Organizational Change Plan Part 1

Organizational Change Plan Part 1

Crystal Sullivan

HCS/587

May 25, 2015

Debra Kent

Organizational Change Plan Part 1

The ability to change is an essential factor for any organization. Without it, businesses would not be able to stay competitive or ensure that both their internal and external customers’ needs are being met. According to "SamllBusiness.chron" (2015), “As societies continue to evolve, and changing demand creates the need for new products and services, businesses often are forced to make changes to stay competitive” (para. 1). Numotion, a medical mobility organization, formerly known separately as ATG Rehab and United Seating and Mobility merged back in January of 2013. “The combination brings together two of the country's top sophisticated mobility companies to better serve customers and help navigate an evolving healthcare marketplace” ("Atg Rehab Merges With United Seating & Mobility", 2015). Since the merger, Numotion has acquired over 30 smaller medical mobility organizations to expand their clientele and become the medical mobility company of choice. However, in their effort to become a household name, they have unintentionally allowed their non-existent employee training methods to take a back seat to what they felt were more important issues.

Need for Employee Training

“Employee training is far more prevalent today than it was ten years ago. Today, almost all companies provide some training for their employees.” (Hughley, Mussnug, 1997). The need for employee training has recently come to the forefront for several reasons. They are as follows:

        1. Lack of customer service- both externally and internally- Both clients and employees are often unhappy with the level of service they receive.

        2. Lack of employee and management knowledge of products and services offered- Neither the employees or managers are thoroughly knowledgeable about the different products and services provided by the organization.

        3. Lack of accountability- Neither employees nor management is willing to be held accountable for their involvement in the success or failure of the organization.

        4. Lack of respect from management to employees and vice versus- Both the employees and managers show no professionalism towards each other in the workplace.

        5. Lack of resources needed to fulfill job requirements- The employees have not be given the proper resources need to meet their job requirements to the best of their abilities.

        6. Lack of communication- Anytime changes are made that relate directly to employees they are rarely notified promptly.  

In light of the above reasons for which training is needed, loss of revenue from Medicare, one of Numotions biggest payers is the main reason that brought about the need for mandatory employee training. Medicare, a government insurance payer, represents more than 50% of Numotions revenue and recently they have begun to deny claims submitted for Numotion clients due to Medicare guidelines not being met. “Training and development provide employees required knowledge, skills and abilities to do a job” ( Phanindra, 2014). With that being said, it imperative that all Numotion employees undergo extensive employee training to ensure that these issues do not occur in the future.

Organizational and Individual Barriers Related to Employee Training

        There will always be barriers to any organization when attempting to implement change and Numotion is no different.  “Three areas need to be considered to plan training. These fields to consider include, appropriateness of the training, competencies of the trainees, and what benefit does the training have to the overall organization" (Morrison et al., 2011). Some of the organizational and individual barriers to implementing a training program in Numotion are as follows:

1. Cost-The cost associated with implementing a new program within the organization
2. Goals and Objectives- Explain the need for training and the expected outcome to employees.
3. Education- Ensuring that the trainers have the required education necessary to provide employees with the tools and resources required to perform their job duties.
4. Resistance to Change- Some employees will be resistant to change within the organization.
5. Management of employee workloads- Employee workloads will need to be managed while in training.

Sandström & Svanberg (2011) states that, “the systems and procedures inhibiting the pursuit of quality, the organizational culture preventing quality, the design of the organization inhibiting the strive for quality, and the managerial and employee recognition of the importance of quality and attitudes towards it" (p. 14). It is important for employees to understand the need for change, and how it will affect their daily job responsibilities and the overall success of the organization.

Factors Influencing Change and Organization Readiness. The need for a training program within Numotion is long overdue, and there are several factors that influenced the need for the proposed training program and also the organizational readiness for the proposed training program. They are as follows:

1. The desire for growth- For the organization to continue to grow they must be advanced in all areas of their business and also retain knowledgeable, efficient and loyal employees.

2. Readiness for change-The significant loss of revenue from one of their major payers puts the organization at risk of failure so they must do everything they can to ensure that all future claims are paid out in full.

3. Government regulations- Medicare is a government funded insurance payer, and they are constantly changing things, so it is imperative that everyone be informed of those changes as soon as they occur.

4. Competition- Numotion hopes to be the medical mobility company of choice and to do so they must ensure that all everyone, including management and employees are aligned with the organizations, mission, and values.

Theoretical Model Relating to Change. The theoretical model that relates most to the proposed training program at Numotion is Lippipt’s Change Theory Model. This theory focuses on using an external agent to help create change within an organization. It is based on seven steps. They are as follows: