By Melissa Calkins

The HOPE tool arrives October 1, ready or not. While some teams will stumble through implementation, others will use this moment to demonstrate what effective change management actually looks like. The question isn't whether change is hard - it's whether your organization will emerge stronger because of how you handle it.

Here's the reality: every meaningful change follows a predictable pattern. Teams don't just flip a switch and suddenly excel with new systems. They move through distinct phases - each with its own challenges and opportunities for growth. Understanding this journey is what separates organizations that merely survive change from those that leverage it for lasting improvement.

Forming–Storming–Norming–Performing

Originally a team development model, Forming–Storming–Norming–Performing serves as an unexpectedly powerful lens for organizational change. While change management has spawned dozens of complex frameworks, this approach strips away the jargon to reveal the fundamental human pattern underlying all successful transformation.

Forming: Awareness and Orientation

• What You'll See: Teams ask lots of basic questions about timelines and requirements. Staff take notes during meetings but offer few suggestions or opinions. Conversations tend to be surface-level and focused on logistics rather than deeper implications.
• What's Happening Internally: Individuals are trying to make sense of the change - asking "How will this affect my workflow? My patient care? What do I need to do differently?" They're mentally mapping the new requirements against their current reality.
• Leadership Focus: Communicate the why behind HOPE. Link it to quality improvement, regulatory readiness, and patient-centered outcomes. Create a safe space for questions and early feedback.
• Practical Actions: Host "HOPE 101" sessions with dedicated Q&A time, create visual implementation timelines, establish multiple feedback channels (suggestion box, office hours, team huddles), and designate approachable "HOPE champions" in each area/team.

Storming: Resistance and Realignment

• What You'll See: Frustration surfaces during early implementation. Staff may voice concerns about documentation time, express confusion about new processes, or push back on workflow changes.
• What's Happening Internally: This is a normal stress response to ambiguity and perceived loss of control. The reality of change is hitting, and people are grieving familiar processes.
• Leadership Focus: Look for ways to remove unnecessary steps, clarify who is responsible for what, and make the work easier and more efficient. Use empathy and active listening to acknowledge concerns while reinforcing the shared mission.
• Practical Actions: Implement daily check-ins during the first weeks, create technical escalation pathways for quick issue resolution, establish peer support partnerships, and hold "listening tours" where leadership rounds specifically to address HOPE concerns.

Norming: Learning and Integration

• What You'll See: Teams begin asking fewer "how-to" questions and more "what-if" questions. Peer-to-peer teaching increases. Staff start finding workarounds and efficiencies within the new system.
• What's Happening Internally: Confidence is rebuilding. Staff are beginning to see how HOPE supports clinical excellence and regulatory alignment. The new way is becoming "normal."
• Leadership Focus: Celebrate progress. Provide just-in-time training, coaching, and feedback loops. Reinforce behaviors that align with best practices and compliance standards.
• Practical Actions: Share success stories in team meetings, develop quick reference guides based on common questions, launch lunch-and-learns led by early adopters, and create peer mentoring programs where confident users support others.

Performing: Ownership and Optimization

• What You'll See: Teams proactively identify process improvements. Staff mentor newcomers naturally. Innovation and creative problem-solving emerge organically around the HOPE tool.
• What's Happening Internally: The change is internalized. Staff feel empowered and take pride in their adaptability. They see themselves as competent users of the new system.
• Leadership Focus: Shift to a coaching and continuous improvement role. Recognize internal champions. Use data-driven insights to refine processes and sustain momentum.
• Practical Actions: Form HOPE optimization committees with staff representation, create recognition programs for innovation and mentorship, establish regular data review sessions, and document best practices for future implementations.

The Takeaway: Change Is a Process, Not an Event

 Leaders who succeed don't just announce change - they shepherd people through it. Every stage matters, even when it feels uncomfortable or inconvenient. The timeline doesn't care about your readiness, but your response to each phase determines whether your team emerges stronger.

Final Thought

You don't need perfection by October 1, but you need honesty about where your team stands and intention about next 

Whether you're at the bedside, in leadership, or supporting operations, remember this: resistance isn't failure - it's information. When we anticipate the natural rhythm of change and support each other with empathy, clear direction, and shared purpose, we transform regulatory requirements into opportunities for growth.

The question isn't whether change is hard. It's whether we'll lead it intentionally.

Melissa Calkins, BS, CSSBB 
Compliance and Process Excellence Manager at Teleios 

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An organizational model that allows nonprofit hospices (Members) to
leverage best practices, achieve economies of scale and collaborate
in ways that better prepare each agency to participate
in emerging alternative  payment models and advance
their charitable missions.