Communication Issues and the Disharmony within the Staff as the Main Problems Plaguing the Organization - Personal Statement Example

Summary of scenario The problem scenario that I will tackle in this paper is simple. Recently I had the fortune of being given the opportunity to take up the post of Head Nurse which I graciously accepted. I was very happy with my prospects because my new title meant that I would be dealing with more responsibility and I would be in a leadership position which meant that crucial decisions would be depending on me. As stated before, several nurses have severe job security issues that plague them and subsequently cause problems for not just them but the organization as well. Many of these nurses were looking into labour union options so that they could secure their positions with the clinic. This would eventually lead to a power struggle between the arbitrators that would come in and the nurses and make communications worse between the two parties. On top of this there is a complete and total lack of communication between nurses during shift change because of the fact that the staff is overburdened and the documentation is at times not conducted properly. This results in problems for the nurses and can be very dangerous for the patients as well as some of them have been administered the same drug twice. The shifts need to be managed in a better fashion so that the nurses are able to fulfil their duties properly. Pressurising them or threatening to fire them will not help as they are already considering bringing in the labour unions for a collective bargaining approach which will in no way benefit the clinic. This lack of communication has also led to problems within the nurses who have to work as a team on a constant basis; due to the discrepancies in the documentation there is a blame game that has started between the nurses and is causing not just disharmony but also colossal management problems. It all boils down to the lack of communication that is plaguing the organization. Introduction I believe that the main problems plaguing the organization can be sorted out if focus can be placed first of all on communication. The scenario clearly shows that the main issues that are creating problems at the moment are communications issues and the disharmony within the staff which is causing them to lean towards labour unions. The management and the nurses need to have a better understanding of each others point of views so that they can work together. Any organization needs to work as a family unit in order to avoid dissent. The management has to deliberate on how it can better communicate with the nurses. The documentations problems also needs to be solved and can also be solved if the management is able to implement some regime to enforce its authority so that there is a smooth flow of information. The nurses need to coordinate better in order to avoid discrepancies and problems. The labour unions will become a huge problem for the organization if they are allowed to go on unchecked. The management will lose whatever authority it has in employee matters and might have to give up more than it can afford to in wages. Nurses may also use the union to exploit the management and get perks and benefits that they do not deserve or are part of their contracts. This has been the case in many organizations that when the labour unions come in they never focus on the smooth workings of the organization, rather on the interests of their clients, which may or may be justified to start with. So the two key issues that are at hand stem from communication problems. The threat of labour unions are a result of miscommunication between management and employees and the documentation is a result of miscommunication within the staff. These are problems that can be easily solved if a new plan is implemented within the workspace. The details of this will be further discussed later on in this paper. Rationale and solutions The main problems that I need to address in my new position have already been outlined. This section will look at how I plan on tackling them in terms of a scheme. Communication is key for any organization to run smoothly. For any organization to have a smooth flow of information and to work to the best of its potential it is imperative to maintain communication (Ellis & Hartley, 2004). Verily communication becomes the string that holds the entire organization together. Small communicative problems can turn into big issues which are harder to solve and hence they should be taken care of as soon as possible. The best idea would be to employ some kind of method whereby the management takes the nurses and their issues into account before it makes any decision. The management should try and collaborate with the nurses so that they can achieve the best results i.e. if the nurses feel like the clinic is running based on their valuable input they will work harder (Bassi & Polifroni, 2005). This will be beneficial because it will be a positive reinforcement of their work and will make them feel valuable and secure in their jobs whereas the management will also get their work done. This is positive problem solving where the staff will feel like they are an indispensible part of the organization and will offer their own insights which will be extremely useful in the work setting as well (Cain, 2005). In this way they will also most likely be able to deter the nurses from creating collective bargaining units and not only will their establish their authority but they will do so in a fashion that will strengthen the organization at the same time (Swansberg. 