Topic last updated Jan. 2006
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Addressing Issues
Addressing
Resistance to Change
Fear
of Failure Impedes Acceptance of New Ideas
According to human performance and training design professionals, adults normally resist changes to their routine
and environment, especially changes in their work environment. Fear of failure, falling
short of managers' expectations, and a reduction in their
status among peers and co-workers are frequent reasons for adults
to be less than enthusiastic about changes introduced employer.
The
logic that the change will cause improvements in performance or
a better product/service for the client does little to make dramatic
change easier to embrace. The intense emotions involved in the fear
of the unknown and fear of failing typically prevail, even when
the employees are well-educated professionals.
When
a manager sees the need to implement system changes, taking steps
to allay staff concerns and encourage involvement at all levels
of the organizational structure can make the entire process much
less troublesome for the entire team.
When
employees believe they have a conduit for input and can play a role
in designing the system changes, they have a vested interest in
seeing that the revised system actually works and is implemented
according to plan. A staff that is not consulted and is
left on the perimeter of all meaningful decisions can feel resentment,
distrust, alienation and even overt rebellion.
Open
Communication Enables Trusting Relationships with Employees
Open communication between staff in administration and
operations will go a long way to bridge gaps in expectations
and provide a foundation of understanding and common goals for success. When employees feel they have a conduit for input and can play a role in designing the system changes, they are more likely to have a vested interest in seeing that the revised system actually works and is implemented according to plan. Staff members who are not consulted and are left on the perimeter of all meaningful decisions can feel resentment, distrust, alienation and even overt rebellion.
Staff members who feel secure about the reasons for system change and
understand that the overall concern is for the welfare of the patient
are, in fact, more likely to join in and contribute ideas and suggestions
for further enhancing the new system.
Training
professionals frequently use the term “buy-in” to describe
the process of involving front-line personnel in performance
modifications and job description changes. Buy-in does not necessarily
mean every employee must agree with the organization's administration on the system
change, but it does involve employees understanding the reasons
behind the change and accepting the changes to their job descriptions and
performance standards.
Seek
Help from Human Resources Professionals
Administrators
who have access to the organization’s personnel department,
human resources, or staff training professionals will want to seek
the assistance of those individuals in developing a complete task
analysis, performance audit, needs assessment, and training program.
Administrators
need to keep in mind that when a system is changed, employees' jobs
are changed. Changing an employee’s workload, level of responsibility
or expectations concerning skill-set requirements, may translate
into changes in wages, schedules, and compensation/review schedules.
When unions, trade associations, or employee contracts are involved,
the process of enacting system changes takes on another dimension.
The administration must allow the necessary time and budget allocations
to go through the appropriate steps of that organization’s
process.
If
the organization has no formal procedure already developed for modifying
an employee’s job description, the manager should develop
his or her own strategy for a plan of action, taking care to allow
adequate resources of time, tools and training, as well as providing
for the employee’s input.
The
demographic and psychographic profiles of the employees affected
by the call for system change can have a substantial impact on the
amount of resistance and, therefore, the amount of training and
orientation time that will be required to adopt the new
expectations. The adage that “you can’t teach an old
dog new tricks” may seem absurd in today’s high-tech
education environment, however, professional trainers and educators
routinely allow additional discussion time, drills and review periods
when the audience is comprised of adult learners over the age of 40.
Meeting
the Needs of Adult Learners
In
fact, adult learners tend to have a very different learning style
from “typical students” for whom most course work is
directed. Adults tend to have shorter attention spans than children!
Their cell phones, laptops, day planners and palm pilots act as continual
diversions during lectures or seminars. Preoccupation with the myriad
other responsibilities that today’s time-deprived professional
faces, from car pool duty to volunteer obligations, often cause
the adult student to find it difficult to concentrate and absorb
new data. Additionally, many adults are simply “out of practice”
when it comes to studying and learning new skills.
When
developing a training program to teach staff members about revamped
expectations concerning patient-centered care, cultural acceptance,
and chronic care models of care, it is important to remember these
challenges and adapt content and teaching accordingly. For example,
having several shorter training sessions, rather than one long one,
may be a more effective way to teach new concepts. Varying presentation
styles, from auditory to tactile and participatory tools, is another
accepted tactic for teaching adult learners. In other words, break
it up. Mix it up. Use a combination of lectures, writing,
reading and role-playing. Allowing the adult learner to proceed
at his or her own pace is also a good idea when it is feasible.
"Just-in-time
learning" is a training technique that is frequently used for broad-based
or technical subject matter. This technique is based on the principle of providing just enough information
to do the job at hand. Adult learners, especially
professionals, insist that training sessions should have immediate,
practical application for them to find merit in the learning opportunity
and, therefore, apply effort. For example, the diabetes educator
who works with a Hispanic/Latino population may not be enthusiastic
about learning conversational Spanish, but might be quite interested
in learning key nutrition, diabetes, and food phrases in Spanish
so that he or she can be more effective.
The
use of "resourceware" is another training trend that is gaining in
popularity. This refers to using the Internet and computer software
to present the subject matter. For professionals, the flexibility
of resourceware makes this training style very convenient and, therefore,
preferred over lectures or seminars. Exclusively using resourceware,
though, does not allow for interaction among staff members or
significant feedback from peers, students, or instructors. Resourceware
is usually supplemented with another training style that allows for
one-on-one or group interaction.
Group settings are important for developing a team attitude and
providing opportunities for motivating and praising the learner.
Like all students, adult learners need praise and encouragement
for tackling new subject matter and taking risks. Health care professionals
may be highly educated and highly esteemed in their current positions,
but they are still human and require reassurance and support during
the challenging stages of making a systems change.
The
following checklist provides a brief description of the that tactics
training professionals use when introducing a system
change to established employees. For more assistance in this area,
refer to the American Society for Training & Development www.ASTD.org
for guidelines and insights on accepted best practice models for
adult learning and worksite training methods. This site also can also
direct you to ASTD chapters in your community where you can find professionals to help you develop a strategy for enacting a systems
change for your staff.
Guidelines
for Introducing a Systems Change to your Staff
- Pre-test
employee’s skill level and understanding of subject matter
and perceptions concerning the topic’s significance.
- Develop
a method for measuring and quantifying employees' performance
in this field or subject matter.
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Analyze how the changes to the system will translate into employee
job descriptions and standard operational procedures.
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Define the new skills that will be needed once the system change
is in place.
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Establish a forum for involving employees in a fact-finding and
needs assessment to determine realistic goals for the system change.
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Change job descriptions. Put in writing the specific duties and
expectations of the employees within the framework of the new system.
-
Define expectations and how performance change will be measured,
when it will be measured, and by whom.
- Include
suggestions from employees and accept feedback.
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Provide adequate training and work tools necessary to perform
the revised job.
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Change compensation structure as warranted by changes in responsibility.
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Build into the plan a method to collect and measure results, including
feedback from employees concerning their opinions on the success
or failure of the changes to their jobs.
-
Based on feedback and evaluation, refine the job expectations
and goals as needed.
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