Last year, we spoke with Bettina Turnbull to learn how she used the Ida Change Guide to introduce the Motivation Tools at Connect Hearing clinics across Australia. We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Bettina and learn more about her steady progress.
Looking back on the past year, Bettina has found that the Ida Change Guide’s appreciative approach to change helped her create a permanent, sustainable change in behavior across her organization.
Bettina’s goal was to change the daily practices of hundreds of audiologists working in Connect Hearing clinics across Australia. At the end of the process, she aimed to have all clinicians using the Ida Motivation Tools to explore and assess their client’s motivation to take action on their hearing.
After a year, she has succeeded in reaching that goal. Over 90% of clinicians at Connect Hearing are now using the Motivation Tools on a regular basis. She believes that the principles in the Ida Change Guide, such as appreciative inquiry, contributed to her success.
“Using the Ida Change Guide, I think you get a more positive approach to change. People are often wary of change, but with this approach, people feel more comfortable,” states Bettina Turnbull. “This does not make change any easier. That is not the case, because change is difficult. But, it can change the way that people feel about the change. The clinicians feel excited about the change and feel things are moving in the right direction.”
Appreciative inquiry is a model for analysis and decision-making that focuses on the importance of discussing what works well now and envisioning a future where more things work well. More traditional techniques are problem-focused and prioritize finding the root cause of the problem and developing solutions to that problem.
In addition to using the Change Guide to implement the Ida Motivation Tools, Bettina Turnbull has introduced the appreciative approach and a client centeredness focus throughout the entire Connect Hearing business.
“Client focus groups are now involved in all important changes at Connect Hearing Australia. This ensures that we incorporate the patient perspective into our practices and procedures,” states Bettina Turnbull. “We also have a professional practice panel consisting of seven clinicians. If we are considering significant changes, I consult with them. They come up with ideas on how to improve the process from their perspective and are always involved in the approval process. This has made a big difference to our change process. Now, there is always a significant amount of up-front buy-in to any change we make.”
Bettina Turnbull has ensured that receptionists and administration staff are also included in Connect Hearing’s effort to become a more person-centered organization. By meeting with administration staff on a monthly basis, they are empowered to give feedback on how to improve client care.
“The amount of issues that we have solved together has been enormous. Now, support staff have the chance to give input at the beginning of the process,” states Bettina Turnbull. “We are helping support staff to use the Circle Tool to understand where the client is at in their change journey. This helps call center staff to ask good questions and understand what type of appointment to book for the client.”
Bettina Turnbull is the Professional Development Manager for Connect Hearing Australia, a private hearing clinic chain with numerous locations across Australia.