Potential Pitfalls in the Implementation of the New Shift Plan - Essay Example

?Change implementation plan Introduction This paper attempts to analyze the current situation in the unit in the wake of the management’s decision toimplement the new shift plan. The nursing unit’s values and goals will be identified to understand goals and interests of the unit and the strategies needed to implement the plan. Attitudes, concerns and alternative strategies will also be studied to make the implementation of the plan effective while negotiating with all stakeholders. Aims and objectives Aim- The main aim of this paper is to identify potential pitfalls in the implementation of the new shift plan in the unit and to negotiate effective strategies of implementation with all the stakeholders. Objectives- To study the proposal of the new shift being enforced by the management, To understand the concerns and interests of the stakeholders in implementing the new plan, Identify and negotiate potential constraints and concerns in implementation of the plan and To help build effective strategies for sustenance of the shift plan while communicating regularly to the management, of the negotiation process and results. Goals, concerns and interests Goals- each of the three parties representing staff who view the change positively, staff who view the change negatively and the manager who represents the management of the unit need to agree positively on the outcomes and usefulness of the new shift plan as teamwork is seen to increase quality of care provided by nurses resulting in improved patient satisfaction (Kalisch et al, 2007). Concerns- the report of the trial implementation reveal that the decision to implement the new shifts is completely the management’s decision with no staff involvement or contribution to the plan. Also, the trade union has not been consulted on the usefulness and implementation of the plan. There are two affinities within the staff, those who view the change positively and those who view the change negatively. Further, the leadership abilities of the representatives of the two groups within the staff are not known to assess their capabilities in communicating effectively with the staff and negotiate successfully (Sherman and Pross, 2010). The commitment of the representative managers to the new plan is imperative for them to successfully communicate with the staff (Barrett, 2012). There is a need to evaluate the negotiation process from the viewpoint of these representatives too. Choice of conflict management style (dominating, obliging, avoiding, compromising, and integrating) is also important as it varies from individual to individual (Mary, 2012). Interests- while the management may be committed to cost cutting and improving efficiency in implementing the new plan, a section of the employees and may be their representatives too may be concerned that the decision making did not involve all stakeholders of the unit. As Barrett (2012) has stressed on a values-driven corporate culture for organizations to be successful and this applies to the medical unit as values that the management holds for the unit need to be communicated to the employees while it attempts to increasingly adapt its interests and values in accordance to the interests of all the stakeholders of the unit. Potential constraints Posner (2012) notes that information flows in an organization when individual employees are empowered as the authority and power of individuals collectively can foster a better environment where facts, truth, insights, knowledge and possibilities evolve. This is the corporate culture that Barrett (2012) discusses while referring to vision-guided employee fulfillment. As the unit in the present situations seemly lacks a focus on building a quality environment taking into consideration the contribution of individual employees to the unit’s vision, there is a possibility that the implementation of the plan may affect the staff morale in turn affecting the performance in due course. Strategies for negotiation and rationale An integrating approach to conflict management by the manager can be useful as it is seen that the decision to implement the new plan is entirely the management’s decision, which does not seem to produce positive results in the long run due to inherent possibility for conflict and decreased staff commitment and morale. This can also affect performance and financial outcomes in the long run. Taylor (2010) notes that facilitating increased awareness, compassion, integrity and learning can be a better strategy to conflict resolution. There is a need to establish a sense of need for conflict resolution in the present context as the management’s decision is purely one-sided. Further, a cultural capital needs to be enhanced by focusing on the components of human capital: personal creativity, personal productivity, knowledge and experience and emotional intelligence of the staff that directly relate to values alignment, mission alignment, professional development and personal development respectively. By engaging the staff at various levels including the immediate managers, union members and management, there is a better chance of bringing different perspectives of the issue to the core for further evaluation and resolution. This requires facilitating collaboration at convenient times to gather view points from all quarters (Gerardi, 2010). Establishing clear communication with all stakeholders, encouraging collaboration, identifying conflicts and recognizing the need for resolution on consensus, clearly identifying and communicating role as a mediating manager, establishing the conflict resolution process, timeline and roles of individuals and groups, stressing the need for intervention for better awareness of the plan and evaluating and monitoring the benefits of the plan for the patients as well as the stakeholders can all be implemented during the process of conflict resolution (The Do's and a few Don'ts of Mediation in Healthcare, 2012; Gerardi, 2010). Another important aspect to include in the strategy can be to gather as much data on patient experiences and views of the