Managing Change: Analysis of a Hypothetical Case

Abstract

Mercer Medical Center has been successfully competing for business because of the strong visionary leadership of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), E. Joseph Burns. However, the pressure has been relentless to constantly update expensive systems and equipment. The latest lawsuit has brought this forcefully home yet again. The publicity will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the public's perception of Mercer and on critical negotiations with the area's largest employer, Syntel. Medical Director of Information Services Kathryn Reed has just left a meeting where she and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Barry Marks were informed that it is critical that the timeline for implementation of the new physician order entry (POE) system be moved up. They now only have nine months instead of two years to make this happen. And make it happen they must.