As a technology leader, Patterson eagerly brings the newest cutting-edge technology to customers in practices across the country. However, not all end users of this technology look forward to its implementation with the same enthusiasm. By investing in select technologies, you’re creating an opportunity to positively impact the success of your business, but you are also asking your staff to adopt a new process or tool that often brings about a significant amount of change to the way things are currently done.
Most leaders recognize that change, whether big or small, should be communicated to their team. However, the challenge is that one or more components of the change message are often overlooked.
The most successful change efforts are able to answer four questions:
1) What is changing – what is being replaced or updated?
2) Why is it changing – why is change necessary?
3) Where are we going – what is the end goal?
4) How are we going to get there – what steps will be taken?
The problem is that some leaders have their favorite and few are able to articulate all four simultaneously. Remember that as their leader, you have access to all of this information and the more knowledgeable you can make your people, the more likely they are to come to the same conclusion that you’ve come to – that change is necessary and the outcome of that change may improve the success of the practice and enhance the ability of your staff to provide the best patient experience possible.