1996). Negotiation skills are key to solving any issue within an organization. Gittler and Hurth (1998) placed heavy emphasis on negotiation tactics along with Kriet (2008) who believed that a manager of people like myself would need negotiation skills to handle the staff. Kleinpell and Perez (2006, paragraph 1) point out, albeit in the American context, that because the role of the “ACNP (acute care nurse practitioner) position in collaborative practice can involve diverse responsibilities, negotiation takes on increased importance to ensure adequate compensation, benefits, and position components”. A negotiation that fulfils its objectives would need to work with the aims and goals of both the parties involved instead of focusing on just one. Both have to have the same footing and stand on equal ground only then can any satisfactory results appear. If the two can keep an open mind when they go into a negotiation then a solution can be reached (Shendell-Falik, 2002). Implementation The main solutions to the problems mentioned above are basically better communicative skills within the organization. If the heads of the clinic and the nurses can sit down and have a discussion then they will be fine. What I propose is a bi-monthly meeting where the management can propose its problems, issues and solutions and the nurses can give their input and then the nurses can provide the management with an insight into their problems, issues and solutions and the management can then evaluate how they want to proceed. I will personally act as an arbitrator between the two so that things stay neutral and under control. At no point would it be desirable for dissent to ensue (Huber, 2006). In order to ensure that these meetings take place I would need to convince the board to meet with the nurses. The clinic conference room can be used to conduct the meetings and they should last as long as it takes to resolve the issues. No extra money would be needed, I would only be sending out a memo to the management and to the nurses informing them of the meeting and that they should come prepared to discuss their issues and ideas. The problem is that while the board members may be able to show up all at the same time the nurses do not have the luxury to spare an hour or two and simultaneously leave their duties (Nagelkerk, 2005). For this purpose each meeting will consist of new members and representatives of those that could not be present. No nurse will be allowed to attend two meetings in a row so that for that one hour a substantial number of nurses are present to deal with the patients and work with the doctors to solve whatever problems arise. An option would be to actually ask nurses that are off duty to come in for the meeting but the likelihood of that happening is slightly low because nurses do not get that much time off as it is and they will not want to spare their remaining time for meetings (Jacob, 1999). Alternatively, if a nurse is not comfortable discussing her issues while facing the management then that nurse can also benefit from using the communication box which will be placed in the main hall where staff can drop in their comments, issues and suggestions anonymously and these issues will then be raised in the meetings. This will effectively get rid of the labour union issue. The nurses will not have to bring in a third party to help them sort out their issues and get their demands approved but will be able to secure their own jobs by working with the management and not against them. The problem with this solution is that there is no guarantee that all members of the board will be open to an empathetic meeting with the nurses where they take the staff as their equals in a negotiation. On top of this, there is also no guarantee that if a nurse misses out a meeting due to one reason or the other that her interests or problems will be adequately addressed in the meeting. There is an exclusivity factor that has to be taken into account. Positive and negative impact Patients that to the clinic will get an overall better service experience. They will be able to enjoy a much nicer environment and more efficient nurses and hence they will be better taken care of. Their point of recovery may also increase because of the care that they receive. The psychological distress of being in a clinic or undergoing lengthy treatment has also been known to diminish if the caretakers have a good attitude. The problem would be that on the day of the meeting the clinic may be a little short staffed but that’s a few hours every two weeks and will not be a consistent or constant problem that will harm or annoy the patients in anyway. The staff will also be working on greater efficiency levels as they will be able to see their own input being implemented around the clinic. This will create a sense of achievement for them and motivate them to work better. The problem might be that some staff members may feel shy in expressing their views because they will be facing the board after all and may keep their input to themselves because of this. Some people who are more charismatic may get whatever they want as opposed to others who are not. In another context there is also a likelihood that the management might get into a tiff with one of the staff members. Overall this seems like a good strategy to help fix the situation. The overall work conditions will definitely change for the better because this collaborative effort between the management and the nurses will fix all the problems to a very large extent. A smooth flow of communication will result in happy and motivated workers and will result in a very efficient organization. The health of the patients depends on this and it will help them as well. A collaboration through meetings is the only way to fix theses problems. References Bassi, S. & Polifroni, E.C. (2005). Learning communities: the link to recruitment and retention. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 21(3), 103-109. Cain, L.B. (2005) Essential qualities of an effective leader. Dimensions of critical care nursing, 24(1), 32-34 Ellis, J.R. & Hartley, C.L. (2004) Nursing in today's world: trends, issues & management: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Gittler, J. & Hurth, J. (1998) Conflict Management in Early Intervention: Problem Solving Negotiation. Inf Young Children, 11(1), 28-26. Huber, D. (2006) Leadership and nursing care management: Elsevier Health Sciences Jacob, S.R. (1999) Contemporary nursing: issues, trends, and management: Mosby, 1999 Kleinpell, R.M., Perez, D.P. (2006). Negotiation strategies for ACNP practice. Nurse Practitioner, 31(5). Retrieved 14th August, 2006 from http://o-gateway.ut.ovid.com.library.newcastle.edu.au/gwl/ovidweb.cgi Kriet, K. (2008). Enhancing and using negotiation skill. Dermatology Nursing, 20(2), 140. Nagelkerk, J. (2005) Leadership and Nursing Care Management: Elsevier Health Sciences Shendell-Falik, N. (2002). The art of negotiation. Lippincott’s Case Management, 7(6), 25 paragraphs. Retrieved 22nd June, 2005 from http://o-gateway.ut.ovid.com.library.newcastle.edu.au/gwl/ovidweb.cgi Swansburg, R.C. (1996) Management and leadership for nurse managers: Jones & Bartlett Learning Read More