Barriers and facilitators to implementing change

Assessment 2
• In 3000 words:
• Critically discuss the roles of the leader in facilitating any change
process or performance improvement strategy in a workplace
• The role of the leader should be discussed in relation to a health
related workplace and more generally examine the components of
sustainable change and the roles of the leader in facilitating
change (with application examples), that have been covered in this
unit.
• Use of relevant literature is expected, including some references
from each of the three modules, as well as
• literature specific to the change the analysis and critical discussion
• Use references from the three module readings (and any other
relevant support literature
Interpreting the essay question
Assessment 2,
Critically discuss the roles of the leader in facilitating any change process or
performance improvement strategy in a workplace
This question requires you to discuss health-related examples of change or
performance improvement (PI) utilising change theory and leadership theory
• the role of the leader in a change process or performance improvement
strategy
• the leadership style(s) that can facilitate sustainable change outcomes (these
are changes that succeed and are maintained)
• the steps required (and the relevant change theory support) to implement this
change
• the impact of workplace culture
• the barriers and facilitators to implementing change and the management of
these barriers and how a leader might anticipate and manage these
• the importance of benchmarking best practice related to change/PI
• strategies for motivating and engaging the stakeholders/staff in the
change/performance improvement at all stages
Assessment 2
The role of the leader should be discussed in relation to a health-related workplace and
more generally examine the components of sustainable change and the roles of the leader
in facilitating change (with application examples of concepts that have been covered in this
unit).
• the role of the leader in change processes
• workplace culture and its relevance to workplace change (and the way in which a leader
can influence this culture)
• the importance of consideration of an organisation’s vision, mission and strategic goals
when considering workplace change (you may not know the specific mission, vision and
goals (MVG) but it is important that any change is congruent with the MVG or it is unlikely
that the change will be sustainable.
• analysis of a change theory and its importance in the planning and implementation of any
change.
• the barriers and facilitators to the success of this change and how the leader can manage
these.
• the role of the leader in building and maintaining the team, their motivation and the
workplace culture
• consideration of the way in which the development of a learning organisation might
facilitate a culture of commitment and problem solving and the advantage in relation to
capacity building at individual, group and organisation level
Interpretation of the essay question
Change theory needs to be applied to examples of organisational change or a
performance improvement strategy (this does not have to be one change but
you could give examples from a range of change /PI strategies).
You must discuss the role of leadership and discuss the reason for the use of
at least one change theory in supporting change/PI strategies:
e.g. Leadership is required in order to guide the work team towards the
vision and mission of any organisation and is particularly important in
creating a workplace that is flexible and able identify the need for change
and work through a change strategy
You must explain the importance of using a change theory in relation to
guiding the process of change.
e.g. Strong leadership challenges people’s vision of the future, and builds
capacity through the development of a positive work culture and the
collaboration and flexibility required to work through change processes
Interpreting the essay question
• Remember the context of this unit is the
building of capacity at personal, group and
organisational level. It should be possible to
apply this to the change or PI you are
discussing.
Prepare a brief essay plan before writing
the essay to guide your thoughts
Sample essay plan using block structure:
Introduction
• Introductory sentence – about the importance of leadership and
capacity building in the workplace
• Background information – positive aspects of visionary leaders and
the need for identifying the need for change
• Thesis statement regarding the relationship between leadership
and sustainable change
• Aim –Outline – leadership theory/styles and roles, change
theories, the change(s) or PI’s and the reason for the change/PI
strategy, to the individual, the organisation and the individual, best
practice, learning organisations, flexible organisational cultures,
Structure of the Essay
The essay should contain:
• An introduction and a thesis statement
• The body (main paragraphs with the
argument/discussion)
• A conclusion
Please do not include headings in the essay.
Use them for your drafts but remove them for
the final submission
The Introduction
• This should contain all of the following:
• An opening sentence that introduces topic
• Relevant background information related to
topic
• A thesis statement
• An outline of main ideas covered in the body
The Opening Sentence
Should :
• Be concise
• raise interest in the topic
• not include reasons or examples
• not include an in-text citation (unless a direct
quote but this should be rarely used).
Background Information
Set the topic in context by providing some
background information which could include:
• Reasons for significance of topic/issue
• Potential effects of the issue
• Examples of use in healthcare
Ensure that both the information included and the
reference are relevant to the essay topic.
The Thesis Statement
A thesis statement should appear towards the end of the introduction and is:
A broad, formally written statement
Your point of view on a particular topic without the “I”(first person is not used in formal essays)
E.g.: I think, Performance improvement helps to build capacity in an organisation by enabling
people to achieve the goals of the organisation by assessing and benchmarking their
practice/skills against best practice standards .