Theory and change management, and quality improvement

Introduction
Change management has direct relationship to improvement in quality in a medical facility. However, because the staffs, workforce and other stakeholders in the organization are used to the normal operations, implementing the desired change can be very challenging. The theory provides a clear guide for the execution of various operational processes in the organization thus harness the quality standards.
This research paper examines the change management and its impact on improving the quality.
Change management and its impact on improving quality
Change management impacts quality because it helps establish support systems to assist the frontline nurses, administrators and other stakeholders in the execution of their roles. Theory such as Lewin’s providing a guide for the implementation of the changes especially in dealing with the human aspect. When implementing the change, the organization should exhibit participative leadership by giving the stakeholders an opportunity to contribute their idea, which is ideal for effective evidence based learning (Hart et al 2015).
A good example of theory that can be used in implementing change in the medical institution is the Lewin’s Change Management Theory. The Lewin’s theory focuses on understanding the human behaviors in a given setting, thus an important theory for addressing the human factor in implementing the desired change. The main aspect of the theory is to address all the issues that may prevent change from successful implementation of the change in the organization. According to Kotter & Cohen (2002), when the organization is able to identify the behavior drive that are likely to oppose the intended change, it gains the ability work on strengthening the positive force.
According to Adams & McNicholas (2007), Lewin’s theory provides 3 methods that can be used to implement the change: unfreezing stage, Moving stage and refreezing stage. In the unfreezing stage, the organization usually engage in extensive communication with all the stakeholders in order to share vital information about the change plan and also to allow for contribution of various stakeholders such as the frontline nurses, managers and the administrators. Basically, the unfreezing stages intends to help the stakeholders about the plan, it objectives and the procedure for conducting the change in the organization. The moving stage involves the actual implementation of the change. To be successful in this stage, it requires the medical facility to have a holistic approach. For instance, there should be some form of training, job evaluation and a clear guide for executing the duties under new change plan. The refreezing stage is an important stage as it focuses on the sustainability of the change process. There should be an ongoing effort by the management to sustain the change plan support system to assist the nurses to completely be engrained in the new change process (Sales et al 2006).
Conclusion
Basically, there is a direct relation between the theory and change and the quality in the provision of services in a medical facility. When a strong force is rallied behind a particular change plan, the organization should rally a strong team to address all the factors that may hinder from effective implementation of the change. Implementing change in an organization should incorporate the previous change plans, the human factors, address individual barriers and build an effective sustainability of the change plan.
 References
Adams, C. A., & McNicholas, P. (2007). Making a difference: Sustainability reporting, accountability and organizational change. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 20(3), 382-402.Grol, R. P., Bosch, M. C., Hulscher, M. E., Eccles, M. P., & Wensing, M. (2007). Planning and studying improvement in patient care: the use of theoretical perspectives. Milbank Quarterly, 85(1), 93-138.
Hart, C. K., Dykes, C., Thienprayoon, R., & Schmit, J. (2015). Change Management in Quality Improvement: The Softer Skills. Current Treatment Options in Pediatrics, 1(4), 372-379.
Kotter, J. & Cohen, D. (2002). The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations. Boston: Harvard Business Press, pp. 3-7
Sales, A., Smith, J., Curran, G., & Kochevar, L. (2006). Models, strategies, and tools. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21(S2), S43-S49.