Using Lewin's Change Theory in Nursing and Medical Sector

Abstract

Change theories are useful in healthcare sector, but they can also be applied in other sectors such as environment, agriculture, and economic sectors. This study covers on the diffusion of innovations (DOI) theory, which one of the change theories in nursing, where it demonstrates how innovation can be adopted or fail to create impression among people within a society over time. The DOI theory is fundamental for improving environmental sustainability by enabling leaders to distribute innovative ideas to local residents while taking considerations on the future generations. XYZ, a company dealing with water management issues, has adopted DOI theory to convince local residents, as well as local leaders, on how they can sustain water resources within their localities, without being a threat to future generations. The study concludes by indicating that the DOI theory can be successful if leaders in organizations are flexible enough to allow innovations to take place in their localities. Training school children on water management for sustainability one of the best ways to sustain the environment for the future.

Change Theory

Change theories are critical in nursing practice, as well as the entire healthcare system. However, leading change is often a challenge for nurse leaders due to the intricacy of the changing healthcare environments in offering quality patient care. One of the change theories that applies to leadership in nursing is the diffusion of innovations (DOI) theory, which is utilized to explain how a vital public health program can be boosted to transform behaviors of a social system. Rogers developed DOI theory to explain that the spreading out of invented ideas follow a certain process and channels, which communicate the novelty to members of various social systems over time. The DOI theory is essential in enhancing environmental sustainability by enabling leaders to spread innovative ideas to their constituents for the sake of the future generations.

Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) Theory

In a world full of greed and short-term gains, environmental sustainability becomes an elusive dream. From an environmental perspective, managing the environment successfully is one of the greatest challenge that the current generation is facing in the future. Business leaders rarely discuss about environmental responsibility, and this has made climate change become a burden to humans despite having the capacity to transform the environment through innovation. DOI theory explains why and how organizations adopt innovations, as well as the rates and patterns used for adoption (Scott & McGuire, 2017). Stephenson et al. (2018) outlines five channels of the DOI Process Model, which include knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, as well as confirmation.

Diffusion is the course that an innovation follows over time to reach to the members of a particular system, who would exploit the invented idea. The DOI theory offers a perspective for examining rates, as well as patterns within an established conversation intervention. The main aim of the DOI theory was to be used by researchers to disseminate innovations within the literature (Stephenson et al., 2018). For instance, administrator utilized the DOI theory to observe the positive effect of increasing awareness of communication within the school community. Innovations are vital in environmental sustainability because they increase knowledge on how to enhance efficiency in the exploitation of natural resources. Innovations require to be driven by personalities who are aligned with specific levels of adoption.

Addressing Environmental Sustainability Using DOI Theory

The world is in need of leaders who would facilitate in environmental sustainability for the sake of the future generations. XYZ, a non-profit organization, is one of the organizations that have embraced environmental sustainability, which is a process of harvesting renewable resource, as well as the depletion of non-renewable resource, which can be continued indefinitely. The company deals with water management issues, where it advises people on how to use the natural resource effectively without causing water pollution and without putting the future generations into risks. According to Ghosh et al. (2019), environmental sustainability covers a number of issues, which begin from a given location up to global level. Global issues include climate change, GHG mitigation, and renewable energy. On the other hand, the location-specific issues covered by environmental sustainability include water management, soil erosion, soil management, as well as water and air pollution.

Human activities around areas where drinking water come from should be restricted to maintain water quality. Ghosh et al. (2019) supports the idea of environmental sustainability through water management by advising people to put into considerations the quantity of water they use, as well as its impact on the quality of water locally so that it can be maintained for the future generations. XYZ prohibits activities such as trail biking, camping, horse riding, as well as four-wheel driving, which could lead to soil erosion, water pollution, and bushfires. Spiller et al. (2013) encourage the promotion of innovative ideas to generate awareness and fill the gaps in order to set the precedence for change and adopt innovation in both local and regional levels.

The water management initiative by XYZ is based on the DOI theory, which adopts new techniques and spread them within a specific social system. The company comes up with new ideas on how to conserve water and instill the ideas to the local people so that they can satisfy their demands through new novel ideas. Water play a crucial role in production and consumption, thus, it is essential to prevent humans to alter its quality by maintaining rivers and groundwater aquifers (Cosgrove & Loucks, 2015). Additionally, sustainable development within urban centers necessitates reliable, equitable, as well as easily accessible water (Russo et al., 2014). Thus, local governments should strive to maintain economic growth in urban areas through ensuring reliable source of water, as well as proper conservation of water resources.

Various aspects of innovation, as explained through organizational leadership in XYZ, help in shaping the likelihood of adoption. The DOI theory highlights on the new arenas for discussing research, in addition to providing critical insights on policy and practice through encouraging donors and practitioners to contribute to the debate without incurring much cost and having a longer-lasting impact (Mascia & Mills, 2018). Thus, leaders in XYZ are basing their discussions on DOI theory to facilitate in examining how residents living around water catchment areas can benefit from water resources without depleting the environment. This is because many river basins across the globe are at risk of being closed, as their flows are not reaching the oceans (Cosgrove & Loucks, 2015). XYZ is advising local governments to restrict people from accessing areas surrounding major dams while controlling the number of people visiting local national parks and special areas.

Sustainable development is vital for the economic development of countries, and many countries are focusing on developing tourism, which has the capacity to enhance their economic development. Sustainable tourism is part of environmental sustainability, where, according to the World Tourism Organization, it meets the present tourists’ needs while safeguarding and enhancing opportunities for the future generations (Dibra, 2015). In an attempt to attract more visitors in their establishments, tourist businesses have improved their competition by improving the quality of environment through maintaining the natural sceneries and mitigating environmental impacts.

The social system plays a critical role in finding solutions to issues that restrict individuals to make use of innovative ideas to sustain the environment. Currently, transition energy use, as well as environmental pollution have been blamed for causing a serious global sustainable development problem (Wang et al., 2019). Construction industry takes the largest share in terms of energy consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions, where it also produces a lot of waste and greenhouse gas emissions, which have both ecological and social environmental impacts. Consequently, the DOI theory can help in dealing with such problems by encouraging leaders to focus on social, economic, as well as environmental dimensions, which coordinate sustainable development.

The Success of DOI as Change Theory

Innovative ideas can be adopted or fail to be adopted, based on how organizational leaders make decisions. Organizational leaders are likely to adopt innovation, as long as it is capable of improving the current state; meets the needs of the current system; is easy to use; demonstrates positive effects on its users; and offers an opportunity for testing before being adopted (Kastner & Bobeth, 2018). The DOI theory has succeeded in making changes in the environment by restricting people from encroaching forests, planting trees along rivers, and educating locals on water management in their homes.

One of the long-term goals that XYZ has set in its quest for sustainable environment is training school-going children on water management. The organization, though its trained personnel, has ensured that all schools across the region have received posters and brochures that educate children on how they can contribute in water management in their homes, as well as within the community. The DOI theory seemed to be working, as children are becoming sensitive of their environment through keeping the environment clean and planting trees and flowers along the streets.

Conclusion

Although the DOI theory was initiated to deal with issues in health sector, the theory has become useful in other sectors, such as environment, where it assists in dealing with numerous problems that include climate change, water management, and soil erosion. XYZ has embarked on sustainable water management, where it educates people on optimal use of water while being sensitive on the surrounding environment for the benefit of the coming generations. Educating local residents on water management, and facilitating in creating laws to restrict movement in water catchment areas has demonstrated how innovation can make difference in people’s lives while taking considerations on future generations.