Change And Innovation Research Paper

Change and Innovation Paper
Jennifer Brinkley
HCA/250
Teri Rossman

Change and Innovation Paper
A major health care organization has decided to use electronic medical records. The employees in this organization are resistant to change, particularly changes that deal with technology. This paper will discuss strategies to manage change and innovation, why the employees are resistant to organizational change, and how human resources can play a role in managing change.
Change can be a scary thing to people. It can be the unknown of what is to be expected or feeling like things will fail due to the changes. People tend to get comfortable in the way they do things, because they will already know the routine and the outcome of things. It is
also easier to do things when it is routine. Fortunately there are techniques that can reduce resistance to organizational change. These can also manage change and innovation. The first strategy is education and communication. Education and communication can help reduce resistance to change by helping employees see the logic of the change effort. This technique, of course, assumes that much of the resistance lies in misinformation or poor communication (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011).
When people are told what the change is going to be and how it is going to affect them, than it helps them to better prepare themselves for the change. They also like to be educated on the new stuff. Once they see how easy it is going to be, than they will start to warm up to the idea. Another strategy is participation. Participation involves bringing those individuals directly affected by the proposed change into the decision-making process. Their participation allows these individuals to express their feelings, increase the quality of the process, and increase employees commitment to the final decision (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). People like to feel that they have a say in what is going to affect them. They will be more accepted to change when they know that they had a part in the decision making. They are also able to express their concerns and get any questions answered that may make them uneasy to the change. Then there is facilitation and support. Facilitation and support involve helping employees deal with the fear and anxiety associated with the change effort. This help may include employees counseling, therapy, new skills training, or
a short paid leave of absence (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). There may be a certain reason that a person cannot handle the change and may need some additional help to accept the change. Another strategy is negotiation. Negotiation involves exchanging something of value for an agreement to lessen the resistance to the change effort. This resistance technique may be quite useful when the resistance comes from a powerful source (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). Some people feel that they need to take a little, before they will give a little. Then there is the manipulation and co-optation. Manipulation and co-optation refers to covert attempts to influence others about the change. It may involve twisting or distorting facts to make the change appear more attractive (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). Some people will say things to make it sound better than what it really is to avoid conflict. Finally, coercion can be used ro deal with resistance to change. Coercion involves the use of direct threats or force against the resisters (Robbins, DeCenzo, & Coulter, 2011). Sometimes there are things that has to change, and if people are not willing to change than consequences can occur.
There are many different reasons why employees are resistant to organizational change.
One of the reason why employees are resistant to change is lack of understanding around the vision and need for change ("Top Reasons For Change Resistance", n.d.). When people cannot see the reasoning behind something, they seem to be a little more resistant to change. Another reason could be comfort with the status quo and fear of the unknown ("Top Reasons For Change Resistance", n.d.). Some people are just plain out fearful of change and not knowing what to expect. Then there is corporate history and culture ("Top Reasons For Change Resistance", n.d.). Some people do like to be compared to other people of the past. Then there is opposition to the new technologies, requirements and processes introduced by the change ("Top Reasons For Change Resistance", n.d.). Last there is fear of job loss. Employees perceived the business change as a threat to their own job security. Some employees felt that the change would eliminate the need for their job, while others were unsure of their own abilities and skills in the new environment ("Top Reasons For Change Resistance",
n.d.). According to citeHR community insights (n.d.), “People management and development professionals have significant role to play in any change management process. Arising from CIPD research, HR’s involvement in certain areas was identified as sometimes being the difference between successful and less successful projects:

* Involvement at the initial stage in the project team.
* Advising project leaders in skills available within the organisation – identifying any skills gaps, training needs, new posts, new working practices etc
* Balancing out the narrow/short-term goals with broader strategic needs.
* Assessing the impact of change in one area/department/site on another part of the organisation.
* Being used to negotiating and engaging across various stakeholders.
* Understanding stakeholder concerns to anticipate problems.
* Understanding the appropriate medium of communication to reach various groups.
* Helping people cope with change, performance management and motivation.”

Reference Page 1. Robbins, S. P., DeCenzo, D. A., & Coulter, M. (2011). Fundamentals of Management: Essential Concepts and Applications[University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. : Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HCA/250 website. 2. Top reasons for change resistance. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://uthscsa.edu/gme/documents/chiefres/Change%20Leadership/Top%20reasons%20for%20change%20resistance.pdf 3. citeHR community insights. (n.d.). Change Management & The Role Of HR. Retrieved from http://www.citehr.com/15527-change-management-role-hr.html