Change and Culture SST Case Study
It has been SIX months since the merger of SST John’s Clang and Matter Clang. The clinic has been functioning under Its new name SST. Johns Quality Care after the fruition of the merger. The new administration has Initiated a significant reduction In workforce and will be adding universal workers to the staff.
The job description of the universal worker is extensive and will offer many support services to the organization.
Integrating the universal worker has failed in other health care system forever; administration believes it will work if implemented correctly. It is known to human resources professionals that the traditional approach to Job design and redesign can cause a negative impact on productivity and employee morale (Cunningham ; Beryl, 1990). The universal worker has been viewed by staff members as a replacement of other positions and cause anxiety and a reduction in job satisfaction. It Is common knowledge that mergers generally foster operating efficiencies and requires less staffing (McConnell, 2009).
It Is Important that the Integration Is done carefully and with compassion for the current staff.
Job Redesign The purpose of job redesign is to enhance productivity, performance, and to save the organization financial cost in this tumultuous economy. The first step in the process to redesign Jobs started at the beginning with a diagnosis and assessment of Job descriptions in the organization Sex ; Bruit, 2008). The universal worker will have a collaboration of work duties that will essentially eliminate the need for some job titles.
At the beginning of the merger there was a need to keep dual departments running as they had been so that they could assist in the transition. The more people ho proactively involved In the success of the organization the more effective the outcome will be (Beaked, Webster, ; Rubin, 2007).
Unfortunately, the continued success will also come at the cost of some of these duplicated positions. The goal Is to eliminate unnecessary costs while focusing on productivity and quality patient care. The second step in job redesign is to integrate the new position, the universal worker.
During the assessment phase, management observed the daily functions, job duties, and interactions employees had with other employees and used that information to formulate the job description of the new position. This is the time when management was able to see where production could be improved and where positions would be eliminated.
This six month evaluation period has also been addressing problematic workers with negative work histories because it would not be in the organizations best Interest to keep them on.
The redesign has also addressed how the universal worker will assist registered nurses and help in creating the best possible patient care. The universal worker will be able to perform many of the clerical skills required for Inputting patient data Into the system. The Completion of the Redesign Once the design is complete management will develop a process of Implementation. At tons pools Tanat management NAS reassess ten technical requirements of coordinating people, techniques, tools, and the method used to accomplish the tasks required of the universal worker and the staff t he or she will be supporting.
The technical or functioning aspect of the transition in an important factor involved in the transitions but so is the emotional and human aspect of the transition.
It is crucial to the progress of the new design that management also evaluates the needs, expectations, and feelings about the new work setting Cunningham ; Beryl, 1990). To ensure a smooth transition it is important to know what factors will encourage and discourage the progress. It has helped that during the evaluation period the negative workers have been laid off and will not be able to hinder the progress of the new design.
A responsibility of management is to issue clear work processes and performance expectations. Work processes and performance expectations are also know as a Job description and Job function.
For example, the new position will require extensive training and certificate programs hat the clinic will pay for and, it will remain as an essential part of the process. On- the- Job training will be required before the universal worker can be released to work on their own.
All workers of the new design will have a written Job description that will include responsibilities, experience, working conditions, and daily tasks to be performed (Libber ; McConnell, 2008). A detailed code of ethics of behavior and conduct will be revised and given to all staff members so that everyone is the organization is following same set of principles. The code of conduction not only retests the organization but also protects the employee from possible legal issues (Erwin, 2011).
The goal of the new design is to employ flexible, adaptive, and productive individuals who want to excel in a learning organization (Smith, 2010, p).
A True Learning Organization “According to Peter Sense learning organizations are organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the result they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together” (Smith, 2010, p. ). For this to happened organizations need to learn how to encourage employees commitment and capacity to learn (Smith, 2010). Change in an organization can be scary and uncomfortable for most people but it is also an opportunity for growth, and an opportunity to learn.
This change is not Just happening to an individual, it happening to the entire organization. It can take time to foster a true learning organization but with continued encouragement the benefits will greatly impact the organization. People can act upon the structures of systems that they belong to or that they are a part of (Smith, 2010). The first of the steps and structures that will be put in place will be to make learning assessable and profitable. This will encourage employees to embrace the idea of being a part of a learning organization; forcing employees to learn would be the direct opposite of what a learning organization is.
The second structure to be incorporate is the five disciple of Peter Sense. Understanding what each disciple is will be crucial to the implementation. Peter Sense understood that there are many opportunities and ways to learn and that there are different methods for individuals, however; the ambition of them could create a fantastic learning organization. They are personal mastery, mental models, snared villous, team learning, Ana e Tint Lossless systems thinking. Personal mastery will encourage employees to look at themselves individually and to continue to achieve their goals and pursue ideas that they have.
Personal mastery can be defined as a personal vision that aids in the expansion of individual desire and capacity to learn. The next discipline, mental models, encourages an open mind when looking at the organization, developing this disciple will be beneficial to the hanging organization and will also encourage the next discipline of shared vision. This is how an organization works together in achieving its goals and finally leads to the discipline of team learning. According to Sense, “Team learning builds on personal mastery and shared vision-but these are not enough. People need to be able to act together.
When teams learn together, not only can there be good result for their organization, members will grow more rapidly’ (Smith, 2010, p.
3). System thinking, also known as the fifth discipline integrates all of the disciplines and provides an introduction to the core of his theory. As part of the orientation process in the organization there will be an introduction to Peter Gene’s theory. Sometimes by Just planting a seed we can give life to something in this case we can give life to whole new mind set of learning. Management will continue to encourage and engage employees in developed and tapping into their learning skills.
It will take some time to foster a sense trust and ability in the process but, with continued support from management it can be done and be successful.
To implement these changes it is a necessity that the intra- organization and inter-organizational communication be maintained. Communication will be maintained on all level by incorporating mandatory meeting within department on a regular basis. This will be the time that employees should ask questions of their department heads with the expectation of that their questions and concerns matter.
Weekly meetings between all department head will be maintained to establish a continuity of the newly formed learning organization through all departments. The only way the transition will work and continue to be work is if communication is clear, honest, and contains all the pertinent information regarding the progress.
This includes all of the concerns and question submitting by their employees during departmental meetings. The success of the organization depends on the satisfaction of it employees because when employees lack Job satisfaction the desire to learn halts and affect the whole organization.
Promoting Job Satisfaction Management needs to ensure Job satisfaction because it leads to employee retention and stronger learning organizations. There are different reasons for Job satisfaction for example, money for some can lead to Job satisfaction. When organizations offer a variety of incentives it can give employees a financial goal. Another example, offering tuition reimbursement, this gives employees the option of moving up the ladder with the organizations support.
Job satisfaction can come from the acknowledgment that an employee is doing a good Job.
