Who says change is hard?

Warning: This one is for NEW Environment of Care leaders only. Everyone else can keep scrolling. Nothing to see here, nothing at all. It really is boring stuff and you have done this/ been there/wear the t-shirt on weekends. I promise. Seriously… oh ok, stick around if you want. I warned you.

Environment of Care leaders have heard it more than once. That tried-and-true expression exclaimed by caregivers, as a leader attempts to “lay down the law” when something is not compliant. Those expressions: “We’ve always done it that way” or “We’ve never been cited for doing it the old way.” It’s those expressions that haunt the dreams of leaders. Most leaders would say that those expressions hinder their efforts to improve the environment of care, i.e., their job. I have literally communicated with dozens of leaders that will place negative responses from caregivers as reasoning for noncompliance. Unfortunately, it only indicates a leader’s inability to understand the cognitive dissonance (picked that expression up from an MHT) at play when unsuspecting caregivers are asked to change.

Now before you stop reading because you figure this article is bashing your honorable role or department, give me a minute to plead my case. There is real food for thought here. The intent is to make life easier for the person charged with implementing change.

Let’s all take one giant step back and look at change, from a caregiver’s perspective. What they are really saying is “I haven’t hurt anyone with the old ways. Is that what you are saying I do?”; “New rules were created because of a failure at another hospital, not this one. Are you saying I failed?” or “New ways are disruptive, so why are we now changing my comfortable process?” Caregivers are willing to change, if there is need to do so, but each has their daily routine that satisfies patient care and works within their allotted timeframe. And let’s face it, nobody likes to be told what to do. What we need here is to reframe our approach.

Think of the last time you were happy about change. I’ll wait… Hmm ok then. Let me ask you why it didn’t sit well with you. Often, we need to reverse engineer change, so that we can determine what it will look like. Let’s start at the end and ask some questions. This will be difficult as we are not able to see into the future, but let’s go with it. Wait, there is something you should know before going back to the future. It’s your audience. This really is something that plays into all the questions so consider that as the first thing to think about when asking questions about change. Alright, first question is: What are the expected outcomes? The answer is: It depends. With the ever-changing environment of healthcare our objectives are limitless, but ultimately, we want everyone to comply. We should know the very last person to be impacted after change took place, and understand the path that change will travel, so our next question is: How did change reach that last person? The form of communication used will determine the strength of the message. Select available resources as it will please the CFO. They like it when leaders use existing resources to the highest level. You should also determine if there is a need for tiered levels of reaching out to others. Your approach may have started with an informal meeting with a peer and build to the development of a multi-disciplined committee. There is a lot of middle ground between those two.

Ok, let’s review what we have so far. We know from beginning to end who will be asked to change and we know what way(s) that change was communicated. Remember I asked you to know your audience. This is where we use a technique called “buy-in”. One of the greatest salesmen of our time; Jeffery Gitomer, wrote in a book “People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy.” If you’re asking what that means, I’ll tell you. People are more likely to do things when it’s something that appeals to them or if it was their idea. Forcing them to do it will cause intentional blocking of your efforts. So now ask the question of how you can make change their idea and create a buyer.

I offer this to you, let go of the ego. If the objective was to convince you to agree with change, this article would have ended at the beginning. You’re smart and get it. Shoot, I know how much you like to be at the front of change and have always been a champion for all the initiatives of your facility. Ok, stop reading. You see what I did there? How did it make you feel when a stranger talked about your prowess in a flattering light? I wager you were set to run the hospital single-handily. Use that mindset when you are developing a message. But be careful, overdoing it will cause negative effects. You are going to want to personalize your message and be sincere. I’d hate for you to build someone up and for them to later catch on.

Ok, now we know who will be impacted, who will deliver the message, who will receive the message, and how we will deliver the message. Guess that’s it. Wait, there is one more thing to consider. The CHANGE! We need to know how it will impact patient care and those that provide it. Often change is a matter of tweaking existing processes and protocols, so sprinkle that message into the process. However, for times when the change is significant, you are going to need others to take the lead.

Think about using subject matter experts. You know a fair amount about being compliant, but sometimes we need someone that has devoted their career to a subject. Again, this isn’t about us and our need to be right. We are asked to ensure that change is implemented. Your success depends on implementation not the accolades. Besides, isn’t it cooler to have the highest rank of giving the honor, than to be the one receiving it?