LDR 615 Benchmark Change Initiative Implementation, Evaluation, and Sustainability

Sample Answer

Organizations in different sectors, such as healthcare, usually strive to offer improved and better services to ensure that the set standards and goals are adequately met. Therefore, the leaders and staff usually explore areas that need improvement. Such efforts are then followed by strategies and improvement initiatives that are implemented to help bridge the identified gaps.

In most cases, such initiatives succeed through the use of a change process, which ensures that the proposed initiatives are adequately implemented and effective strategies are used to sustain them (Harrison et al.,2021). One of the current strategies or standards is the use of a change model to guide the implementation process. As such, the purpose of this assignment is to explore a change initiative to address an area within the organization and improve outcomes.

The Issue In the Area and Current Outcome As A Result of the Issue

The identified issue at the organization is nurse burnout. This issue is characterized by a diminished sense of personal accomplishments, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion. Over the years, this problem has been shown to be caused by insufficient support systems, extended work hours, and a higher patient-to-nurse ratio, among others. When such occurrences are experienced, negative results are obtained, including compromised patient care quality, reduced job satisfaction, and higher turnover rates.

In the organization, the high turnover rates have exacerbated stress and workload, hence straining the remaining staff. Nurse burnout also lowers productivity and morale, and it makes nurses be more error-prone and have a diminished ability to offer high-quality and empathetic care (Jun et al.,2021). In addition, the problem also leads to lower patient satisfaction and overall poorer health outcomes, which calls for the implementation of appropriate programs such as mentorship programs.

External and Internal Driving Forces, Contributing Issues, and People Affected

Several external and internal driving forces are associated with the identified problem. One of the external driving forces is regulatory requirements, as the need to comply with healthcare standards and regulations prompts the organization to ensure that the nursing workforce is effective and healthy. Patient expectations and public perception are another external force. There has been public scrutiny and ever-rising patient expectations, which push organizations to improve the staff’s well-being.

There are also internal forces. One of them is operational efficiency. The increased burnout rates and high turnover negatively affect operational efficiency, hence the need to use initiatives such as mentorship programs. There are also various contributing issues related to the problem. One of them is insufficient professional development, such as limited opportunities for career development and growth, which then leads to job dissatisfaction and burnout.

Insufficient emotional and professional support also leads to feelings of frustration and isolation among the staff, which then contributes to higher rates of burnout (Sabitova et al.,2021). The high workload is another contributing factor, as the high patient-to-nurse ratio and longer working hours lead to stress and burnout. The people mainly affected by the problem are the patients and nurses.

The Stakeholders Involved and How They Will Be Affected

The stakeholders are directly affected by the project; hence, they should be identified and involved in the project. One of the stakeholders involved in the project is the nurses. They are directly impacted by the project since they will benefit from the proposed programs as they will obtain professional development opportunities, guidance, and support. Consequently, they will experience lower burnout rates and enhanced job satisfaction. Mentors are another group of stakeholders since they will help in mentoring the nurses and manage stressful work situations (Cavanaugh et al., 2022).

Patients also form part of the stakeholders since they will benefit from better care offered by less stressed staff, leading to enhanced satisfaction. The hospital administration will also be required to support the proposed initiative by making budget allocations and through policy changes. Human resources will also need to be involved since they will take a central role in the mentorship program by allocating resources needed for the program.

Role and Responsibility As A Change Leader and The Leadership Theory to Be Used

Change leaders play a crucial role in the change management and implementation process. Therefore, this section discusses the primary role of a change leader in spearheading the implementation of the proposed mentorship program to help lower nurse burnout. One of the roles is to set the vision for the program by succinctly stating the program’s benefits and goals to every stakeholder. The other role is to use and support open, consistent, and transparent communication to help enhance everyone’s trust.

The change leader also collaborates with the organizational leaders for resource allocation, including personnel and training materials (Coles et al.,2020). The next responsibility is to establish metrics that can be used to monitor the project’s progress and evaluate the outcomes as appropriate. Leadership theories are important and can be used to guide the change process. One of the theories that can be used is transformational leadership, which has been proven to support staff motivation and the sharing of vision, as well as offer an inclusive and supportive environment.

The Change Agents to Be Recruited For Successful Implementation

Change agents have a crucial role in supporting the change leader in implementing the change to completion. Therefore, one of the change agents to recruit is nurse mentors. Mentors have experience that enables them to offer professional development, support, and guidance. The work of these change agents will be to offer emotional support and practice advice to the nurses in the early years of their careers to navigate challenges (Bonawitz et al.,2021). Nurse leaders should also be part of the change agents.

They will help oversee the implementation of the proposed initiative and integrate it into daily operations. In addition, they also have the role of ensuring that all the nurses taking part in the program get the required resources and support. The human resource leader will also play a crucial role in the development and implementation of training material.

Another group of change agents worth bringing on board is the clinical educators. The clinical educators will offer the required training for both the mentors and mentees on aspects such as best practices in patient care, leadership skills, and effective communication (Spoon et al.,2021). They will also ensure that the mentorship program aligns with the organizational goals and the clinical standards and that they can appropriately contribute to the targeted professional development

Development of Strategies through The Change Model

Lewin’s change model is chosen to guide the proposed project. This model is relevant to the organization in various ways. For example, the model has a clear step-by-step framework that can be used to guide the mentorship program and ensure that the change is addressed systematically. It also ensures that the change is sustainable, thereby supporting long-term improvements in patient care activities and staff satisfaction. It is also worth exploring the strategic aspects of using the model.

