Springdale Health Clinic - Research Paper Example

? CASE STUDY: Springdale Health Clinic Introduction In three months the St. Mary’s HMO will be immersed into the corporate structure of Springdale Health Organization by virtue of its Springdale’s acquisition of St Mary. However, the acquisition will include the current resources of St. Mary, both human and tangible assets. A notable challenge to the acquisition is the merger of the human talents of both companies. Such challenge places a toll in the organization’s culture, collective psyche and motivation. The apprehension emanating from the employees from both the company stems from the uncertainty of what tomorrow will bring to the company and its impact to each of the employees from both companies. The apprehension or the uncertainty affects the motivation of each of the employees of both companies. It should be noted that the acquisition is also an opportunity for Springdale to assess its own organization to determine if their current pool of talents is already the best in the industry. It is also an opportunity for Springdale to learn new and better ways of handling operations. The similarity in the operation of the both Springdale and St Mary could be an opportunity for Springdale to learn from the current resources of St. Mary the best possible practice for a more efficient operation. In the same manner that it is also an opportunity to learn new and better ways of resolving issues if not fresh strategies for their operations. However, there are several legal aspects that needs to be resolved first if not legal processes that needs to be adhered to before an actual movement and changes in the roster of personnel can be affected by Springdale. The collective psychological center of all the employees should also be taken into consideration to ensure that any apprehension originating from the employees because of the merger will not affect the operation. A comprehensive plan that will take into consideration the legal aspect and operational imperatives of Springdale will be described in the next couple of pages. Discussion The following solutions will not only tackle the legal aspect of the immersion into Springdale of St. Mary’s staff but its acculturation as well. In merging the operation of two entities that has the same operation it is imperative to maximize the possible benefit that Springdale can get from the deal. In terms of operational strategies it is prudent to know the current efficiency, effectiveness and quality of both the companies for each department. Surveying the processes of each of the departments from each company to come up with the best possible permutation of processes that works to come up with the best possible strategy and process will be the onus of any process improvement targets by Springdale. Evaluating the performance and qualification of the personnel from each company will enable Springdale to determine who amongst the Springdale and St Mary’s roster of employee has been a consistent top performer. To erase any apprehension from the staff especially for the effective staffs that will be retained a good communication strategy will have to be devised to ensure that proper communication of the intent and desire of the management is conducted. The legal aspect of any personnel action will have to abide with the affirmative action (The President of the United States, 1965) executive order of President John F. Kennedy which was later modified by Lyndon B. Johnson. Any action directly affecting the employess will also have to abide by the Labor Laws of the United States that would include the National Labor Relations Act or the Wagner Act (United States Senate, 1935). Other pertinent laws protecting the rights of the employees that will be laid off should be protected therfore all pertinent procedures should be adhered to. Diversity Workplace diversity is a personnel integration and management issue that focuses on the differences and similarities that people contribute to the organization (Bormann, Schmidle, & Miller, 2010). It is usually explained broadly to include areas beyond those indicated legally in equal opportunity and affirmative action non-discrimination laws. Diversity is invoked in cases where the onus of any relationship in the work place does not dwell on the professional, educational aspects. As a principle diversity is considered to be encompassing to everyone. In several ways diversity not only compliment’s non-discrimination compliance programs. Eliminating any tinge or clouds of doubt in any action that violates the principle of a diversified workplace Springdale should conduct an objective assessment of its evaluation. The evaluation form should not include any information that would identify the gender, religion, race and location of origin. As indicated in order to capitalize and take advantage of the acquisition of St. Mary by Springdale it should get the best employee amongst the pool that will be created when the operation of St. Mary is merged with that of Springdale. The evaluation process in order to be free of any doubt could be initiated or conducted by a third party service company. This is to eliminate the bias, and prior knowledge gathered during the long years of familiarity by the personnel of Springdale amongst its own personnel. Information with regards to the skills set required by the company can be obtained from the respective HR St. Mary and Springdale. It should