Gina Temple: How to Manage Organizational Change

Gina Temple on Creating and Managing Organizational Change

Gina Temple notes that change is important to an organization's growth. You have to manage and implement organizational change with care to ensure its success. Before initiating change within an organization, spend some time researching the best methods for implementation and creating a plan.

What is organizational change?

Organizational change is the process of altering an organization's technologies, procedures, processes, cultures, and strategies to affect change within the whole organization. Gina Temple notes that this process can be continuous or occur during a period.

Here are some steps for effectively implementing and managing organizational change, according to Gina Temple:

Define the goals

Before you decide the important steps you need to take to create change within your organization, you need to determine what you hope to accomplish. Pinpoint what needs to change and why this change is needed. After defining the change, make sure that it aligns with the goals and objectives of the business.

Determine the effects

The organizational change will inevitably affect employees at different departments and levels. Gina Temple explains the effect on each level and tracks it through the organizational structure to a single employee. By considering the impact of the change on every level, you can identify where training and support will be needed the most and mitigate any problems that may arise.

Create a strategy for communication.

It would be best if you had an idea of who will be most affected by the organizational change. It would help if you communicated the change to these individuals the most, Gina Temple points out. Decide the most effective way to communicate the change to the individual or groups in a way that will convince them of the positive results and necessity of the actions being taken. 

Provide training

For your employees to accept and be ready for the change, you need to let them know that training is available to help ease the transition. Develop effective training that covers the behaviors and skills necessary to operate efficiently, whether informal or structured. This training may take the form of:

• On-the-job coaching

•  Mentoring

•  In-person training sessions

•  Online modules

•  A blended approach that incorporates different methods

Develop a support structure.

Different types of change require different support methods to help employees adjust emotionally and practically and build the skills to achieve the desired results, explains Gina Temple. Determine who needs support the most and what type is effective for their situation. 

Some available options for support include:

• A mentorship to help navigate the change

• Counseling services to ask questions and adopt new job descriptions

• An open-door policy with management so that employees can ask questions as they come up.

Measure the process and results.

To ensure successful change in the future, you must measure the effectiveness of the change management plan after the process is completed, notes Gina Temple. It allows you to evaluate whether the goals were achieved, determine if things can be done differently in the future, and identify any opportunities for continued reinforcement.

Gina Temple has served in the healthcare community for over 30 years with experiences ranging from for-profit to not-for-profit organizations, unionized to non-unionized facilities, and acute care settings to outpatient centers. Read more of her insights on healthcare and leadership by subscribing to this page