From Clinical Center to Academic Institution: An Example of How to Bring About Educational Change

Abstract

Background: The usual scenario for change management in the medical education field is an academic institution creating a patient care facility. The opposite change is however rather rare and challenging. There is not much in the medical education literature on experiences of change management that provides sufficient support to readers who are involved in such process of change. Methods: We analyzed the experience of a clinical institution that has changed into an academic one. The methods used were archival analysis and interviews with those involved. The raw data were analyzed using a framework derived from the change management literature. Results: Despite the complex change and the use of a directive change strategy, the change managers׳ strategic thinking and timely use of different change strategies have helped in eliminating the initial change difficulties. The directive change strategy was turned into an advantage that has facilitated quick implementation. Conclusion: A directive change strategy is not always a disadvantageous method leading to chaos in the process of change. The educational change management experience gained by King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences can be considered a model for other clinical institutions changing into academic ones.

Keywords

• Change management
• Change strategy
• Academic institution
• Clinical institution
• Complexity theory