availability and effectiveness of the staff within the proposed plan. Attitudes and managing As each different party in conflict will be bent on expressing their view vehemently and ensuring that their interests be given primary importance, and as through the process of resolution, the major stakeholder, the patient, is less likely to be involved, it is always in the interests of the patient first and others second that patient needs are made the bottom line for any negotiations during the conflict resolution process. Communicating progress to Director of Nursing The Director can be regularly updated with the progress of the negotiations within the resolution timeline with clear communication regarding the goals of the process, views of the different stakeholders, loop holes if any in the present plan, feasibility of implementing the plan in future, suggested changes with reasons cited, approval of the minutes of the meetings held with each stakeholder, recommendations of changes if any that are approved, recommendations to include information gathering from patients, recommendations to consider facilitating union member’s views and suggestions, suggestions to facilitate interventions, assessment and monitoring the implementation of the plan, including suggestions to avoid further conflict. Maintaining and monitoring staff morale “Persistent conflict arising within an underlying culture of silence and avoidance, paired with an insufficient capacity for effective engagement, contributes to unsafe care, moral distress, unhealthy work environments, increased costs, increased errors, a disengaged work force, and a lack of personal well?being” (Geradi, 2010). With patient safety being the bottom line of all activities in the unit, it is important that the quality of care is not compromised at any time and this requires staff that is committed, enthusiastic and skilful. It is the duty of the nurse manager to set the tone of the environment and this requires acquiring leadership skills. Regular interventions to address the components of employee fulfilment can be helpful in ensuring quality care to the patients, irrespective of the changes in the operational or other functional systems (Neitlich, 2012). Alternative strategies Should the negotiations fail initially at the ward level, there is a need to think of alternative strategies of conflict management style (dominating, obliging, avoiding or compromising) while ensuring that patient care which is the heart of the unit is not affected at all. This may require addressing staffing needs, invoking pertinent rules, implementing the plan without any changes based on the results of the three month trial as evidence or at best, adopting some or all of the views and demands of the members who view this change plan negatively. Managing dissent in the long run Although the plan may be implemented as is or with changes incorporated based on the outcomes of the conflict resolution management process, there is scope for dissent in the long run as witnessed by the present situation where it was initially approved by some of the staff but later went back on their commitment to the implementation of the plan. This issue can be addressed by planning for regular interventions on improving the nursing care quality which can be a platform to identify related issues pertaining to implementation of the plan. This also addresses the issue of managing any possible future dissent as the implementation outcomes are regularly assessed and monitored with continuous changes incorporated for improvement of the shift plan. Conclusions The new shift plan implemented as a trial for three months, although has been reported to yield increased profits and improved efficiency falls short of a comprehensive outlook to the issue as all the stakeholders of the care unit are not involved in the decision making process which can be difficult for implementing in the long run as active engagement of the stakeholders is necessary for any successful implementation. There is a need for the conflict resolution process to take into consideration- Facilitating collaboration among the different stakeholders, Clearly identify goals, concerns and interests of the process, Improve and communicate values of the unit to the staff for better alignment, Update Director of the progress regularly, Gather as much information on views of all stakeholders including patients, Set priorities for strategies to be implemented, Gain acknowledgement of all regarding the improvement of patient care being the bottom line for all activities and Increase awareness, collaboration and implementation success by facilitating regular interventions. References 1. Kalisch, J. Beatrice, Curley, Millie and Stefanov, Susan. (2007). An Intervention to Enhance Nursing Staff Teamwork and Engagement. JONA- The Journal of Nursing Administration. Vol. 37, No. 2. Wolters Kluwer Health and Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2. Sherman, Rose and Pross, Elizabeth. (2010). Growing Future Nurse Leaders to Build and Sustain Healthy Work Environments at the Unit Level. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol. 15, No. 1, Manuscript 1. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol15No01Man01. 3. Barrett, Richard. (2012). Building a Vision-Guided, Values-Driven Organization. Power Projects Inc. 4. Mary, L. Johansen. (2012). Keeping the peace: Conflict management strategies for nurse managers. Nursing Management. Volume 43, Issue 2. doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000410920.90831.96. 5. Posner, Roy. (2012). The Powers of Organization. Growth online. http://www.gurusoftware.com/GuruNet/Social/Topics/Organization.htm 6. Taylor, Janet. (2010). The power of conflict coaching. Employment Today. 7. Gerardi, Debra. (2010). Conflict engagement training for health professionals: Recommendations for Creating Conflict Competent Organizations. EHCCO. 8. The Do's and a few Don'ts of Mediation in Healthcare. (2012). http://www.mediatecalm.ca/pdfs/dos_donts_of_healthcare-mediation.pdf 9. Neitlich, A. (2012). The Healthcare Performance Institute. Custom Nurse Leader University. Read More