As part of the strategy, the unfreezing phase will involve the organization preparing for change by addressing potential resistance and creating a sense of urgency (Burnes, 2020). The individuals involved in this phase are the human resources leader, the nurse manager, and the leadership team. One of the actions is communicating the need for change by stating the negative impacts of nurse burnout and the potential advantages likely to come with the mentorship program. Stakeholder engagement is another activity that will be done in this stage.

The main purpose of the change phase will be to implement the mentorship program to help reduce nurse burnout. The individuals involved here include the clinical educators, mentees, and nurse mentors. The actions to be carried out here include training and development, where the clinical educators spend time training the mentors and mentees. The other action is piloting the program and testing before gathering feedback for improvement.

The last phase is refreezing, which has the main purpose of solidifying the implemented changes for sustainability and ensuring they form part of the organizational culture (Burnes, 2020). Individuals involved in this stage include the human resource leader, nurse managers, and the leadership team. Actions entail monitoring and evaluation, celebrating the success, and ensuring that the change becomes part of the organization’s routine and culture.

Potential Barriers to Change and How to Overcome Them

Barriers can negatively impact the success of the implementation process. Therefore, it is vital to identify the barriers in time and use appropriate strategies to overcome them. One of them is potential resistance to change since the nurses and other staff may show resistance due to the perception that they may have an increased workload. They may also resist it for fear of the unknown. This barrier can be overcome by using clear communication to explain the project and engage the stakeholders in time (Harrison et al..,2021).

Another potential barrier is time constraints. The barrier can be solved by integrating the program into the organization’s current workflow as much as possible. It is important to deal with emerging or unforeseen circumstances. Strategies to use include having a contingency plan, continuous communication, and leadership support.

Evaluation Methods For Determining the Level of Success

Evaluation is an important part of the project since it enables the implementers to determine the level of success of the implemented initiative. One of the evaluation methods is surveys, which are to be administered before and after implementation to help determine changes in job satisfaction and burnout levels. Metrics including job satisfaction scores and burnout levels.

Turnover and retention rates will also be used. They will be monitored and compared before and after implementing the program (Black, 2022). The metrics include the number of nurses who quit the organization within a specified time and turnover rates. The level of success will also be measured through quality indicators of patient care. The metrics include patient outcomes, medical error incidences, and patient satisfaction scores.

Strategies to Anchor the Change or Support Continuous Change

It is important to anchor the change and support it. One of the strategies is ongoing training and development, which will ensure that the organization always has enough mentors to support nurses. The other strategy is ensuring that the mentorship program is embedded into the organization’s culture (Black, 2022). It is also important to implement a recognition and reward system that appreciates those who put efforts toward sustaining the implemented change.

How the Change Plan Supports the Organizational Mission or Goal

The organization focuses on providing high-quality and compassionate care to patients. Therefore, the change will support this mission in various ways. The mentorship program enhances care quality by reducing nurse burnout. Therefore, nurses become satisfied and are in a position to better support quality care. It also ensures that there is a sustainable workforce to support better care services. Stakeholders’ concerns will also be addressed through the implementation of the mentorship program (Black, 2022).

The program will also support equitable contributions to the community and society through various ways, such as increased access to care and improved health outcomes.

Conclusion

This write-up has explored the implementation plan of the proposed project. Stakeholders and their roles have been identified. In addition, the potential benefits of the proposed change initiative have been discussed. Lewin’s change model has been chosen to guide the project implementation process.

References

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• Black, B. (2022). Professional nursing-e-book concepts & challenges. Elsevier Health Sciences.
• Burnes, B. (2020). The origins of Lewin’s three-step model of change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 56(1), 32–59. https //doi.org/10.1177/0021886319892685
• Cavanaugh, K., Cline, D., Belfer, B., Chang, S., Thoman, E., Pickard, T., & Holladay, C. L. (2022). The positive impact of mentoring on burnout Organizational research and best practices. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 28, 100521. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100521
• Coles, E., Anderson, J., Maxwell, M., Harris, F. M., Gray, N. M., Milner, G., & MacGillivray, S. (2020). The influence of contextual factors on healthcare quality improvement initiatives a realist review. Systematic Reviews, 9, 1-22. Doi 10.1186/s13643-020-01344-3
• Harrison, R., Fischer, S., Walpola, R. L., Chauhan, A., Babalola, T., Mears, S., & Le-Dao, H. (2021). Where do models for change management, improvement and implementation meet? A systematic review of the applications of change management models in healthcare. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 85-108. Doi https //doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S289176
• Jun, J., Ojemeni, M. M., Kalamani, R., Tong, J., & Crecelius, M. L. (2021). Relationship between nurse burnout, patient and organizational outcomes Systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 119, 103933. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.103933
• Sabitova, A., Hickling, L. M., & Priebe, S. (2020). Job morale a scoping review of how the concept developed and is used in healthcare research. BMC Public Health, 20, 1-9. Doi 10.1186/s12889-020-09256-6
• Spoon, D., Rietbergen, T., Huis, A., Heinen, M., van Dijk, M., van Bodegom-Vos, L., & Ista, E. (2020). Implementation strategies used to implement nursing guidelines in daily practice A systematic review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 111, 103748. https //doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103748