Moving Forward

Use a simple change management framework to diagnose what might be hindering your community's efforts

Published in the Communities for Safer Transitions of Care Monthly Briefing, December 2012
 

In working to reduce readmissions in your communities, have you ever felt confused? How about anxious? Perhaps you’ve encountered resistance or frustration, or felt that despite all of your hard work, you're still on a treadmill.

If you are challenged in any of the ways listed above, here is a little holiday gift that will help you diagnose what may be missing.

Source

This simple framework contends that in order for change management to be successful, it is necessary to have:

1. Vision
   A common shared idea of where the initiative is going
    
2. Skills
   The necessary capabilities to get the required tasks done
    
3. Incentives
   Be able to answer “what’s in it for me” to anyone who asks—these may be financial but often are intangibles (e.g., job satisfaction, doing the right thing)
    
4. Resources
   Human, financial, physical space, and other necessary resources
    
5. An Action Plan
   A documented and mutually understood path to reaching the goal
    

Take a look—and consider where you might need to shore up these components as your project moves along.