The nurse manager: change agent, change coach?

Change in today's health care landscape is a daily, if not hourly, reality. The nurse manager must have strong leadership skills to navigate through change with a focus on the patient and the provision of safe and reliable care. The historical term for those leading change is "change agent." In this article, the authors introduce the idea of a change coach, building on the nurse manager foundational skill of coaching and weaving this concept into the manager's role in change. A change coach uses the coaching behaviors including guidance, facilitation, and inspiration to inspire others toward change, altering human capabilities, and supporting and influencing others toward change. An exemplar of the nurse manager's role as a change coach in practice is provided using American Organization of Nurse Executives' Care Innovation and Transformation initiative. It is the agile manager that is able to successfully move between the roles of change agent and change coach to continuously transform the environment and how care is delivered.