Detailed specification for Managing Change in Healthcare IT Implementations module. This article introduces health care managers to the theories and philosophies of John Kotter and William Bridges, 2 leaders in the evolving field of change management. For Kotter, change has both an emotional and situational component, and methods for managing each are expressed in his 8-step model (developing urgency, building a guiding team, creating a vision, communicating for buy-in, enabling action, creating short-term wins, don't let up, and making it stick). Bridges deals with change at a more granular, individual level, suggesting that change within a health care organization means that individuals must transition from one identity to a new identity when they are involved in a process of change. According to Bridges, transitions occur in 3 steps: endings, the neutral zone, and beginnings. The major steps and important concepts within the models of each are addressed, and examples are provided to demonstrate how health care managers can actualize the models within their health care organizations.

1. Detailed Specifications
Managing Change in Healthcare IT Implementations
HIBB TITLE: Managing Change in Healthcare IT Implementations: An Introduction
ABSTRACT: Managing Change in Healthcare Implementations: an Introduction was created for
managers preparing to implement health information and communication technology (HICT) systems in
their organizations—hospitals, clinics, or government departments. The module presents a framework for
understanding how HICT implementations affect organizations and individual workers and shares basic
information on how to manage change to an organization so as to promote a positive outcome, and how to
avoid the pitfalls that occur.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Describe at least four effects of introducing information technology into a
group or organization; define change management and describe why it is important to health information
system implementation success; describe three key ways of preparing a group or organization for change;
and identify at least four elements critical to successful management of change.
KEYWORDS: change management; communication; information systems; institutional management
team; leadership; negotiating; organizational culture; organizational innovation; resistance to change.
(Keywords, in alphabetical order, selected by HIBBs project staff; drawn from MeSH and other sources.)
LICENSE: Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported
LANGUAGE: English
CONTENT SUBMITTED BY: Sherrilynne Fuller, PhD, Professor, Biomedical and Health Informatics,
School of Medicine and Co-Director, Center for Public Health Informatics, School of Public Health,
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
AUTHOR(S): Sherrilynne Fuller, PhD, Professor, Biomedical and Health Informatics, School of
Medicine and Co-Director, Center for Public Health Informatics, School of Public Health, University of
Washington, Seattle, WA
DATE CONTENT CREATED: June 7, 2010
DATE HIBB CREATED: August 30, 2010
VERSION NUMBER OF HIBB: Version 1.0
DATE HIBB VERSION 1.0 REVISED: N/A
FINANCIAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY: Content contributed by author; Rockefeller Foundation
TARGET AUDIENCE: Individuals leading and/or participating in healthcare IT implementations
AVAILABLE FORMAT(S)/FILE SIZES: PowerPoint and instructor notes (188 KB); pdf (534 KB)

2. TECHNOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR USERS: PowerPoint and Acrobat Reader
DURATION OF THE MODULE: 17 slides, approx. 45-60 minute presentation with discussion
LEVEL OF CONTENT: Basic
PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE: None
LINKS TO RELATED HIBBS MODULES: None
SELF-ASSESSMENT: Not available
USE OF HIBB IN TRAINING: Content has been used by author in short health informatics courses
previously taught in Peru, Kenya and South East Asia, and also in courses in the graduate program in
Biomedical and Health Informatics at the University of Washington.
FEEDBACK ON USE: Not applicable
ADAPTATION OF HIBB: Not applicable
AUXILIARY MATERIALS: References to journal articles