One essential system within my healthcare organization is the establishment of a project management office (PMO). A PMO is a centralized organizational group that oversees and coordinates project management activities within an organization. Lavorie-Tremblay et al. (2018) states that “In order to ensure that the changes continue once the move has been completed, the experts from the PMO have been particularly present, available, and attentive to the needs of the people involved, even going so far as to get involved at the operational level. Conserving or setting up project monitoring committees, using the lessons learned, and ensuring that people adopt the PMO’s approach, including when it comes to project management, are other strategies that are conducive to continuity. The PMO then utilizes and overseas different strategies to ensure changes become permanently embedded into our organization’s culture. One approach is through leadership and change management training programs that ensure staff have the skills to adapt to new processes. Our PMO oversees the training of Lean and ADKAR change management model. Lean “is considered a philosophy of work based on the participation of people that defines ways to improve and optimize a production process by focusing, identifying, and eliminating all unnecessary processes and/or activities, called “waste”, thus facilitating the stability, efficiency, and productivity of the organization” (Morell-Santandreu et al., 2021). Another tactic is establishing continuous communication and feedback loops such as regular surveys that gather input from staff at all levels. In order to gauge burnout among employees, our organization has a communication feedback loop known as our All Employee Survey which asks specific questions about professional development and staff burnout annually.
Three factors to consider when ensuring changes become permanently embedded in the hospital’s culture are leadership modeling, integration into daily processes, and continuous recognition and celebration. Leadership commitment and modeling at all levels must demonstrate commitment to the changes through their actions and decisions. This visible support helps normalize new behaviors and practices. In fact, Cheraghi et al. (2023) attests that ““Managers supporting change in the organization can play an important role in improving resistance”. Also, changes should be woven into daily operations, standard operating procedures, and existing workflows. This integration makes the new ways of working part of the routine rather than marked as something new that “we ought to do”. Lastly, regularly highlighting successes, rewarding adoption of new practices, and providing a forum where change is celebrated helps cement changes as “the way we do things here.” This reinforcement prevents backsliding into old habits and solidifies the new culture.
Cheraghi, R., Ebrahimi, H., Kheibar, N., & Sahebihagh, M. H. (2023). Reasons for resistance to change in nursing: an integrative review. BMC Nursing, 22(1), 310. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01460-0
Lavorie-Tremblay, M., Aubry, M., Richer, M.-C., & CYR, G. (2018). A Health Care Project Management Office’s Strategies for Continual Change and Continuous Improvement. The Health Care Manager, 37(1), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1097/HCM.0000000000000185.
Morell-Santandreu, O., Santandreu-Mascarell, C., & Garcia-Sabater, , Julio J. (2021). A Model for the Implementation of Lean Improvements in Healthcare Environments as Applied in a Primary Care Center. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18062876