Building a Conceptual Roadmap for Systemic Change - A Novel Approach to Change Management in Expert Organizations in Health Care

摘要

Complex systems, such as the Austrian health care system, mainly are dynamic systems: They do not only face changes with respect to customer orientation and budgeting, but also lack organizational goals and transparency of business processes. Systems thinking allows constructing a conceptual roadmap for change management, facilitating an adaption to these changes in a socially acceptable way, even under tight economic constraints. It considers the system at hand as a social systems framework in which organizations are viewed as communication systems. Sustainable change therefore requires transforming existing patterns of communication to contextual collaboration. The different professionals within (health) expert organizations need to negotiate and agree on interactions empowering the organization for high-quality patient care. "Boundary objects" serve as mediums for coordination, translation and creation of shared meaning, while putting communication and interacting subjects to the centre of process and change management. In this way project designs can be restructured for systemic change.