be noted that the primary reason for the review is not to fire the people but to obtain operational efficiency. Workplace Communication Communication has several aspect, this would include vertical communicatin and horizontal communication (Searles, 2008). As the name conotes vertical communication includes any communication between subordinates and his bosses. The horizontal communicaton includes any communication amongst the employees of the same level. There are also formal, informal and small group communication. Gossips or informal communication which are almost always the best source of information are both unreliable and cryptic. However, more often than not this is more relied upon in any organization most especially if there is an absence of any downward formal information clarifying any issues. Despites its unreliability, informal information often is the source of demotivation, organizational stress and culture shock. To resolve this issue it is best to adress any issues head on, instead of avoiding it and letting the rumor mill be the defacto source of facts. It is best to have facts straigthened through an formal communication from management. In any mergers and acquisition it is often the most dedicated and reliable employees who are the most vulnerable to rumors. The feeling of betrayal is the worst demotivator if not second only to the feeling of uncertainty. Thus, it is best to provide and guide the employees of what is expected from them as well as what to expect from management to get both parties survive the birth pains of a new organization that combines Springdale and St. Mary. A townhall meeting within the company premises can be conducted to enusre that all questions are asked and answered. Constant memorandum about the acquisition and its progress will not hurt employees. Leadership styles Often, the apprehension amongst the employees is the compatibility or incompatibility of the leadership style of the merging companies. Employees often put a premium on the types of leadership that is employed in an organization, employee performance are often anchored on the type of leadership that is employed. It should be noted however, that whatever kind of leadership the Springdale is employing what a company being acquired need is somebody who will take on the leadership role. The leader often provides the vacuum left by the feeling of betrayal over the acquisition deal. Therefore a transition leader is often employed. The transition manager’s role is to ensure that acculturation points towards a positive outcome. It should be noted that the leadership styles would be more effective if it will go to the person who identifies most with St. Mary. This strategy would enable the leader to provide some kind of influence over the minority group. Under no circumstances should the leaders of Springdale adjust to the leadership demands of St. Mary’s employees, the management time employed will only double if not geometrically multiply to the highest exponent the damage of a recalcitrant and errant employee could bring. What should be done instead is to ensure that fear and favors should be avoided. A more just application of the rules and regulation no matter which company an employee belongs too is better appreciated. Groups and Team Dynamics Groups and team dynamics is seen to dominate the first few days of the merger. The main reason is that employees tend to gravitate towards what is familiar, most especially during times of uncertainty. The comfort level provided by peers from the same group sustains the need of employees to belong to something tangible. A bit of caution however should be considered, group and team dynamics are also often the source of information or gossips if not rumors that often destroys the relationships between management and the employees. Attitudes and Perception Attitudes of employees belonging to the dominant group should be that of magnanimity. This is to ensure that employees belonging to St. Mary are not alienated by errant comments. Inane discussion that touches on the sensitivities of the merger should not at all be tolerated. This is to give due respect to the employees who are about to lose their jobs. Any wrong perception due to incidents or even rumors that have gone unchecked should be corrected through the proper communication of the true issues. Town hall discussion as previously suggested should be conducted to ensure that all lingering questions are answered. It should be noted that unanswered questions often leads to a wrong appreciation of the true facts. To prevent a runaway attrition, most especially for the people that needs to be hired because of their effectiveness and efficiency a drastic information campaign that should answer question should be conducted. This could be done through an email blast, bulletin boards or even newsletters. The way information is communicated may not be a moment however, it should be done at all cost to answer any perception issues. Motivational Strategies Motivation’s component in a corporate setting is often reduced to these factors. Environmental factors (Dornyei, 2006), Rewards and recognition and personnel development factors. In this case the environmental factor will influence the motivation of the employee. In order to foster a good working relationship, the employee of both companies should be given an environment that is most conducive to working. An environment that is conducive to working and fostering camaraderie and cooperation is not an easy task. The environment that will be created should reinvigorate the soul in order for the employee to be motivated to work. Team building exercises or sessions should be conducted to foster camaraderie and cooperation from each member of the group. Another challenge that needs to be considered is the symmetry of the current pay scale from both the companies. It should be noted that there are instances wherein the pay scales are not symmetrical if not congruent with each other. A pay levelling should be conducted to ensure that there are no disparity when it comes to the pay grade for each group of employees. Another factor that should be considered is the career path that is to be expected by each of the employees from each company from the Springdale group. A viable and sustainable career path program should be devised to ensure that employees from each company should expect being employed by the Springdale group as a strong employment.The primary consideration of any motivational tool that will be developed for the employees should have is that whatever they will receive it should be better than what they were receiving before the merger. Resistance to Change The acquisition is expected to develop some employees that are resistant to change they may not have been that resistant to change previously but since the very object that is affected now is their source of income it is prudent to expect it. It should be noted that any deviation from the normal pattern of life that affects or threatens the way life is being lead or lived is always a source of resistance. However, change will happen even if they like it or not. The best way to manage the situation is to ensure that the changed are communicated beforehand. Some kind of anticipation and participation should be developed to make the change more acceptable to both groups of employees. Organizational Stress Resistance to change influences organizational stress further. Friction and differences in the way things are done is a source of organizational stress as well. To lessen organizational stress, team building exercises is highly recommended to ensure that any stimulus that will further worsen the organizational stress being experienced should be eliminated. Organizational stress is sometimes defined as a problem that cannot be seen nor solved in a conventional manner. The reason is the lack of acknowledgement on the part of the management. Thus is it is recommended that a self evaluation should be conducted from the ranks of Springdale to ensure that they themselves are aware of their strengths and weaknesses as an organization. IN knowing the breadth of the organization it is hoped that organizational stress will also be uncovered. Summary Acquisition of another company in this instance St. Mary as acquired by Springdale is an opportunity in two dimensions. The addition of St. Mary’s roster of clinic will add the marketing exposure and the geographical coverage of Springdale. Two more dimensions that should be added is the opportunity of improving the operating efficiency of Springdale and the acquisition of fresh talents including the best of St. Mary can offer. The process improvement opportunity that can be attained in the acquisition of St. Mary by Springdale will not only improve its efficiency the same can also lead to more revenue. Another aspect that can be gained by the acquisition is the talent pool that can be added to the roster of Springdale if not replace the people who are not performing well. Both opportunities will enable the company to get more out of the acquisition of St. Mary. However, cold numbers in terms of profitability or revenue are not the only aspect that should be considered in affecting any strategies or plans to realize the profit described above on account of the acquisition of St. Mary by Springdale. What should also be considered are the psychological impact of the change that is about to happen. Acculturation and its possible impact should also be considered. Any strategy that will immerse the operation of both entities to each other should not exacerbate organizational stress. It should be noted that other organizational dynamics are also in play during an acquisition of a company and its immersion into the operation of the buying company. Corporate acquisition have always impacted the psyche of any organization its effect often leads to organizational stresses that negatively impacts customer service, motivation and the attitude of the employee towards each other. The strategies provided for above could resolve issues relating to organizational stresses. Bibliography Bormann, T., Schmidle, D. J., & Miller, C. (2010, July). WorkPlace Diversity. Retrieved July 24, 2011, from Cornell University: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/library/research/subjectguides/workplacediversity.html Dornyei, Z. (2006). Motivational Strategies. Boston: Cambridge. Searles, G. J. (2008). Workplace Communications: The Basics (4th Edition). New York: Longman. The President of the United States. (1965, September 24). Executive Order11246 - Equal Employment opportunity. Retrieved July 23, 2011, from National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/11246.html United States Senate. (1935, July 5). National Labor Relations Act . National Archives . Washington DC, Washington DC, United States: National Archives of the United States. Read More