Change compendium

Organisational change is now an integral part of the life of an adult social care manager. Whatever their context, scale, pace and objectives, change projects encounter common challenges. These include securing necessary support from key stakeholders, being clear about outcomes, resolving different interests, co-ordinating multiple activities to timescales, and sustaining improvements in the long term. While the process of organisational change appears difficult in most sectors, social care has particular complexities due to the vulnerability of many of the people which it supports, its interconnection with other professions and agencies, and public scrutiny of perceived failings in its work. 

There is little empirical evidence though to guide how change can be successfully achieved in social care organisations. To respond to this knowledge and practice gap, the Health Services Management Centre and Middlesex University London have undertaken an 18 month project exploring formal research evidence and practice experience of those who have led and participated in change initiatives. This has culminated in the production of a compendium of approaches and tools for organisational change within adult social care. The compendium has main two sections:

• Section 1 - Fictional case studies which illustrate how four key approaches to change could be deployed within adult social care. These case studies also illustrate how other tools and interventions could be incorporated within such a change process. Further details and supporting resources for each approach and tool are provided in Section 2.
• Section 2 - A directory of change approaches and change management tools based on a review of current literature including available empirical research and the views of people who have experienced and led change. A short commentary on the application of the social care change principles through these approaches is also provided.

Versions of the compendium are available below. The compendium is also being translated into an on-line interactive resource by the Social Care Institute of Excellence which will be available early summer.

Download the PDF version: Change Compendium 2015 (PDF 3.25MB).

The Social Care Institute for Excellence have developed an on-line resource for social care managers based on the Change Compendium report. 

For more details on this work and how HSMC can support your organisation with positively managing change please contact Robin Miller, Senior Fellow & Director of Consultancy (r.s.miller@bham.ac.uk).