Successful change: putting people at the heart of transformation

Alex Fraser, change management expert, examines the human elements of business optimisation and transformation needed for successful change management programmes in the healthcare and life sciences industry.

Transformation and change – the challenges

The healthcare and life sciences industry has always been at the forefront of change and innovation. Evolving patient expectations, harnessing innovations in medicine, data and technology, and an increased focus on driving efficiencies are just some of the forces driving change in the industry. 

While healthcare and life sciences organisations need to adapt to change, transforming any element of your business or processes can be extremely challenging.

Business transformations can fail to realise the desired business benefits, not because of what you are trying to implement, but because of how the change, and specifically the people it will impact, are managed.

If your people do not understand, accept or feel equipped to deal with the change being proposed, chances are they simply won’t adopt it. Most people have an emotional reaction to any change and need to actively work through the process of letting go of the way things work today—their comfort zone—before they can take the necessary steps to consciously accept and adopt a change. This can take time and invariably has an impact on performance.

By deploying proactive and structured change management from the outset, you can not only enable your people to move through the change process more quickly, accelerating benefits realisation, but also reduce the impact the change may have on performance.

Common transformation risks and pitfalls

Embarking on a transformation journey is a complex and challenging endeavour. Without careful planning and execution, organisations can encounter several risks and pitfalls that can derail their efforts. Below are some of the most common challenges that can impede successful transformation:

• Lack of compelling change narrative or vision: this can lead to people not understanding what is happening or why they should specifically embrace the change. For example, when implementing new electronic health record systems, there will be different benefits for different stakeholders, such as reducing manual work for staff, and improving safety and care for patients. The vision and benefits should be articulated and communicated clearly and consistently by leadership.
• Lack of visible senior sponsorship: when senior leaders are not visibly supporting the transformation, it can lead to mistrust among employees.
• No success metrics in place: without these, it is difficult to build a sense of momentum and success. These should include hard metrics (eg cost savings or reduction in manual work) as well as soft metrics such as improved employee engagement, which is an important driver of staff retention in the sector.
• Inadequate stakeholder analysis: failing to account for challenges within different areas can result in communications and engagement that do not address genuine concerns. 
• Lack of effective ongoing stakeholder engagement: an ineffective communications plan can prevent key messages from reaching the frontline, leading to a lack of awareness, acceptance, and ultimately adoption.
• One-way, superficial, “tell” communications: little opportunity for two-way engagement or gathering feedback to understand the impact of communications and to uncover the real issues and questions that need to be addressed.
• Lack of consideration of external stakeholders or the patient experience: for patients, it’s also important to address any potential digital divide and to ensure there are inclusive ways for them to interact.
• Change impacts are assumed but not mapped in detail across processes, people and tech: as a result, appropriate communications and training cannot be put in place to equip people to work effectively post-transition.
• Not enabling/equipping the managers to support their teams effectively and drive adoption: leadership should be supportive both in terms of providing sufficient and sustained investment, and in allowing time for stakeholders, including patients, clinicians and staff, to engage with and understand the benefits of the change. 
• Lack of planned, sustained engagement activity: insufficient support beyond the initial transition to embed the change.

How we can help 

We have extensive experience in successfully supporting clients on their transformation journey and leveraging leading practices. Our robust change management framework is underpinned by a library of intuitive tools and templates. We tailor this framework to your organisation and transformation initiative, guiding key activities from conception to completion, ensuring that the desired change is successfully adopted, embedded, and that desired business benefits are realised and maintained.

If you would like to discuss the change management needs of your healthcare or life sciences business, please contact Alex Fraser or Mohi Khan.