ABSTRACT
The challenges and opportunities for change are summarised, emphasising the importance of cognitive and emotional readiness for change. The authors relay how this book came to fruition, citing their experiences of change management. With evidence pointing to limited change success of healthcare policy changes, new thinking is required. The NHS’s greatest resource are its people. Current conditions are not conducive to ensuring employee’s emotional and cognitive readiness for change, potentially the key to successful change management. Incessant policy initiatives are impacting the health and wellbeing of the workforce, the financial health and productivity of the NHS and failing to improve the nations’ health. Change and complexities in the NHS and the level of effectiveness of current change management approaches need re-evaluation. Emotional labour is already high, change is an added emotional burden. The role of emotion and change needs critical attention. Change has mainly a negative impact on staff. Change leaders need to understand the significance of emotional and cognitive readiness for change, and actively assess emotional and cognitive readiness for change. Thus, the voices of workforce will contribute to the preparedness plan and subsequent implementation for change with staff feeling they have a stake in the change process.
