Supporting staff as change leaders in consumer engagement in aged care: Learnings from action research.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the process of staff leading change in consumer engagement practice in aged care. Shifting expectations make engagement practice increasingly complex for service providers. This requires adaptive change within organisations. Organisations need to empower and support staff to critically assess practice, identify issues and pursue opportunities for innovation. Data were collected as part of an action research project addressing client engagement practice in Australian aged care. Staff worked together to identify issues for practice, generate solutions and create change within their organisations. Staff identified innovative ways of generating change, demonstrating leadership. However, a range of technical, practical, systemic and philosophical factors impacted their progress. Staff are effective, proactive change agents who can provide valuable insights into directions for their organisations and can lead practice improvement in engagement. However, they require support through the organisational environment. Staff in all roles can demonstrate adaptive leadership in changing engagement practice. However, those in traditional roles of authority need to recognize their own roles in showing leadership and supporting adaptive change. This provides a new insight into how managers can support practice change in consumer engagement.