Organizational change is a requirement for the growth and sustainability of any institution. Different theories can be applied to facilitate change in an organization. According to Barsky (2014), each method is suited for a particular situation and the type of organizational structure present. The health sector is characterized by complex relationships between patients and healthcare professionals. The situation requires an analysis of different change theories that address the healthcare environment. Nurses face some of the most challenging work-based experiences. Emergency nurses have some of the most complex roles. The conditions call for the evaluation of change theories to facilitate the application of appropriate actions in the workplace.
Change theories focus on the behavioral aspects of professionals and organizational cultures. Additionally, the theories focus on creating better relationships between employees by improving personal and organizational cultures. The change theories comprise the environmental change theory, teleological, life cycle, dialectical, and the chaos theory. The environmental change theory focuses on the influence of the external and internal organizational conditions in the organizational cultures (Huber, 2013). The emergency department requires patience, diligence, and care. The teleological theory focuses on the scientific principles that improve corporate culture. Some of the principles include planning, assessment, and leadership. They are essential in shaping an organization’s operations and personnel relationships. The life cycle theory focuses on the influence of human relationships and behaviors in the progressive transformation of organizational culture. The continuous improvements are characterized by organizational growth, maturity, and decline. These steps are essential in shaping organizational outcomes. The dialectical theory argues that change is a consequence of oppositions. It evaluates the significance of the collective actions taken after disagreements and disputes in an organization. In every change process, the ideas presented in an organization face objections from adverse inferences. The chaos theory focuses on a complex change process that follows unpredictable cycles. Although Barsky (2014) argues that the change process tries to maintain an equilibrium, it generates confusion and colliding experiences.
According to Huber (2013), organizational changes create conflicts among the change agents. Additionally, the change affects the personal relationships and engagement with clients and other organizational structures. Emergency nurses must understand the conflict management theories to facilitate healthy relationships in the workplace (Gifford, Graham, & Davies, 2013). Additionally, conflict management creates healthy working conditions. The strategies would be essential among the emergences because of their sensitive environments. Some of the conflict management theories are the organizational conflict theory, social conflict, social cognitive, and social exchange theory. According to Joel (2013), emergency nurses can use a five-level strategy to deal with conflicts. The steps are accommodating negative concepts, compromising, collaborating, avoiding, and competing.
In Barsky (2014) analysis of conflict resolution strategies, accommodating conflicts refers to the act of yielding to maintain harmony among the workforce. The accommodating approach would be appropriate in my position as an emergency nurse because it would eliminate conflicts during surgeries and other sensitive operations. Additionally, it would reduce unnecessary confrontations that would jeopardize the lives of patients. The concept of compromising focuses on maintaining a bargaining platform that leads to a less-than-ideal solution as one of the affected personnel withdraws from the conflict. In the collaborating strategy, the agents involved in a conflict engage in a logical discussion that focuses on achieving a mutual solution to the underlying problem. The process involves the combination of different views and ideas that are presented by the conflicting parties. The collaborating strategy is regarded as the most useful because it evaluates the principles and perspectives of all parties involved in the conflict. This approach would also be appropriate for emergency nurses in the emergency department because it generates cohesion and good relationships among nurses. Additionally, the approach engages all the parties in a logical discussion that assesses the justifications provided by every party.
According to Barsky (2014), the avoiding strategy focuses on creating delays in conflicts. This approach offers the conflicting parties more time to cool down, or investigate further. Eventually, the strategy makes the conflicting teams forget about the contentious issues that created the conflicts. Joel (2013) argues that this is one of the least effective strategies because it evades, rather than addressing the contentions. Additionally, the approach is considered ineffective because it interferes with the professional relationships among the personnel. In the competing approach, the conflicting agents focus on establishing the strongest arguments to win a contention. Parties concentrate on winning over their oppositions without attempting to reevaluate their concepts or ideas. One of the disadvantages of this strategy is that most arguments involve intimidations and threats. Senior employees use the strategy to win over their juniors. Additionally, the approach affects the esteem and confidence of junior workers.
According to American Sentinel University (2011), emergency nurses must learn to appreciate the leadership role in any decision-making process. In fact, leaders are change agents and must take active roles in transforming organizational culture. They have an essential role to play in any disagreement or contention (George & Shocksnider, 2014). However, managers must understand the leadership changes that change the organizational culture. One of the requirements for the nurse leaders is acceptance of change and restructuring of an organization’s environment to embrace change (American Sentinel University, 2011). The level focuses on the small changes that transform basic operations and a small section of the workforce. The other leadership change concept involves the definition and initiation of change processes using definite points of influence. Additionally, leaders can transform the vision and mission statements to create a dynamic effect on the organization’s policies and culture. The other leadership initiative involves the application of complex cultural dynamics in a high transformation change process. Additionally, leaders embrace the differences arising from the change process by facilitating its sustainability and growth.
References
American Sentinel University. (2011). The Five Styles of Managing Conflict Resolution for Nursing. Web.
Barsky, A. (2014). Conflict resolution for the helping professions. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
George, V. M., & Shocksnider, J. (2014). Leaders: Are you ready for change? The clinical nurse as care coordinator in the new health care system. Nursing administration quarterly, 38(1), 78-85.
Gifford, W. A., Graham, I. D., & Davies, B. L. (2013). Multi‐level barriers analysis to promote guideline based nursing care: a leadership strategy from home health care. Journal of nursing management, 21(5), 762-770.
Huber, D. (2013). Leadership and nursing care management. London, United Kingdom: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Joel, L. A. (2013). Advanced Practice Nursing: Essentials of Role Development. Philadelphia, PA: FA Davis.