Change is a continuous process, and one of the primary concerns for health care leaders is the management of change. Health care leaders can deal with change in their organizations by employing the following strategies. First, health care leaders can train existing employees on required skills. Critical skills that most health care organizations require are behavioral such as flexibility, teamwork, critical thinking, and communication (Rashid Al-Abri, 2007). Establishments of professional development program would help employees build out these skills. Second, health care leaders can sustain employee engagement in times of change. Proactively managing employee engagement is critical (Rashid Al-Abri, 2007). Health care leaders must focus on the known engagement drivers of stress management, quality of care, recognition, communication and executive actions. Positive change in an organization will start at the top. Third, health care leaders can identify and address organizational barriers to change. For instance, leaders can determine the staff knowledge and competency that would help to facilitate change.

Health care leaders anticipate what they need to successfully lead their organizations by closely monitoring what is happening in their organizations and compare the situation with other health care organizations in different locations. Similarly, health care leaders can research trends in their industry to determine the inferences that can be made from the observation (Caldwell, Chatman, O’Reilly III, Ormiston & Lapiz, 2008). In addition, they anticipate change by staying connected to their network of peers and other organizational leaders to gather varied perspectives.

References

Caldwell, D. F., Chatman, J., O’Reilly III, C. A., Ormiston, M., & Lapiz, M. (2008). Implementing strategic change in a health care system: The importance of leadership and change readiness. Health care management review, 33(2), 124-133.

Rashid Al-Abri, M. D. (2007). Managing change in healthcare. Oman medical journal, 22(3). 9-10.