smooth flow of calls without tying up the customers on hold for too long. One of the biggest flaws that contributed to high call volume was the lack of both communication and avocation of scheduled hurts.Too often, employees were all taking lunches or breaks around the same time creating a big(a) back up of calls as the only remaining employees could not handle them all. Vitas recently implanted a break manage ment system called Workforce Management that not only observes peak and down call flow, but withal manages break times accordingly to maximize efficiency. The problem, however, is the lack of employee discipline to follow the suggested break times. Several changes must be enacted including following of Workforce Management, focus on customer service, and continued efforts towards preparing for the future.The Change mouldingOne of the most influential men today, John Kotter from Harvard Business School developed the Kotters Eight-Step Change Model as the most effective way to implement a change at heart an organization. The eight steps in order is as follows create urgency, form a powerful coalition, create a vision for change, communicate the vision, remove obstacles, create short-term wins, build on the change, and anchor the changes in corporate culture. Kotter believed following these steps in the correct order created long go awaying and conquestful change in any business i f done correctly. This change model was selected ground on several factors including success rate, concrete order of directions, and its ability to build upon existing success.The Role of the Leader in the Change possibilityIn order for this success to commence, thither are several leaders that must be in place during this re-creation of the Telecare department. The most important idea to realize is that everyone plays a part and that the leaders are just there to lead by example. This must be reiterated time and time again to witness the employees that everyone is included regardless of opinion. Sometimes during change, individuals feel left out just purely outof their position in the matter or not be notified of everything going on. In order for employees to buy in initially, a sense of belonging must be established. The several leaders other than the Patient Care Administrator (PCA) would include supervisors under the PCA, a elder Patient Care Secretary (PCS) and a senior tr iage Registered Nurse (RN).The supervisor would walk around throughout the shift to make for certain breaks and lunches are being followed as well as address any concerns of any of the employees. The senior PCS and senior RN would be in charge of holding a pre-shift meeting prior to taking the phone calls making sure to reiterate important dos and do nots of the job. Anytime employees of the same discipline would save a question, they could address it to their senior. Finally, the role of PCA is to assist the supervisors or seniors in any way or if any individual needs additional help. Meetings lead by the PCA must be held monthly to address reach and award individuals for their hard work.Process of ChangeAs mentioned above, adopting Kotters Eight Step Change Model requires a strict following of the steps in order to generate long term change success. The first order of business is to establish a sense of urgency among all the employees in Telecare. A meeting would be called by the PCA in order to introduce the concept of the change and the reasons behind it. The meeting allow for be mandatory but also offer food and beverages or even foster a potluck to involve them. Several concerns for the company would start broad pointing out how hospitals are starting their own hospices and continue to threaten the current status quo of Vitas. A good example would be Scripps Hospice or nappy Hospice. Additionally, address the economic downturn that has not improved too much over the last decade and that job security is a must due to the depleting social security funds. Lastly, ask individuals one by one why they work this job, what is important to them and what can they do to help it. Next is to create a guiding coalition to direct others in the right direction towards the change.Change can be disorganized but when directed others will follow. As stated earlier, there is no hierarchy of bosses but rather a string of leaders to drive and lead by example. Employees must know that the supervisors and seniors are there to encourage them and address any problems they may come across during a phone call. For example, a PCS receives an wild caller and ends up becoming frustrated themselves so they put the caller on hold. Rather than allow the PCS to continue the call, the senior PCS could take the call and allow the PCS to take a short break to get ahead their thoughts. The beginning of the change is all close employee buy in. After the initial shock of starting the change, some other meeting would be called to describe and communicate the vision, hoping that previous efforts have started to get employees to buy into the change. The main objective of the change is to keep Vitas strong and competitive among other rising hospices by superior customer service and employees that well taken care of especially for their hard work.The next step requires others to empower the broad based change, meaning that every individual must feel like they are constantly involved and an important aspect of the process. The constant reiteration of this by the seniors and supervisors should continue this effort. If a pre-shift is finished early, the seniors may ask individuals about their daily lives and allow them to connect with each other. Working alone is a preference for some but being able to come to work with friends just gives them another incentive. Kotters next step is supply for and creating short-term wins. If there is something that causes an individual to work hard, its something they want. The PCA should create an incentive system based on an individuals consistency and dedication.This all depends on the discipline since a PCS does not handle the medical work of a RN. An example of an incentive for a PCS would be a small raise for having a consistently high calls answered through several months. Additionally, an RN would receive a small raise based on customer satisfaction surveys or recommendation from a supervisor for obse rvation of great work. The last two steps involve improving on previous successes and maintaining a bar by addressing the state of the call center every monthly meeting. Awards should be continued to recognize individual efforts but also continued awareness of each employees efforts.Overcoming Barriers to Change and Sustaining ChangeThere will be always some resistance to change despite the hardest efforts but there are several ways that will encourage a shift. One reason a person works is for the money to pay and extol the lifestyle they have chosen. With the incentive already addressing this through incremental raises, employees should continue to look for ways to be consistent and work hard. Additionally, many people have families, personal days or things they wouldlike to do on certain days. Vitas may address this through hiring of employees in order to be flexible with schedules. Lastly, in order to feel involved, the PCA should look to meet with individual employees to commun icate the vision and address any concerns they may have. Sustaining change requires the efforts of everyone including the PCA. Continued reinforcement means fixing problems as they appear or prepping for future conflicts. determinationDespite the new technology to save more and more lives daily, so too does the technology to write down them. E-cigarettes and processed foods are just to name a few. Vitas Hospice should be ready for the many years to come and the health problems that cause terminal diagnosis to arise. With this change in place, Vitas will be ready.ReferencesSisson, P. (2014). SD Hospice to Close Scripps locomote in. Union Tribune. Retrieved family line 9, 2014, from http//www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/13/san-diego-hospice-closing/Webster, M. (2014). Successful Change Management Kotters 8-Step Change Model. Retrieved September 9, 2014, from http//www.leadershipthoughts.com/kotters-8-step-change-model/