Organizational Case Study Review
The problems that are occurring at the Centerville Public Health Clinic (CPHC) run very deep and there are substantial issues that need to be addressed to correct the organizational behavior that is causing unnecessary distress and becoming a distraction to the essence of health care and healing. As the Administrator of this clinic I have decided that there needs to be a somewhat drastic shift of attitude towards the quality of work being performed at this clinic.
The root issue of the problem deals with an overall disapproval of the collective job performance of the clinic as a whole. The recent problems dealing with absenteeism suggest that the issue at hand deals with the attitude that work is not fulfilling and the only reason why we come to the clinic is to receive a monetary reward. This understanding of the health care industry is problematic; however there are practical and pragmatic solutions that with the assistance of a strong leadership core, the clinic can transform the debilitating attitudes that are at the root of this issue.
It is leadership's job in any organization to take the collective temperature of the attitudes, skills and outlooks of those that fall under their guidance. Leadership is not simply telling someone what to do, or conduct a lottery-based scheme that distracts from the core issues at hand. Rather, through the guidance and willingness of the leadership of the CPHC, the attitude transformation will be conducted through the most valuable resource our clinic shares which is the human resource.
Major Problems and Secondary Issues
A sure symptom of a poor organizational health is the rise of absenteeism. The message delivered by this statistic could mean many things, but essentially it means that people really don't want to do what it takes to come to work, or view their job in high enough esteem that they regard keeping themselves healthy as a necessary duty of the health care profession. This trend was also explored by Patton & Johns (2013) when they wrote "among the topics that figure prominently in the fields of organizational behavior and human resource management, absenteeism has one of the oldest and richest research traditions. Also, unlike many topics in the field, almost all individuals have experienced absenteeism at some point, beginning at a young age and continuing throughout their adult working lives."
The primary major issue identified in the events of the past months at the clinic is that that many of the workers have lost the meaning in their work and view their profession as a drag on their personal business. There are many side issues as well that also contribute to the problem at hand. The baby boomer generation becoming more dependent on the health care system in addition to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in recent years has stressed the profession in many new and challenging ways. In retrospect, the quick hiring and rapid educational leaps that have become more commonplace in the health care arena are a detriment in some ways.
This fact is backed up by Petterson et al. (2012) when they argued "an expanding and aging population would consume more resources. Others contend that current primary care scarcities are due to geographic maldistribution, which may not improve even if the supply increases without specific policies regarding training, recruitment, and retention. Regardless, as insurance expands, use of primary care physicians will change, raising concerns about the adequacy of the current workforce."
As an administrator the leadership has also seemed to have lost its way as well. The lottery idea in retrospect was not an effective method of displaying some of the major tenets that are important in the health care industry. A lottery system is akin to bribery in some ways and the short-term effectiveness will no doubt wear off as the core issue is not being met. Money plays a role in this problem but only as a means to measure the significance of the problems. Before the lottery, many of the workers would be more than willing to forgo payment for personal time. This suggests that these people are not finding meaning in their work for many different reasons as well.
A more disturbing symptom has arisen that can be viewed in many different lights. The fact that in the current months, work attendance has drastically increased due in much part of the HR's lottery system. Workers are now attending work unprepared for...
Furthermore, the extra weak immune systems put everyone else at
risk at being more susceptible do unwanted viruses and germs that are so prevalent within health care settings. This problem is largely reflective of the attitude and intent of the
workforce as the monetary benefits have overshadowed the true benefit of being a professional health care worker.
My Role
As the clinic's Administrator it is my duty to provide the necessary leadership to establish a new
paradigm of thinking that transcends the monetary and profit-based intentions that are revolving around this organizational behavior. The
science behind this approach is very strong and organizations which find deeper meaning in their job are more attuned to being successful in accomplishing their work goals and taking an ownership in both the efforts they dedicate and the organization as a whole. Imran et al. (2014) agreed with this idea in their
research article. They suggested that "on the whole outcome shows that
employees are satisfied from their own job and attitude towards work is positive. When the employees execute his/her duties with greater efficiency then seems more committed with their organization."
Leaders have the most input in the overall organization's behavior and provide the most strategy into fixing the problems. Leaders must have a wide scope of vision and enable others within the organization to perform their best when in their efforts. Micro managing is a problematic tendency which can disturb the leader's true role of leading by example. If the attitude of the collective organization is the aim of the objective than the key leaders, starting with myself, must adjust the attitude accordingly.
Organizational Strengths and Weaknesses
The most obvious strength of the organization is the ability to join together for a cause that supports the general good. Even though the lottery scheme was perhaps well intended, but overall a mistake, it demonstrated that the group as a whole is changeable and open to new ideas. This strength suggests that people at all levels of work at the health clinic are aware of an
organizational change that is needed. This strength will be very useful when a mental or attitudinal change is implemented to accompany this willful group of workers.
A weakness of this group is that they are mis-educated on the essence and reality of health care work. The ideals of
professionalism also seem to be missing in the principles of many of the workers at the health clinic. The healing aspects of health care must come first within the tenants of the Hippocratic Oath, and these tenets are center to the health care profession. Another weakness of this organization is its very own dependency on
money to perform their jobs in accordance with high standards. Basic nursing and
caring is not expensive and many of the health care problems are exacerbated in health clinics instead of the intended opposite reaction. This lack of quality demonstrates a poor ability to recognize problems and being able to fix them on their own, and independence is not strength of this group.
Alternatives and Recommended Solution
The solutions to the problems associated with the health clinic must be addressed holistically and from the inside out. The first problem to address is to identify my own shortcomings and identify where I, as the administrator, am contributing to this problem. An honest and straight forward appraisal of my own job performance must be accomplished in order to understand exactly how as a leaders I may contribute to the organizational change that is desperately needed to provide a high quality option for health care within our community.
As leader it will be important to embrace the simple notion of change, and simultaneously realize the sometimes heavy pull of resistance from such transformations. The change must be promoted however and this approach can work when properly applied with right human approach. Carter et al. (2012) agreed when they wrote "To mitigate the tensions and facilitate effective performance, managers must exhibit appropriate leadership behaviors. Transformational leaders recognize the need for change, create and share compelling visions with employees, guide them through adaptations, and inspire them to accomplish the challenging goal of institutionalizing change."
To inspire a more independent and well thinking workforce, this encouragement based in the principles of healing and not profit, and allows the purest essence of healing to shine through. The nuts and bolts of this plan are secondary and will not doubt sprout naturally from those whose role it is to perform. Assigning new responsibilities can help in allowing subordinate leaders to develop…
