Proposal for Change Assignment
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Proposal for Change Assignment
A culture that emphasizes engagement and accountable employees is critical for health care organizations to succeed. Robust organizational culture allows and nurtures new conduct, choices, and investments needed in navigating the several changes that impact the healthcare industry, particularly the movement for value-based and patient-oriented care (Katzenbach et al., 2012). However, driving cultural enhancement is complicated and does not occur quickly. As such, this essay presents a change proposal for a skilled nursing facility to enhance the culture within the organization for employees. The article uses Lean Six Sigma as a framework that can improve the facility’s overall culture.
Proposed Change
Skilled nursing facilities provide essential health care services to different populations; especially the aged and young people living with disabilities. Skilled nursing entails care prescribed by a physician but given only by a registered nurse. Imperatively, skilled nursing facilities are integral to the rising healthcare needs of the aging population and must have employees who value improved services for their patients. The skilled nursing facility provides in-patient and rehabilitation services to elderly patients who need specialized care.
The facility requires a cultural change to allow skilled nurses and care professionals to provide culturally-competent care based on patient diversity and need to increase quality outcomes. The rationale for the cultural change is based on the transforming health care needs of the aging population. Studies and statistics indicate that Americans aged 65 years and above will comprise close to 20% of the population by 2030 (Magalahaes et al., 2016). The implication is that the need for nursing care facility will continue to rise as the aging population demands for specialized care.
The most significant benefit of Six Sigma to the facility is that it changes nurses and other providers from passive participants. They notice problems to active members that have the drive to solve the challenges. The implication is that a Six Sigma culture can change the employees. Nurses and other providers with Six Sigma certification transform to consider themselves and their work differently as they see work a process which flows and not based on departments and functions. The employees also take an active role in defining the improvements required and identifying requisite solutions. They also use the appropriate skills to develop and implement a solution as well as engage themselves in continual change efforts.
Intended Outcomes
The implementation of the Six Sigma is premised on the need to increase productivity and performance of nurses and other health care professionals in the facility. Employees who believe in increased productivity and performance engage their employers in creating innovative solutions to enhance cultural competence and delivery of quality services to patients (Magalahaes et al., 2016). The implication is that upon straining on Six Sigma, the employees will attain a transformation which aligns with the facility’s culture. The organization must develop an appropriate culture that can sustain these attributes and ensure that employee does not relapse or revert to their former mindset and behavior. Additionally, change management is critical in solidifying a new culture among individuals and in organizations.
Estimated Time Frames
The preparation and planning, as well as consultation and implementation of the framework, requires better collaboration and cooperation. The management in the facility should prepare healthcare workers by communication and allowing them to provide their views on the design of the training. Planning includes the involvement of all employees and management based on their departments and units within the facility. The implementation schedule should consider areas that are critical in care provision and prioritize them. Evaluation of the effects of implementing the framework should occur systematically at three and six months’ interval. Collaboration and cooperation are critical success factors as well as teamwork and active engagement of all stakeholders.
Estimated Cost
The program’s implementation should take a maximum of eight months with a budget estimated at $30,000. The figure covers different expenses and costs like printing of materials and content, travel and hiring of vendors as well as program trainers. Most of the amount, close to $15,000 will be used in rolling out the training; right from preparation to evaluation.
Impacts
The implementation of Six Sigma is focused on changing the organizational culture and improving the delivery of culturally-competent and patient-based care. Therefore, the inherent benefits of the program include increased performance and productivity, transformed employees with a new care delivery perspective, and enhanced process flow in the organization (Yaduvanshi & Sharma, 2017). However, the cost implications, as well as a change resistance aspect, may slow the implementation and the management should ensure that it manages change most efficiently and soundly. Stakeholders, both internal and external, will benefit from the program as it will enhance care delivery in the facility. Internal stakeholders like nurses will improve their capability to provide culturally-competent care while patients accessing the facility will get better service delivery.
Through the implementation of the framework, the organization will improve its operations as processes and technology will assist the nurses in attaining and nurturing systematic responses and developing innovative solutions (Yaduvanshi & Sharma, 2017). The change of culture will provide structural benefits to the organization. Converse adverse impacts may arise due to several financial challenges that may require the facility to seek funding to execute all the components of culturally-competent care.
Conclusion
Cultural change in the nursing facility is critical in enhancing care delivery, especially when the demand for specialized nursing care is increasing. The aging population means that health care providers must seek and implement innovative ways to enhance care delivery through better processes.
References
Katzenbach, J. R., Steffen, I. & Kronley, C. (2012). Cultural Change That Sticks. Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2012/07/cultural-change-that-sticks
Magalhaes, A. L., Erdermann, A. L., da Silva, E. L. & Dos Santos, J. L. G. (2016). Lean
thinking in health and nursing: an integrative literature review. doi: 10.1590/1518-8345.0979.2734
Yaduvanshi, D. & Sharma, A. (2017). Lean Six Sigma in Health Operations: Challenges and
Opportunities— ‘Nirvana for Operational Efficiency in Hospitals in a Resource-Limited Settings.’ Journal of Health Management, 19(1), 203-213.