Compare and Contrast Two Different Change Models

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Introduction:

As a medical professor, my responsibility is to ensure that my medical college students understand the fundamental principles of change management while assisting them in developing the necessary skills to lead and implement effective organizational change in the healthcare industry. In this light, the questions presented will be addressed comprehensively, providing answers grounded in the relevant literature to offer an in-depth understanding of the concepts of change models, leadership approaches, disruptive change, and incremental change.

1. Compare and contrast two different change models. What leadership approach would you use to implement your preferred model? Why?

Two different change models that have been widely used in the healthcare industry are Lewin’s change management model and Kotter’s 8-step change model. Lewin’s change management model involves three stages; unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. In contrast, Kotter’s 8-step change model includes specific steps that are detailed and serve as a roadmap for organizational change. The differences lie in the levels of detail each provides and the scope of implementation.

If given the option to choose, I’d prefer Kotter’s 8-step change model as my preferred model, focused on identifying the urgency for change, creating a coalition, developing a vision and strategy, communicating the change vision, empowering others, creating short term wins, consolidating gains and producing more change, and anchoring new approaches in the organization’s culture.

The leadership style that would be best suited for implementing Kotter’s 8-step change model is transformational leadership. Transformational leaders empower their followers and inspire them to work towards a common goal, create a compelling vision, and articulate their expectations. The transformational leader must motivate and drive change through their actions and attitude, in line with Kotter’s fourth step in his 8-step change model.

2. What is “disruptive change,” and how is this different from “incremental change?” How does disruptive change affect an organization? Provide an example.

Disruptive change is a significant shift that has an impact on the status quo, resulting in a change of the fundamentals of an organization. In contrast, incremental change is a gradual and small change that does not result in an organization’s fundamentals changing. Disruptive change can result in positive or negative impacts that can significantly affect an organization’s operations, leadership, and culture.

Disruptive change can be seen in the shift from traditional to electronic health records (EHRs). Traditional records were stored on paper, and clinicians would update them by hand; with the advent of EHRs, the shift was disruptive requiring changes in operations, leadership, and culture to adapt to the new technology. The use of EHRs provided better accuracy and efficiency in data handling, but it caused extensive changes in the organization’s practices, staffing patterns, and patient experiences.

In conclusion, the topic of change is ubiquitous in the healthcare industry, making it imperative that medical college students gain an understanding of change models, leadership approaches, disruptive change, and incremental change. Understanding these topics would enable students to effectively navigate complex situations, adapt to change, and implement effective change in organizational settings.

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Introduction:
Change management is critical in any organization as it helps organizations adapt to changes and work more effectively. As such, this paper discusses two different change models, Lewin’s change management model and Kotter’s 8-step change model. Additionally, the paper delves into disruptive and incremental change, their differences, effects on an organization, and an example concerning disruptive change.

1. Compare and contrast two different change models. What leadership approach would you use to implement your preferred model? Why?

Lewin’s change management model and Kotter’s 8-step change model are two different change management models. Although both models focus on change, they are different in terms of their objectives, implementation methods, and the scope of change.

Lewin’s change management model has three stages: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. In contrast, Kotter’s 8-step change model consists of eight steps, namely, creating urgency, forming a powerful coalition, creating a vision for change, communicating the vision, empowering and enabling others to act on the vision, creating short-term wins, consolidating gains and producing more change, and finally anchoring new approaches in the organization’s culture.

While both models have their strengths and weaknesses, I prefer Kotter’s 8-step change model as it provides a more structured approach to organizational change. To effectively implement Kotter’s 8-step change model, transformational leadership would be the best leadership approach. This is grounded in the fact that transformational leaders are visionary and inspire their followers to attain a common goal. Additionally, transformational leaders empower others, communicate a clear vision, and act as a role model for their followers to follow.

2. What is “disruptive change,” and how is this different from “incremental change?” How does disruptive change affect an organization? Provide an example.

Disruptive change is a significant change that fundamentally alters the way an organization functions. In contrast, incremental change is a small, gradual change that does not significantly affect an organization’s operations, people or systems.

Disruptive change affects an organization in several ways, significantly altering the way the organization functions. Disruptive change requires organizations to adapt to new situations and alters an organization’s culture, operations, and leadership. Failure to adapt to such significant change can cause organizations to become irrelevant, resulting in the loss of competitiveness, revenue, and customers.

For instance, the shift from traditional health records to electronic health records (EHRs) was a disruptive change for healthcare organizations. EHRs significantly altered data-handling practices, staffing patterns, and patient experiences in healthcare. Organizations that were unable to adapt to the change risked becoming less competitive and less effective than those that embraced EHRs.

Conclusion:

Change is an integral part of organizational growth and development. As such, understanding the different change models, leadership approaches, and the impacts of disruptive and incremental change is critical in any organization’s success. Using Kotter’s 8-step change model and employing transformational leadership in implementing the change process can help an organization effectively adapt to the change. Additionally, effective adaptation to disruptive change can help an organization remain competitive and ensure that it remains relevant in the face of increased competition.