| Web: | mayocliniclabs.com |
|---|---|
| Email: | mcl@mayo.edu |
| Telephone: | 800-533-1710 |
| International: | +1 855-379-3115 |
| Values are valid only on day of printing | |
| Web: | mayocliniclabs.com |
|---|---|
| Email: | mcl@mayo.edu |
| Telephone: | 800-533-1710 |
| International: | +1 855-379-3115 |
| Values are valid only on day of printing | |
Five Steps to Manage Change in an Outreach Laboratory
Outreach
The medical laboratory environment requires precision operations and navigating regulatory compliance with a workforce of highly skilled professionals. When introducing a new initiative in this environment — including launching or expanding an outreach program — effective change management is essential.
It is especially important for leaders to thoughtfully address the human aspects of change to ensure successful adoption.
It may seem surprising that staff would resist enhancements to the laboratory, but several factors can influence how staff react to change. Common concerns include fear of the unknown, apprehension about additional work, discomfort performing new tasks, or worries that additional demands could compromise quality or patient care. Further, employees are not always involved in the planning process, and they don’t want to fail.
ADKAR® is a widely used change management model by Prosci® that helps leaders guide their staff through these responses and reactions by focusing on:
Below is more information on how each element aids in navigating change and insights on applying them to a laboratory outreach initiative.
Staff must first understand why change is necessary. Communication and education for staff is critical to raising awareness of the need for change. Without awareness, resistance may arise from fear of the unknown, a common concern for employees who value precision and routine.
Leaders can help communicate this need clearly by establishing an elevating vision for the laboratory outreach program and focusing on the primary drivers of the change. The drivers of change might include a need to improve services or turnaround times for patients and physicians, a shift in their health system’s strategy, or a need to populate an integrated medical record.
Even with awareness, laboratory professionals may still resist change due to concerns about increased workload, established workflow disruption, and quality. To build desire, leaders must address these fears directly, emphasizing personal and professional benefits. In the laboratory outreach program, quality is non-negotiable, and addressing concerns about patient care impact is crucial to cultivating desire. Leaders can further motivate staff by involving them in planning to foster ownership or offering incentives, such as certifications or opportunities for career advancement.
Staff also need the knowledge and information to implement the change. Knowledge gaps can impact the confidence and competence of staff, leading to increased errors and eroding trust within the department.
In laboratory outreach, thorough and ongoing training on a new system or process is often necessary, especially when precision is critical to patient care and customer satisfaction. This can include tactical training on tasks, such as data entry, telephone and documentation processes, or invoice management. It may also be helpful to provide conceptual training on topics such as market dynamics, financial benefits, and provider dynamics. Given the diversity in roles and perspectives, training must be tailored to specific functions, ranging from phlebotomists to technologists to supervisors.
Ability focuses on translating knowledge into practical skills. In the laboratory outreach program, this might involve staff mastering new tasks through supervised practice or simulation exercises. For example, couriers may perform practice runs to understand a new route or traffic patterns. This allows the employee to establish mastery without hindering current processes.
Leaders can support staff during this stage by providing dedicated time for practice, ensuring adequate staffing to avoid workflow disruptions, and offering real-time support from experienced staff. It is important to create a safe environment for trial and error, which is essential to building staff confidence and competence.
Ensuring that the change is sustained requires reinforcement. Without reinforcement, staff may revert to old methods, risking inefficiencies or errors that impact patient care. It is important to celebrate milestones, such as increasing test volumes or revenue, acquiring a new customer, reducing patient wait times, or receiving positive feedback from a customer. Metric boards and periodic staff huddles are vehicles to celebrate successes and discuss challenges, helping to address lingering resistance. It is also important to embed the change into laboratory culture — updating standard operating procedures or performance metrics — to solidify adoption.
A structured approach to change management is particularly effective in the high-stakes, interconnected activity of a laboratory outreach program. Thoughtful execution of ADKAR transforms vision into action. By addressing awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement, leaders can mitigate resistance, enhance engagement, and ensure the initiative aligns with the organization’s commitment to quality and patient care.
