Why People Get in the Way of Change

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (NHSI) is the body that tasked with bringing about sustainable improvement within the NHS. The 'No Delays' team focused on how delays to patient waiting times (from referral to being seen by a consultant) can be reduced to a maximum 18 weeks. This meant organisational change, and IES, working with the Department of Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck College, was asked to identify tools that help managers tackle this process. The tools ranged from ways to clarify the particular source, location or nature of a delay, through to ways to gain buy-in from the team and allay individuals' fears about what any changes may mean for their own well-being.