Examine change theories in scholarly literature

Published on: August 19, 2024


Examine change theories in scholarly literature. Develop a scenario and describe an application of a change theory from the perspective of an advanced practice nurse leader. Explain your rationale with a minimum of two scholarly sources.

Change Theory Analysis and Application in Advanced Practice Nursing

 Change Theories Overview

 

 Change theories are theories that help in explaining and leading change in organizations. However, these theories are valuable in the concept of nursing because it establishes ways in which practice changes can be managed, these changes making an impact on improving patient results and the healthcare organization. There are two dominant change theories as presented in the scholarly literature: namely Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory and John Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Model.

 

 1. Kurt Lewin's Change Theory

 

 Overview: Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory can be divided into three levels that are mentioned below:

 

 Unfreeze: A known technique to transform is to prepare for the change, which means that one needs to identify the all-important necessity for change and someone to whom change is important.

 Change: The act of making the change and moving to the new state.

 Refreeze: The proactivity of institutionalising the change to become stable in the organisation.

 2. Among the many models there is John Kotter’s Eight-Step Change Model.

 

 Overview: Some of the fields that Kotter has identified key scale leadership model and that work can be outlined as;

 

 Create a Sense of Urgency: Emphasise on the significance of the change.

 Form a Powerful Coalition: Ensure that you find a group of people that will spearhead the change.

 Create a Vision for Change: Learn how to construct a vision and a plan.

 Communicate the Vision: Educate all the stakeholders about the vision that has been set.

 Empower Action: Nothing should hinder the process and one should be motivated to perform.

 Generate Short-Term Wins: Work for small and sure successes and have some small success parties.

 Consolidate Gains and Produce More Change: Capitalise on this to make further changes.

 Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture: Lastly, guarantee for retention of the changes.

 :Pk:Scenario and Application of Change Theory

 Scenario: Poor Glycemic Control in a Community Health Clinic

 

 Background: A formal and experienced APN works in a clinic for community health and realizes that current guidelines of clinic for diabetes management are not efficient and patients are not gaining the best possible results. New procedures of diabetes management based on evidence are adopted by the APN, such as the patient’s monitoring, education, and individualization of treatment.

 

 Application of Change Theory

 

 Change Theory Chosen: Years of studying business change and management lead John Kotter to develop the Eight-Step Change Model.

 

 1. Establish a Feeling of Appropriate Fear

 

 Application: The APN leader analyzes the patients’ results and presents the problem of diabetes care in the clinic to the clinic’s personnel and clients. Providing information that shows high frequency of complications and inadequate glycaemic control stirs up the need to implement a new procedure.

 

 Rationale: Another element, highlighted by Kotter (1996) among the six sources for attaining support, is the need to create urgency, which is also core for the change process.

 

 2. Form a Powerful Coalition

 

 Application: The APN also collaborates with nutrition support specialists, physicians, other dietitians and nursing to perform the transition to the new protocol. This team shall also assist in the coordination of the change process as shall be illustrated below.

 

 Rationale: The key message that Kotter brings to the focus is that there should always be a powerful coalition that would manage and sponsor the change process (Kotter, 1996).

 

 3. Develop a Framework for Transformation

 

 Application: Out of this is developed a realistic vision of the next APN diabetes management protocol based on a set of patient outcome objectives, interventions, and probed benefits. A written record of this vision is made and disseminated to all members of staff.

 

 Rationale: It creates focus towards which all the efforts are being directed and inspires staff, as pointed out by Kotter (1996).

 

 4. Communicate the Vision

 

 Application: Thus, the APN is responsible for alerting the new protocol, educating the staff and holding meetings, workshops, and educational sessions. Staff are engaged to consider their considerations since they are reliant on the service and to modify plan to precisely reflect implementation.

 

 Rationale: Since the vision will be communicated to multiple audiences, it very important that everyone understands it and adopts it fully (Kotter, 1996).

 

 5. Empower Action

 

 Application: The APN uncovers and eliminates the potential implementation challenges including using old equipment or lack of training. Workers are asked to become involved and responsible for the new protocol and attend the training sessions.

 

 Rationale: The elements of Kotter’s model include mobilising staff and overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of change (Kotter, 1996).

 

 6. Generate Short-Term Wins

 

 Application: The APN monitors and fosters early outcomes, for example the patients’ compliant with the new protocol or patient satisfaction. All these are taken to the team to keep the motivation levels high.

 

 Rationale: This is in agreement with Kotter’s (1996) short-term wins in relation to change, where short-term wins generate the necessary momentum plus keep focus on the pay offs from the change.

 

 7. Sustain the Outcomes and Generate Still More Alteration

 

 Application: Continued by the APN, the initial successes are used in the further change processes, for example, by optimising the protocol according to the feedback of the staff and patients. Other modifications are made in order to fine-tune its functioning of such a protocol.

 

 Rationale: Applying and extending a set of early created successes contributes to continuing and enlarging the change process (Kotter, 1996).

 

 8. This piece of work is an anchor for the changes in the corporate culture.

 

 Application: The new protocol becomes a part of clinic’s routine and guidelines. The regular training and performance appraisal help in keeping the protocol implemented in practice, hence, part of the clinic culture.

 

 Rationale: This paper will look at how anchoring of changes towards the organizational culture helps in maintaining such changes over a permanent period of time (Kotter, 1996).

 

 References

 Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading Change. Harvard Business Review Press.

 Lewin, K. (1951). Field Theory in Social Science: It is therefore convenient to recall some selected theoretical papers. Harper & Row.


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