From Isolation to Collaboration
Managing a New Way of Being
Once you have managed the predictable chaos and confusion over the introduction of something or someone new you can expect a period of respite in which calm and serenity prevail. Be assured that it will only last until the next round of change. This chapter celebrates movement away from egocentricity and chaos and toward alignment, collaboration, and overall acceptance of a new way of being.
In this chapter, you will learn:
1. The signs that change is beginning to embed
2. Strategies for managing the beginning of a new way of being
A NEW WAY OF BEING IS JUST OVER THE HORIZON
Managing your own and staff transitions is one of the most difficult challenges facing nurse managers. After this phase is completed, do not be fooled into thinking that the implementation and embedding of the changes is the “easy part.” Do not compare it to the challenges you faced in ending the old ways of being and helping individuals work through the confusion that occurs when systems, ideologies, or practices collide. Being tuned into the psychological impact of changes at work provides you and your staff with opportunities for new learning, personal growth, and the chance to make meaningful change.
With chaos and confusion diminishing and territorial battles won and lost, staff members begin to accept the inevitable—that a new way of being is at hand. Whole-scale acceptance by and engagement of all staff is unlikely and will vary among staff in the early stages of the new beginning. When the uptake is slow or becomes temporarily derailed, some cynics may shout with glee, “I told you this wouldn’t work!” More likely, they will develop a knowing smile as they pass you in the hallway.
Depending on the mindset of the naysayers and resistors, the implementation and embedding phase may be at risk for complete failure as the potential for a renewed power struggle lurks on the sidelines.
THE PROBLEM WITH IMPLEMENTING PLANNED CHANGE
When planned change takes place there is usually a strategic planning committee hovering in the background, much like a family anticipating the birth of a first child. Ready to assist in the delivery is an appointed steering committee, whose job is to manage and support the process according to meticulously drafted protocols, benchmarks, and tight time lines. The committee’s accountability is evidenced in monitoring the course of actions and making course corrections to ensure the “deliverable” arrives on schedule. However, although the implementation plan and schedule may work in theory, the progression of people along the theoretical continuum is anything but linear and predictable. Despite “the best laid plans of mice and men,” plans can go awry.
FAST FACTS in a NUTSHELL
• Accepting the inevitable—that plans will run amok, timelines will become moving targets, and people won’t do what they are supposed to do for a variety of reasons—better prepares you to manage the beginning of new way of being.
• Managing your own response as you lead your staff during this phase will require you to call upon a number of competencies that include flexibility, patience, resurrecting your sense of humor, maintaining a presence, and living in the moment.
WILL THE PLANNED CHANGE STICK?
That depends. Do not be surprised if, while the change initiative is still in its infancy, some staff revert to old habits and ways of being. For example, if you are introducing an automated system, staff may secretly use their tried-and-true handwritten manual system! This behavior may signal any number of things, including resistance, testing the system for permanency, or testing you. In a system where staff members are bombarded by what they perceive as “flavor-of-the-month” changes it makes sense for them to test whether or not this change is “for real.” The sooner you identify this behavior, the sooner you can move on.
WHAT YOU MAY EXPERIENCE AS YOU AND YOUR STAFF ENGAGE IN A NEW WAY OF BEING
• The focus of staff energy and caring returns to the patient or client.
• Staff appears more connected to one another.
• Relationships become collaborative rather than territorial.
• The sound of appropriate laughter in your workplace or cafeteria becomes music to your ears.
• Mixed emotions of excitement and anticipatory anxiety emerge during the launch phase and embedding of changes. Note to self: This is normal.
• Staff members who play a part in developing and implementing the “new way of being” develop a greater sense of ownership and pride in the process and outcomes.
• The leadership potential of individual staff members surfaces.
• Staff members who participate on steering committees with others from across the organization begin to expand their workplace horizons by grasping the “big picture” of the interconnectedness of the organization as a whole.
• The potential for staff to become ambassadors of change increases when they see the value of progress as it relates to their practice and quality of care processes.
• Committed and engaged staff become role models for their peers and may inspire others to become involved in future initiatives
• As staff are encouraged and supported in moving though transitions, there is a greater likelihood for personal and professional transformation.
Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel
Full access? Get Clinical Tree
