Theories and Theorists
Healthcare administration is concerned with the management, administration, and leadership of hospital networks, hospitals, health care systems, and public health systems. There are a number of theories that are applicable in the field. This paper aims at analysis two of them; Lewin’s change management model and the transcultural nursing theory/ culture care theory.
Healthcare Administration theories
Lewin’s change management model is basically concerned with the manner in which organizations manage change, which may be determined by the people involved, the change, and nature of business. Handling change appropriately makes an organization to thrive well and therefore, there is a need to comprehend how people deal with and understand change processes. The Unfreeze- Change- Refreeze model is an easy-to-understand and simple framework for change management. The theorist used an analogy of transforming an ice block’s shape.
The transcultural nursing theory has presently developed as a nursing discipline. As defined by Leininger, transcultural nursing involves a comparative cultures’ study with an aim of understanding culture universality/ similarities and differences across human groups (Seibold & Kang, 2008). For comprehensive transcultural nursing, there is a need to understand different people’s culture, religion, cultural identity, culture- universals, culture- specifies, material and non-material culture, acculturation, cultural awareness, and nursing competent care among others. According to the theorist, there are three action models and nursing decisions towards a culturally congruent care; restructuring or cultural care repatterning, negotiation or cultural care accommodation, and maintenance or cultural preservation.
Theorists and the theories’ sources
The change management model was developed by Kurt Lewin, a psychologist and social scientist, in the 1950s. The transcultural nursing theory was founded by Madeleine Leininger. Leininger is acknowledged as a pioneer transcultural universal nursing consultant and nursing theorist. She also developed the transcultural nursing concept as well as the model of ethnonursing research. The development of Leininger’s theory can be comprehended from her books; Transcultural Nursing (2002), Transcultural Nursing (1995), and Culture Care Diversity and Universality (1991).
Basic tenets
According to Lewin, many people choose and operate within particular safety zones. In this regard, the identified three change stages that may be compared to the basic tenets of the theory. The unfreeze stage involves minimizing the forces that ensure the status quo is maintained as well as dismantling the present mind set (Larossa, 2005). This is achieved by presenting a confrontational event or problem so that people can acknowledge the need to change and look for novel solutions. The second stage is transition and it involves coming up with new attitudes, values, and behaviors through development techniques, process changes, and organizational structure. A moment of confusion may be experienced as people shift from the old way of doing things to the new. Lastly, the freeze stage involves crystallizing and adapting the ownership of the novel way of doing things. Freezing is an essential step as it helps an organization in reinforcing the changes and prevents it from reverting to the old way of doing things.
The basic concepts that support Leininger’s transcultural theory are outlined here. Wellness and illness are shaped by a number of factors such as coping skills, perception, and a patient’s social level. Nursing entails a very vital component; cultural competence. All human life spheres are influenced by culture, which also defines illness, health, and the search for treatment. Cultural and religious knowledge are crucial for health care (Gagnon, Jansen & Michael, 2008). A cultural group’s health concepts may make the people fail to seek technological medical treatment procedures. There is a need for flexibility among health care providers when designing services, policies, and programs aimed at meeting the concerns and needs of culturally diverse populations. A majority of the lay illness cases have multiple causalities and there may be a need for different approaches to cure, treatment, and diagnosis. The utilization of alternate or traditional health care delivery models is very varied and may conflict with western health care practice models. Culture develops from the social structure as a result of inter personal interactions and it guides acceptable behavior. For a nurse to be able to offer care to a client from a different ethnic or cultural background, there first should be effective intercultural communication.
Their relationship
The transcultural nursing theory and Lewin’s change management theory have a relationship in that when considering to implement a change in an organization, institution, or department, apart from moving the change through the unfreeze, change, and re-freeze stages, it is also important to consider the cultural aspects of all the employees so as to ensure that the change is embraced and practiced by all. This is founded on the fact that a people’s culture determines the behaviors they adapt.
Significance of the theories in the discipline and how they are connected to the research
The transcultural nursing theory is vital in healthcare administration in that it helps nurse administrators in appreciating, respecting, and understanding the diversity and individuality of patient values, spirituality, beliefs and culture in regard to illness, its cause, meaning, outcome, and treatment. The theory also encourages the maintenance and development of an emotional, physical, and spiritual self-care that may involve the introduction of therapies such as pancha karma and ayurveda (Feiock, Steinacker & Park, 2009).
Nurses as well as researchers in the field should be informed of and sensitive to clients’ cultural needs. A researcher ought to be aware that the present nursing practice requires nurses to identify as well meet diverse groups’ cultural needs, comprehend the client’s cultural and social reality, community and family, develop expertise so as to be able to implement strategies that are culturally acceptable when offering nursing care, and use and identify resources that are embraced by the clients.
Lewin’s change management theory is significant in healthcare administration since an acknowledgment of the three unique change stages helps in implementing the required change. In this regard, unfreezing involves coming up with a motivation to change. This is because it is important to transform existing work place attitudes as well as prepare the ground. There is also a need to communicate about the required change so that people can comprehend and support it. The change process can be effective if people are empowered to accept the novel working ways and learn novel behaviours, attitudes, and values, and through the promotion of effective communications (Blanco & Pacheco, 2009). Challenges are recognized and action plans created to facilitate implementation. There is a need for maximum flexibility during the implementation and planning about the change. The refreezing involves an organization that has returned to a stability sense and realized change benefits. This success can motivate the organization into other forms of change. Rewards and praise should be emphasized on. These factors should be noted keenly by a researcher.
References
Blanco, M., & Pacheco, E. (2009). Aging and the family-work link: A comparative analysis of two generation of Mexican women. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 40 (2), 143–166.
Feiock, R. C., Steinacker, A., & Park, H. J. (2009). Institutional collective action and economic development joint ventures. Public Administration Review 2 (69), 256–270.
Gagnon, M. A., Jansen, K. J. & Michael, J. H. (2008). Employee alignment with strategic change: A study of strategy-supportive behavior among blue-collar employees. Journal of Managerial Issues, 20(4), 425–443.
Larossa, R. (2005). Grounded theory methods and qualitative family research. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(4), 837–857.
Seibold, D. R. & Kang, P. (2008). Using critical praxis to understand and teach teamwork. Business Communication Quarterly 4 (71), 421–438.
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