8 Steps for Leading the Change Process to a Paperless Agency July 25, 2013

8 Steps for Leading the Change Process to a Paperless Agency July 25, 2013

Today s Presenters 2

John P. Kotter & Leading Change John Kotter s Bio Former professor at Harvard Authored 18 books on leadership and change Rated #1 Leadership Guru in America by Business Week Focus is developing practical leadership skills to lead change in complex environments 3

John P. Kotter & Leading Change Leading Change is the blueprint for how to sequentially lead successful change in an organization MediSked applies and follows these techniques when guiding provider agencies through a technology implementation A change to a paperless agency is a shock to the culture and underpinnings of an agency and should not be taken lightly! 4

Management vs. Leadership Management Planning and budgeting: establishing steps and timetables for achieving results, then allocating resources to make it happen Organizing and staffing: delegating responsibility and authority for carrying out the plan. Providing policies and procedures to help guide people Controlling and problem solving: monitoring results, identifying deviations from plan, problem solving Produces predictability and order and has potential to produce short term results Source: From A force for change: How leadership differs from management by John Kotter. Copyright 1990 5

Management vs. Leadership Leadership Establishing direction: developing a vision of the future & strategies for producing change Aligning People: communicating direction in words and deeds to all those who are needed to create teams and coalitions Motivating and inspiring: energizing people to overcome major political, bureaucratic and resource barriers to change by satisfying basic, unfilled needs Produces change, often to a dramatic degree & has the potential to produce extremely useful change Source: From A force for change: How leadership differs from management by John Kotter. Copyright 1990 6

MOST ARE TAUGHT MANAGEMENT SKILLS, FEW ARE TAUGHT LEADERSHIP 7

So you wanna take your agency paperless? Where do you start? 8

You have to have a plan Your transition needs to be deliberate and thought out Be realistic on timeframes Your agency is looking for leadership, not just management are you up to the challenge? 9

The 8 Steps to Leading Change 1. Create Urgency 2. Form a powerful coalition 3. Create a vision for change 4. Communicate the vision 5. Remove obstacles 6. Create short term wins 7. Build on change 8. Anchor the changes in your corporate culture 10

1. CREATE URGENCY!! Things are fine the old way, why change? Identify potential threats or scenarios that show what could happen in the future Opportunities that could be exploited In any approach, it s imperative to be aware that this change affects everyone in your agency. Scenarios have to tie urgency back directly to their jobs 11

1. CREATE URGENCY!! Strong commitment and belief from majority of management (75%) that urgency is absolutely essential Complacency is your enemy!! 12

1. CREATE URGENCY!! To create urgency if external factor is not looming With managers, map out current work flows (ex. Service notes, billing claims, matching time & attendance) The more quantifiable with length of time & number of steps, the more it will make the urgency seem real 13

2. Form a powerful coalition It starts from the top Common mistake: trying to go at it alone You have to LEAD change, not force it Management team responsible for facilitating and enabling change, not employees Build support around TRUST and COMMON GOAL 14

2. Form a powerful coalition Choose wisely Build your team or coalition of change champions and influencers Doesn t have to follow traditional hierarchy, need to be influential Give your team responsibility that will empower them- they need to have input on how the change will be managed 15

2. Form a powerful coalition Hold discovery sessions with your different departments and programs regarding change to make their area better Identify the people who bring ideas and possible solutions, not just problems Create diverse team: position at the agency, expertise, credibility, leadership 16

3. Create a vision for change Crafting your overall vision Determines the values that are central to the change Develops a short summary that captures what you see as the future (going back to urgency) Helps create a strategy to execute vision 17

3. Create a vision for change Authoritarian decree Micromanagement Vision Forces that support the status quo 18

3. Create a vision for change Creating an effective vision Relate change to broader external environment & how you will be successful in it. <<Going paperless to save trees will not motivate your staff >> Short term goals should be specific & achievable: costs, measurables, timetables, dependencies Long term should be broader and vision based 19

4. Communicate the Vision Communicate vision frequently! Use vision to make daily decisions and solve problems Should reinforce the reasons for the change 20

4. Communicate the Vision TIPS Simplicity Metaphor, analogy Multiple forums Repetition By example Explanation of seeming inconsistencies Give and take Eliminate jargon and tech-y terms. KISS A verbal picture can be more effective Large & small meetings, emails, newsletters Ideas sink in more when they have been heard many times Behavior that is inconsistent with the vision is a killer Unaddressed inconsistencies undermine credibility Listen as much as your talking 21

4. Communicate the Vision Create forums for discussion Face to face and virtually Create email newsletter with regular updates Provide outlets for your staff to provide feedback. They need to feel heard & process the change. Remember, change threatens most people 22

5. Remove Obstacles As change actually begins to happen, resistance will set in with some It was easier before! They don t know what they re doing! This is cumbersome! 23

5. Remove obstacles A leader puts a structure in place for change & continually checks barriers against it Aligning & changing process and systems to the vision Remove people from the project who reinforce old systems Encourage, enable & develop accepting team members 24

5. Remove obstacles Do not shun those resistant to change; seek to understand them. Provide outlets Relate change to resisting parties back to what s in it for me Confront supervisors who undercut the vision or change 25

6. Create short term wins Nothing motivates more than success Create attainable, short term targets Without short term wins, the critics start to appear 26

6. Create short term wins Role of short term wins Provides evidence that sacrifices are worth it Reward change agents with pat on the back Help fine tune vision and strategies Undermine cynics Keep bosses on board Build momentum 27

6. Create short term wins With software implementation, plan short term goals and wins along the way Create visuals around the office Celebrate your wins Embed into your culture 28

7. Build on Change Most often, tech projects fail because victory was declared to early The importance of training cannot be stressed enough Increased comfort with technology = decreased anxiety about the change 29

7. Build on Change What Stage 7 looks like in a successful effort More change, not less Leadership from senior management Leadership from below Reduction of unnecessary interdependencies 30

7. Build on Change Incorporate training best practices from your software vendor Build technology training into your onboarding process Continue to empower your staff to look for improvements 31

8. Anchor the changes in your corporate culture Your culture determines what gets done; the values behind your vision must be present day to day Continuous efforts: talk progress, success stories, include change values in hiring and training 32

8. Anchor the changes in your corporate culture Concepts in anchoring change Comes last, not first Depends on results Requires lots of talk May involve turnover Makes decisions on succession crucial Most alterations in norms and shared values come at the end of the transformation process New approaches sink into culture only after it s clear they work Without verbal instruction & support, people are often reluctant to admit the validity of new practices Sometimes the only way to change a culture is to change key people If promotion processes are not changed to be compatible with new practices, old culture will stick 33

8. Anchor the changes in your corporate culture Methods of open communication & feedback Be consistent with vision and action 34

8. Anchor the changes in your corporate culture In the end, you will realize the change from paper to software was only a small piece of the overall change Opportunity to empower employees and create culture where everyone is united in the same vision The change management process is the catalyst to ensuring your agency s health into the future 35

SPECIAL THANKS TO Contact Us doug_golub@medisked.com mike_holihan@medisked.com 866-633-4753 www.medisked.com 36