Abstract
The study aims to identify the factors that facilitate managing healthcare organizational change during uncertainty-perspective of COVID-19. The role of communications for managing employee's perception during change in the healthcare organizations has been examined. Mixed method approach is used in this study to identify the factors that facilitate healthcare organizational change during uncertainty. Data collection was semi-structured interviews with purposive sampling to select respondents. Clustered probability sampling method has been carried out for the questionnaire survey and analyzed the data with SPSS. The result showed that the specific change-related uncertainties can be best addressed by different sources of communication. Trust plays a crucial role for creating a positive perception through effective change-related communication. The employees who perceived they received quality change communication reported being more open toward the change during uncertainty. A five-step model was developed to link as a facilitator with uncertainty and manage change successfully.
TopIntroduction
In response to the rapid breakthrough of the technologies, changing pattern of the labor forces, different environmental factors and current pandemic (Covid-19) related uncertainties, many healthcare organizations find themselves in a stage where it is absolutely being needed to involve and engage change management initiative in order to continue to exist. Although the importance of the change management in the healthcare organizations in Bangladesh is crucial and it is necessary to take effective change management initiative. However, many organizations barely failed to successfully execute the large-scale change and often estimated that up to 70% change implementation process cannot succeed (Burns, 2020). Cost of such failure might have far reaching impacts and it could be extended throughout the whole industry. There are some practical implications existent for the success of future change event and how to effectively sustain positive culture in the healthcare organization in Bangladesh. Consequently, it is necessary to extend change effort within organizations, and often employees of the healthcare organizations are faced change related stressors beyond their everyday responsibility (Jimmieson, et al, 2014). That’s vital to manage the situation and respond on time to the factor that is important the change management practitioner.
Furthermore, one of the important things in the change management is employee’s uncertainty and effective communication practices during change implementation process (Begly, 1998; Schweiger and Denisi, 1991) but the fact is that almost all the change management literature focuses just on the content of change management that is disseminated only by senior management (Barett, 2002; Armenakis, Bedeian, 1999; Armenekis, Haris, 2002). There is huge shortage of the search which examine the roles of various source of effective communication to deliver accurate information during the change. Moreover, it is also true that a lot of organizations are unable to give their employees adequate quality information during change program. Many times, employees are seeking information from the other sources in order to resolve the uncertainty who faced during the change (DiFonzo, Bordia, 1998). As a result, it is important to scrutinize and identify appropriate process through every employee might be able to obtain accurate information during the change and the factors that impacts their attitude, behavior, intention for the change event.
The study is based on the mixed method approach in order to develop a fairer understanding of the change process and effectively handling uncertain situation (perspective of Covid-19) during change. A mixed method approach used in this research study to identify the factors that facilitate healthcare organizational change during uncertainty. Firstly, qualitative field study has been conducted and interviewed key employees who experienced uncertainties during healthcare organizational change. On the other hand, quantitative study has been conducted in order to empirically examine the factors that impacts uncertainties during healthcare organizational change. Particularly, relationship between organizational change and uncertainty, effective communication and change related uncertainty (perspective of covid-19) was examined.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Effective Communication: An effective communication is a communication between two or more persons wherein the intended message is successfully received and understood.
Trust: Trust is a feeling that somebody or something can be relied upon or will turn out to be good. It is willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the action of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action that is important to the trustor.
Managing Perception: Perception is a process by which individual interpret a situation form their senses to give meaning and order to the world around them. Managing perception means influencing how other people interpret a situation in your favor.
Organizational Change: Organizational change is an action in which any company or organizations would like to alter a major component, operational methods, technologies, organizational structure, culture, as well as what effects these changes have on it.
COVID-19: A disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus. CO stands for corona, VI for virus, and D for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as 2019 novel coronavirus.
Uncertainty: The uncertainty refers to lack of certainty or a state of knowledge where it is impossible to exactly describe the existing state, a future outcome or inability to predict a situation like the effect of current pandemic (COVID-19).
Healthcare: Healthcare is the maintenance or improvement of a public health through the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, recovery or cure of any disease, illness and other physical and mental impairment in people.