1. 1 Innovation and change can be beneficial to any organisation. Innovation is intentionally introducing new ideas or doing something in a different way.
New ideas lead to new ways to work. Change is to make something different something that presses us out of our comfort zone. For change and innovation to be effective, people must understand and actively participate, if we never made changed in life or the workplace we would never move forward. Change and innovation that is implemented before any competitors are beneficial to keep ahead in business be more in tune with the demands of today.
Innovation is closely connected to change. People have a tendency to resist change and see it as a negative. Change can be an opportunity for workers to gain experience in areas they may otherwise not. The Trust /organisation that I am part of (Merseycare) now has the opportunity to apply for NHS foundation trust status.
Foundation trusts are not for profit and provide free health services based on the founding NHS principles, doing this they are hoping to be more responsive, accountable and more effective leading to improved quality of service and make it a better place to work.Another large change in my organisation was agenda for change this was a change to the pay system and was designed to promote fair pay for non-medical staff with the idea of ‘equal pay for work of equal value’ and also this would provide better links between pay and career progression. This would also ensure that all sectors of staff would receive the same entitlement of annual leave, hours and sick pay. Barriers to Change and innovation 1.
2 There are lots of barriers in implementing change and innovation.Complacency and Resistance to change can have an undesired effect as can lack of communication between management and staff can cause barriers. In My Trust the barriers that they face are much the same as any other large trust. Resistance and lack of communication was what seemed to be their main focus during the changes.
Overcoming barriers to change and innovation 1. 3 Resistance and complacency from a few can have an adverse affect on the entire group. A manager must work with individuals that resist the changes one-on-one to avoid the loss of productivity within the team.Lack of communication between employees and management can be crucial in over coming barriers.
It is important for managers to communicate what the changes are with all employees and management. When this is communicated correctly the change will not be as hard because they will be already expecting it. Listening to people, understanding and including their views can help when trying to overcome change. Having a Project Team that can give staff a regular update on how things are going can improve productivity Setting up an email address for anyone wanting to find out more information with regards to the changes could also be very helpful.
In My Trust they have tried to overcome the barriers that they face by using lots of the above techniques. Planning Monitoring and Review Techniques 2. 1 By planning and monitoring change well it can make the difference between the changes making a difference and working well and them not working at all. The success or failure of a changing initiative will largely depend on the manager’s planning of the implementation of the change.
Smart objectives could be used making plans for the changes.Specific as all information given should be true and correct and specify the exact changes that are to be made. The plans should be measurable as targets should be set when the plans are set out. All the targets should be achievable and realistic as setting targets that are unrealistic will set back any plans.
Plans should be timely Plans should have a time frame. With no time frame there is no urgency, any innovation is best implemented sooner rather than later.Deciding who will be involved, what you want to accomplish and understanding the reasons why you want to accomplish changes will help with in the planning stages. By gathering information correctly can help with making changes as if you understand the situation clearly it will help prevent mistakes.
Planning a meeting to hold a review is a way of monitoring any changes that have been made. A meeting is a good way to gather feedback to implement improvements and solutions as the processes are in action. By gathering information start of any changes help when monitoring at the end.SWOT analysis could also be used as this is a structured planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in planning.
The Importance of Communication in Change and Innovation 2. 2 It is important to communicate what the changes and innovations are with employees and management. If this is done correctly the change will go much smoother as they will be already comfortable and expecting the changes ahead. Therefore all sectors of workforce are likely to be the defining factor in whether the transition is successfully carried out.
In practice, most organisational changes don’t end up being carried out as smoothly or successfully as was originally hoped, this usually indicates that most organisations don’t manage the people side of a change project very well. Using all forms of communication will help when trying to convincing staff of the need for change and involving them in the change process. Communication and how the employees perceive what is going on around them can decide the outcome of the changes that have been made. Communication is crucial, it must be truthful and consistent so that they have trust in the changes taking place.
Regular updates can help successfully manage changes as people will know what they a facing. I find communication is the key to success. Sending out information via intranet/internet, staff memos via email as well as sending out public questionnaires and Press releases and to help communication. Easy read versions of the information you are trying to inform people of should also be available to help people with special needs understand the changes.
My organisation hold consultation events which all stakeholders are welcome to attend, this is a very good form of communication.A good communication process shows workforce that you are listening actively and demonstrates to people that you have thought through the impacts of the change on them, and that you are prepared to work with them through any changes that are occurring, and that you will help make it work for them. The Human Effects of Change and Innovation 3. 1 Change can have a positive or negative effect it can impact on the employee in terms of their ability and desire to perform.
Humans must be convinced of the positive aspects of the change so they do not interfere in the change process and they must be swayed to actively participate.Whenever there is change there are always a few individuals who will adopt a complacent or cynical attitude. People get used to certain things taking place in the workplace, they have their own little routine that is used to this leads to unrest in a workplace that can be contagious. Any employee or management that has a bad attitude or poor work quality this person can affect other employees and / or managers As a manager you must be able to assess how workers react to the change and why people may resist change.
You must also identify what motivates people to change and what people need to know to embrace change. As human we love to control what happens in our lives. Routine gives order and enables us to predict what will happen next. So we tend to dislike change, resist it and avoid it.
Change can have different impacts on teams and this can come from internal or external sources. When change is internal, it is planned or executed by the organisation.Some of the common internal changes that are made can involve, hiring new managers or staff, laying off staff or restructuring the departments or something as simple as changing the rota’s or methods of work can cause a negative reaction towards managers or the company involved. Some of the common external changes could be new legislation, a political decision that could involve pay or pensions, actions of competitors.
These changes are often taken better by teams and they often react more positively to these changes. External changes usually unite employees, managers, and executives to work together for the same cause.How change is handled within a team can strengthen or weaken it. People react to change in many different ways and for very individual reasons.
It is important for managers to be aware of how each of member of a team deals with the changes being made. A solid and effective team is made up of people who thrive on change, people who are not bothered by change, people who resist change and need more time to be ready to change and people who are concerned with the effects of change all these types of people; are need to keep the team balanced when dealing with change.
