Evidence-based change management (EBCM) means using science and confirmed data to plan and carry out changes in an organization. Experts like Denise M. Rousseau from Carnegie Mellon University and Steven ten Have, who works in organizational strategy, started this approach. It encourages leaders to use many kinds of evidence when making decisions during change.
In healthcare, changes can affect patient care, staff routines, and rules that must be followed. Using evidence-based methods reduces guesswork and helps make changes that have a better chance of working. EBCM combines four types of evidence:
Rousseau says that using these four evidence types together helps make better decisions. This way, organizations can expect problems and adjust when needed.
Two main ideas guide evidence-based change management:
Healthcare managers in the United States face challenges like new rules, adopting technology, and handling staff. Using evidence-based change with many types of data helps deal with these challenges better.
Managing change well means using two kinds of science-based actions: ongoing actions and phased actions.
Phased actions happen at specific points in the change process. For example:
Steven ten Have says these phased actions are needed to handle different problems at the right times, helping adjustments be thoughtful and timely.
The experience of staff is very important in healthcare because workers deal directly with patients and daily tasks. Denise M. Rousseau points out that focusing on worker experiences during change helps keep them involved and lowers resistance.
Getting stakeholders involved early and letting them give feedback builds trust. For example, IT managers working on new tech can work closely with users to make adoption easier and avoid problems.
Practitioner experience offers helpful ideas. It guides managers to set realistic timelines and find possible issues before they happen. Valuing these experiences helps leaders make change plans that fit the culture and daily tasks better.
Medical places in the United States face pressures like following new rules, meeting patient satisfaction goals, and using more digital tools. Using evidence-based change management helps in these ways:
For example, a care center adding a new phone system could use evidence-based methods to check call wait times, train staff in steps, and involve receptionists in choosing easy features. This leads to better communication.
New technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation can help healthcare groups during changes. These tools lighten staff workload and make improvements easier to measure and plan.
Simbo AI is a company that offers AI-powered phone automation and answering services. It shows how technology can support change. Automating tasks like appointment booking, reminders, and answering questions lets clinical and admin staff focus on patient care and harder tasks. This also cuts down interruptions during transitions and helps staff get used to new ways.
AI automation collects useful data in real time. This data helps managers keep track of calls, bookings, and patient feedback so they can quickly adjust plans.
Healthcare IT managers can use workflow automation to make change projects easier. Automation handles repetitive tasks like checking insurance, processing claims, and sending reminders. When this happens, organizations:
Workflow automation also helps phased actions by managing tasks for each change stage. For example, during an EHR upgrade, automation can control data moves or appointment changes without adding too much work.
Experts say it’s best to use many kinds of evidence when making decisions. Healthcare leaders should collect and review:
Looking at all these sides can find hidden problems and help make better solutions. For example, staff feedback might show people resist new software because of poor training, not because the software is bad. This leads leaders to spend more on training, not replacing the software.
A medium-sized primary care clinic in the Midwest planned to use Simbo AI’s phone automation. The leaders used evidence-based change management steps:
This step-by-step and evidence-based plan followed Rousseau and ten Have’s advice. The result was an easier technology acceptance and better outcomes.
Setting goals is a key part of evidence-based change management. Clear goals explain what is expected, give measurable targets, and motivate staff—especially when they feel uncertain.
Healthcare leaders need to balance making operations better with keeping patient care safe. Goals like “cut appointment no-shows by 15%” or “improve medication accuracy in three months” help improve performance and match what frontline staff care about.
Healthcare administrators, owners, and IT managers in the United States can benefit from using evidence-based change management. This means combining research, internal data, staff and patient input, and practical knowledge. Adding AI tools like Simbo AI’s phone automation and other workflow automation helps manage change better. These methods offer a clear way to handle the challenges in medical practices and support better care and smoother operations.
Evidence-based change management is the science-informed practice of managing planned organizational change, emphasizing the use of science-informed practices to enhance the likelihood of success.
The two key principles are: 1) Planned change is more likely to succeed with science-informed practices, and 2) Utilizing four sources of evidence (scientific, organizational, stakeholder, and practitioner experience) enhances change-related decision quality.
There are two sets of science-informed practices: Ongoing Actions (e.g., goal setting, vision communication, feedback/redesign) and Phased Actions, which are timed to specific change phases.
Ongoing Actions are continuous activities throughout the change process that include goal setting, vision communication, and soliciting feedback for redesigning approaches.
Phased Actions are specific interventions that correspond to distinct phases of the change process, such as early diagnosis and late-stage institutionalization.
Stakeholder experience is one of the critical sources of evidence that improves the decision-making quality during planned change initiatives.
Scientific evidence informs practices and decisions in change management, driving more effective and reliable approaches to managing organizational change.
Goal setting is crucial as it provides a clear direction and measurable objectives, often leading to improved motivation and alignment within the organization during the change process.
The authors are Denise M. Rousseau, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and Steven ten Have, a professor at VU University Amsterdam and organizational consultant.
By regularly using various forms of evidence, organizations can make better-informed decisions, adapt effectively throughout the change process, and ultimately enhance the success rates of their initiatives.
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