Respectfully agree or disagree with the decisions in the example below.

Build on the example by describing an additional strategy to support team morale through the change.

Describe how your department or service delivery would need to be adjusted. For example, would you downsize, bring in more interns (remember the hidden cost), reduce hours, decrease professional development or training, or reconfigure the one-to-one therapy model? Be specific about what you would do and explain why.

If I were the director of the organization the first thing, I would do is to evaluate what needs to be adjusted. I do know I would not remove services from the clients we service. I would downsize by asking each therapist to evaluate their caseload to assess whom would benefit from group therapy, therefore I would introduce group therapy so the organization could provide services to more clients at one time. I would reduce the number of master level clinicians. Sometimes decisions must be made, and adjustments are not personal. And reassign the interns to other tasks that are within their advance level internship by providing them with mock clients and the tasks sheets to practice. Some of the tasks of the internships would be to practice diagnosing a vignette client, writing treatment plans, assessments and implementing differential diagnosis. I know this may sound like schoolwork, but their practice would be reviewed for feedback.

How would you manage morale through the change? Be specific as to what strategies you would use to keep staff engaged, productive, and motivated.

I would manage morale through change by encouraging my staff to keep moving forward. I would also explain the changes and allow time for questions and feedback. Allowing staff members, the opportunity to be heard makes them feel apart of and feel valued within the organization. I would keep the professional development in place to allow for workplace etiquette and employ morale-boosting seminars. I would also provide incentives, such as small gift cards to local food spots or even cards of appreciation.

What would you need from your own manager in order to be successful in leading your team through the change?

I would need honesty and cohesiveness from the manager to successfully lead my team through the change. I would also need a listening ear from the manager with no judgment and for all to feel they have a safe place to work and share concerns, and feedback.