By Kelly Pray
We are in times of change. Regardless of how radical or incremental, the industry continues to adapt and evolve to meet the demands of its environment. Conversely, so too we must adapt to meet the demands of our industry. Processes, technology, behaviors and structures that have served us in the past may become obsolete in the future. Because of our industry’s complexity, agility in change is a standard requirement for those who work in the healthcare field. Changes in healthcare in the last decade have included technological advancements, shifting demographics in the patient population, new legislation and regulatory requirements, modernized payment models, mergers and acquisitions of health systems and more. Change resiliency is a burden that each of us sign up for when seeking employment or service at a healthcare institution.
Change resiliency starts by acknowledging the process of change. How many times have you considered change to be a flip of a light switch – from current to future? Often, we lose sight of the fact that change is a process – that there are three states (current, transition, and future) we need to be mindful of. Change moves individuals from their current state into a transition state, in order to instill a better future. Each transition requires its own release of the status quo, of what has been adapted to. Regardless of how individuals feel about the state they are in, barriers to resilience include the comfort of the current state and the fear of the unknown transitions.
A go-to tool in the change resiliency toolkit is addressing “What’s in it for me?” for individuals impacted by change. Individuals will weigh the pros and cons of their current state with those that are identified in the future. By clearly articulating the benefits of the proposed future state, you both alleviate and accelerate individual adoption to the future state. Only trouble is – this approach only captures the on and off phases of the change light switch. The future state is only 1/3 of the change equation. “What’s in it for me?” pulls individuals towards the benefits of the future state, yet may not address the acknowledgement of letting go of the current state, or the tumult of the transition state.
Last year, I was participating in a training session for change practitioners to gain deeper knowledge in facilitating the training of other practitioners. Our group began discussing ways to motivate teams and build change resiliency when benefits may be hard to identify. Often we find ourselves having to lead teams through changes that negatively impact our teams – whether it be in process, technology, behavior, or structure. After exploring how we could expand on addressing “What’s in it for me?”, one of our colleagues bluntly added, “Give ‘em the WIIFM and the WIRM!”
Adding the layer of “What is required of me?” addresses the move through the transition state, the second piece to the change equation. The fear of the unknown often causes resistance to change, regardless of the scope or impact the change may have on an individual. By addressing “What is required of me?” leaders can help fill in the gaps that individuals may have in how the impending changes will impact them. By understanding what is required to effectively engage in the change, less becomes unknown, and fear diminishes.
Equally impactful as fear in transitioning through change is the power of comfort with the way things are. Regardless of how satisfied (or dissatisfied) individuals are in the current state, there is still comfort in maintaining the status quo. The third and final question to address the third state of change, the current state, is “Why?”. Reflect on January’s article that referenced Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle.” Defining “Why”- why the change, why now, why me, will inherently get your team to begin to let go of the “what” it is that they’re executing on a day to day basis. Connecting individuals beyond what they are doing and how they should do it is critical to building resiliency and productivity in times of change.
To be an effective leader in change means successfully navigating your teams through the three states of change: current state, transition state, and future state. By addressing the following three questions, you can set yourself and your team’s up for better chances of success in change:
- Why? – Why should we be letting go of the current state?
- What’s In It For Me? (WIIFM) – What benefits or incentives are in place to instill a better future state?
- What Is Required of Me? (WIRM) – What is required of me from a knowledge, skills, resources, and ability standpoint in order to successfully navigate the transition state?
So in times of change remember- give ‘em the Why, the WIIFM and the WIRM.
Kelly Pray is the enterprise change management lead at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
