One of the most challenging and exciting issues to confront nurse managers in public service organisations is the management of change. Dr Vivien Martin of the Open University Business School explores the implications of undertaking planned change, and the ways in which nurse managers can respond to the opportunities and threats that confront them from both outside and inside their organisation.

MOST MANAGEMENT training stresses the need for nurse managers to be proactive in making decisions about their objectives, deciding what to do in order to achieve those objectives and bringing about the changes that are considered necessary to implement the objectives successfully.