Building Organisation Capacity in Healthcare

This essay discusses the importance of building organizational capacity in healthcare, the role of leadership and staff development, and the implementation of change management theories. It also highlights the significance of workplace culture and the selection of a suitable change theory. The subject is healthcare management and the course code is not mentioned. The content is relevant to students pursuing healthcare management courses in any college or university.

Running head: BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
Building organisation capacity in healthcare
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1BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
Successful healthcare organizations know it well that it needs to build the capacity for the
purpose of bringing change and fulfilling its mission. Leadership and the development of the
staff are the two most vital areas for the capacity building. The leadership development is the
belief that everyone has the potential to be a leader if that person receives the right support and
the encouragement. Staff development, on the other hand, is a belief in bringing the experienced
professional staff and the also employing the skilled workers. The positive aspects of the
visionary leadership are: inspirational, emotionally intelligent, open-minded, imaginative,
resolute, persistent, collaborative, bold, magnetic, optimistic (Carmeli, Gelbard & Reiter‐
Palmon, 2013).
Thesis statement- leadership is the prime ingredient for any change strategy as a leader
and can build the organizational capacity through motivating and inspiring the people that are
present in the workplace and work towards the achieving the vision that they share for the best
practice outcomes. The aim of the essay is to apply the principles of the effective leadership and
the change strategy and it is implemented in the healthcare workplace. Considering the
implication of the workforce development and the various organizational culture that enhance or
hinder the capacity to achieve the sustainable change. Considering the role of the leader in the
developing workplaces and the ability to meet the demands for the purpose of meeting the
demands of the change in planning and also implementing the change theories like the Lewin
and the transformational change theory.
Capacity building- The capacity building includes the provision of the financial or the
other resources of the organizations from the external resources. Capacity building is applied to
the various interventions that are aimed towards producing the sustainable change at all the
levels and it ranges between the individuals and also the entire nations. There are four main

2BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
approaches that have the potential for the capacity building. The four approaches that are
identified are: community organizing approach that includes the community members and these
are drawn in to building new organizations; a partnership approach that involves the strategy that
involves the consolidating the relationships between the organizations; bottom-up organizational
approach and this includes the provision of the staffs and the skills; top-down organizational
approach that begins with the changing practices and the policies (Yeager & Bertrand, 2016).
The capacity building approaches in several cases include the relationship of the recipients of a
program building and the providers of the program funding. This relationship is a crucial factor
for the purpose of capacity building efforts. It is also important to evaluate whether the capacity
building processes are necessary for the process to be implemented and it impacts that have been
resulted due to it. Establishments of the links between the measures of the social capital, capacity
building, capacity building lead to the ongoing task and also leads to the newer complexities that
continue to be revealed. Secondly, another important aspect is that if someone is concerned about
the capacity building within the communities and the organizations, then there is a need of for
the measures to exactly reflect on the community and the organizational process. Capacity
building tends to be an evolving process and different kinds of measures are required at the
different stages of the intervention (Kislov et al., 2014).
Role of the leader in the change process- the amount of the changes that are currently
going through the healthcare organizations and it is important to note that the organizations are
looking towards the strong leaders. A leader prepares to adapt and changes the mindset from so
that the leader is able to guide the organization through the newer ways. The leader remains
aware of the various changes encountered by the healthcare and this may include the political
battle or the various changes inside the healthcare organization itself. The wave of the

3BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
retirements that are encountered by the healthcare industry and the switch towards the volume
based care (Carter et al., 2013). A leader clarifies the vision of the employees and the staffs in
the healthcare facilities. It is seen that the organizational change has the potential to make people
nervous. Thus, the leaders are responsible to provide a clear path for moving towards a clear path
and a big goal. A leader ensures that each and every worker in an organization understands the
vision of the organization and people are willing to work in a different way to achieve the
different outcomes The present condition reveals that the healthcare is incredibly volatile and
thus a leader need has to ensure that his team is best suited to tackle such situations (Nice.org.uk,
2018). The healthcare organizations survive on data and this data can be helpful in managing the
change. Data actually supports the vision which is set by the leadership and it helps the
employees to understand the changes that are necessary. Relying on the Human resource
department by the leader is the single most important role which is played during the change
management. The leaders provide the necessary resources and vision that are necessary for the
change. The human resources have the capability in creating an urgency for addressing the
change due to the established resources and the processes. It is also important to note that the
staff services and the medical staff are the ones that will put changes into action. Although the
human resource department cannot force the medical staffs to go along the changes and it is only
the leader that can guide and help the employees to work accordingly (Zogjani & Raçi, 2015).
There are several change management theories that can be implemented while
introducing process or behavioural or structural changes in the healthcare facility. These change
theories are helpful for the leadership while controlling and managing a diverse workforce in
difficult situations (French et al., 2012). These theories, in combination with transactional and
transformational leadership theories, can be helpful in achieving favourable goals for the

4BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
healthcare facility implementing change. Further, it also helps the employees of the facility to
understand, accept, and embrace the change in the modified healthcare facility so that smooth
transition can be achieved (Shirey, 2013).
There are several steps that should be taken in healthcare facilities implementing change
management in their process, structure, and culture and these steps should follow the change
management theories (Mitchell, 2013). Firstly, the organization should be able to create a sense
of urgency in its employees so that equal and serious involvement of each individual in the
modified process can be achieved. Transparency is the second aspect as the leaders should be
transparent about the end goal, encourage participation of employees, and share the
achievements with the entire team working hard to achieve the end goal. For example, Grol et al.
(2013) mention it in the research project undertaken in a healthcare organization where due to
transparent system internally and externally, the authorities were able to include its employees in
difficult change management process. Thirdly, the leader should be able to connect the
healthcare facilities culture to the implemented change so that the sense of familiarity drives the
employees to achieve the end goal (Shirey, 2013). There are several forces that control and
determines the type and extent of change one healthcare facility or system requires and these
forces can be political, financial, demographical, technological and global and social forces that
require transformation or transitional change in the workplace so that the obsolete process can be
replaced by modified and new processes. Francis, O'Connor and Curran (2012) determine that in
healthcare facilities, it is the responsibility of the frontline healthcare facilities to drive change
and implement it throughout the process as they have the ability to empower, educate and
convince the entire supporting healthcare staffs to accept the change. Further, the change
management theories such as transformational theory and Lewin's change management theory

5BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
helps the management and frontline clinicians to achieve the desired change in the process
(French et al., 2012). These theories are helpful in achieving change in healthcare facilities as
such organizations implement change in smaller increments as the implementation of change in
entire process can affect the effectiveness of the process. The transformational theory is the
process which is associated with a wider change of entire process that occurs in smaller
instalments and this process is also known as the revolutionary or radical change. In this change
theory, the combination, or merger of a national and local healthcare facility has been mentioned
as the primary aspect of change. For example, Free et al. (2013) determined that correct time and
correct extent of change is required in the changes that occur in smaller increments as large-scale
changes can be disruptive for the healthcare facility and its caregiving process. On the other
hand, the Lewin's change management theory mentioned that change should be informative and
the employees should be provided with enough time prior to implementation of change
management process so that can easily transform their work culture and behaviour as per their
ability. Hence, the change management theories focused on smaller sections of implemented
change instead of the complete process as it promoted equality and evoked trust and primary
values in employees and enhances their risk-taking and performance improvement abilities
(Shirey, 2013).
Workplace culture is an important aspect in managing change and in healthcare facility
related change management; it becomes more important as without a positive and supportive
work culture, fostering effective and quality healthcare becomes crucial (McAfee et al., 2012).
Therefore, it is important for the leadership of healthcare facilities to enforce and influence good
communication skills, productive work ethics, and positive work culture in the healthcare facility
so that the process can become more productive. Work culture, according to Schermerhorn et al.

6BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
(2014) is the character and personality of the organization and this is the aspect that makes an
organization unique and different from others depending on its, values, beliefs, interactions,
behaviour and attitude of healthcare facilities towards themselves and the patients. Therefore,
while implementing change in the process and structure of the healthcare facility, the leadership
and management should determine that the positive aspects of the work culture and ethics can be
retained whereas the undermining cultural aspects can be modified and changed (Grol et al.,
2013). For this purpose, the healthcare facility should modify the code of conduct and work
ethics of the facility so that the organizational culture, which is resistant to change can be
modified or replaced. The leaders should carry our cultural and organizational assessment prior
to application of change so that the tentative outcomes of the change management can be
understood (McAfee et al., 2012). Further, the assessment should also determine the risk-taking
ability of the employees after practising modified cultural norms, the scope for creativity and
supportive feedback and enhances the ability of employees to reinforce team learning and
collaboration in adverse situations (Schermerhorn et al, 2014).
Therefore, as per the above-mentioned sections, it is important for the leadership or
management of the healthcare facilities to determine their vision, mission, and strategic goals
(Ginter, Duncan & Swayne, 2018). This is important for the employees of the healthcare facility
as informed change and goal help them to achieve their target steadily. As the change
management process in healthcare facilities occurs in smaller instalments vision and mission
help the organization to determine smaller steps and goals, through which strategic change can
be easily achieved (Grigoroudis, Orfanoudaki & Zopounidis, 2012). Further, it helps to
determine the type of stakeholders it deals with and determines the alignment of the need of
primary stakeholders (patients) with the strategic change implemented in the process. Secondly,

7BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
the mission and vision statement provides a clear way to communicate with each and every
stakeholder, embrace the diversity present in the process, satisfy all the patients using the service
and hence achieve the target profit for the economic success of the healthcare facility (Perera &
Peiró, 2012). Further after vision and mission, it is the strategy that helps to provide the
employees with a pathway and framework using which the mission and vision will be
implemented in the process of change. Therefore, these aspects are important for change
management processes it works as a guide for the employees which provide them with concise
idea and pathway to achieve success for the employees and the healthcare facility (Ginter,
Duncan & Swayne, 2018).
Further after analyzing all the aspects of successful change management, it becomes
important to select a change theory which can facilitate all the above-mentioned aspect of change
without any resistance. The transformational theory is not the immediate solution of the problem
due to which change management is implemented in the process, whereas Mitchell (2013)
determines that transformational change is the process which is planned and includes a change in
policies, processes, and procedure of healthcare facility. This is a suitable change management
process for healthcare sector as it occurs over a specific time period and applied in smaller
instalments to the facility. Francis, O’Connor and Curran (2012) determined that to carry out the
transformational change in the facility, it is important for the leadership to implement
transformational leadership style as each employee has the ability to lead and this leadership
style encourages employees to utilize their leadership style to influence people around them.
Further Shirey (2013) determined that this change theory focuses on individual’s issues and help
them to clear their doubts by looking for solutions of their own.

8BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
Secondly, the change management theory utilized in this aspect was the Lewin’s change
management theory that depends on three steps such as unfreeze, change, and freeze. Free et al.
(2013) determines that the theory of Lewin's can be implemented in a healthcare facility as it
helps to change the behaviour, resistant nature and determine the sequence of change related
events. Further, it determines that as the strategic implementation includes informed change
sequence, it becomes easy for the employees to take part in the change management of
healthcare facility. As well as it includes the opinion of employees related to the process of the
change implemented. Hence, it is important for the healthcare facility leadership to determine to
analyze the change, and implement that in the process so that a dynamic balance of new and
implemented change can be maintained. However, as per Frozen et al. (2013), the change step of
Lewin’s change management lacks the extent of change required hence, it is the responsibility of
the leadership and management of the healthcare facility to inform the employees regarding
change and then decide the degree or speed of change that will be implemented in the process.
Further, they should also match the change management theory with that of the vision, mission,
and the strategy so that implementation of the change can be accepted by the healthcare
stakeholders without any resistance.
The barriers and facilitators to the success of this change and how the leader can manage
these- the potential barriers to change are awareness and knowledge; motivation; acceptance and
belief; skill; practicalities; the external environment. Knowledge and the awareness plays an
important role because it is often seen that the healthcare professionals are often not aware of the
latest evidence-based healthcare practices. It is also important to note that the although they are
aware of the various working needs they require the necessary changes (Edwards & Saltman,
2017). Motivation is the most fundamental part of nearly all the tasks. External factors are found

9BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
to be responsible for the change in behaviour and the also the motivation. However, it is
important to mention that an individual’s self-motivation alone drives the desire, drive and the
motivation. Thus, the intention and the goals are capable enough to impact the people that want
to change. The commitments and the priorities also actively interfere with their ability to change.
Acceptance and beliefs are the attitudes of the people that significantly impacts the perceptions
of any proposed change and the related costs and it includes both the practical and the financial
costs. Thus, it is important to say that the ability of a person plays a major role in impacting the
change implemented. To make a change occur the individuals that are concerned needs to
change. The healthcare professionals need the specific training so that they can acquire the
required set of skills (Maruthappu, Hasan & Zeltner, 2015). The practicalities involve the
potential barriers that involve the lack of the personnel or the resources, and the several
difficulties that hinder the delivery of the healthcare. An external environment like the political
and the financial environment impact the healthcare professionals and their ability, motivation
and the desire to make changes (Ellen et al., 2014). Facilitators in healthcare change
management- the facilitators can be considered as the advancement in the healthcare delivery
and the technological advancement; the need for a healthcare organization that want to deal with
the change in the leadership and wants to introduce the change into the organization; to increase
the skills of the staffs and the healthcare professionals (Rapport et al., 2012). Role of the leaders-
the leaders play an active role in the change process. The leader, first of all, uses the education
materials like the journal supplements, booklets and the leaflets to inform the healthcare
professionals. The leader organizes the educational meetings like the training course, workshops,
conferences and the lecturers. These meetings can be divided into two different categories and it
includes the large-scale meeting and the small-scale meetings. Educational outreach visits are

10BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
also organized by the leaders that are used by the pharmaceutical industries in order to influence
the prescribing behaviours of the doctors. Leaders also take the opinions from the other
healthcare professionals in order to motivate and influence the staffs and the doctors so that they
can effectively dispense the care to the patients (Al-Sawai, 2013).
Thus from the above study, it can be concluded that the healthcare is a vital entity for any
society as it tries to address the various health-related issues of the humans. There are a large
number of evidence that the point towards the efficient care delivery for the patients and this can
be done only when changes are brought in the healthcare organizations. This essay presents a
well-structured relationship between the leader and the flexibility of the workplace with respect
to the change theories and how the leaders respond to the various barriers and facilitators.

11BUILDING ORGANISATION CAPACITY IN HEALTHCARE
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