As nurses, we will undoubtedly experience change within our organizations. It is interesting to consider how change is accomplished within an organization. According to John Kotter, change happens in eight steps. The first step is to create a sense of urgency. In health care, I think one of the best ways to do this is to highlight potential consequences if the change did not occur. For example, a consequence could be decreased patient safety. Secondly, it is important to form guiding coalitions. A group of people form the coalition and advocate for change. An organization may request a coalition of staff nurses to help advocate for change. Third,  a vision and strategy must be developed. This will happen within the coalition previously mentioned. Before the group can proceed, the team must identify their vision so that others can understand what needs to be changed within the organization. Fourth, the vision must be communicated. The team of nurses may have to present to administration to communicate their vision for change. The fifth part of change is to remove obstacles. By this point, the team would have been able to identify obstacles to change. The team must strategize how to overcome barriers and reward others for being okay with change within the organization. Next comes short terms wins. Once certain barriers have been eliminated, change can proceed, even if the changes are small. The coalition must focus on the positives of short term wins. Eventually, the wins will consolidate to create to anticipate change within the organization. Lastly, the change must be anchored. Continue to show the benefits of the change and how success has been achieved. For example, print handouts or conduct a presentation to show how patient safety has increased since implementing change (Kotter, 2018).

Kotter. (2018). 8-step process. Retrieved from https://www.kotterinc.com/8-steps-process-for-leading-change/