Workplace Incivility
Imagine that you work in a health care facility and your boss has just stopped by your office and says the following:
Hi, I just have a couple of minutes
please forgive me for stopping in without advanced notice. One of the results of a recent employee survey at Lakeland Clinic indicates we have some issues to address. The data show 75% of the employees have concerns about at least one of the following: diversity issues, workplace incivility, and poor work life balance. Senior leadership has asked me how I plan to respond, and my first inclination is to put you in charge of assembling a team to address one of the issues. You have demonstrated effective organizational and communication on other projects and I think you will be a great asset as we move forward. I have to run right now, but I’ll send you an email with more information before I leave today. See you later!
Subsequent Email
Thanks for talking with me this morning. I just want you to know that this is really a great opportunity for you. I know you have been interested in taking steps to becoming a leader in this organization and now it’s time to realize your potential. As you know we opened the Lakeland Medical Clinic to serve area residents who were unable or unwilling to use the services offered at the main hospital. The first two months of operation saw strong patient volume. Since then, the numbers have dropped off dramatically. This prompted leadership to start asking some questions, which lead to the internal survey that I mentioned yesterday. I just met with leadership and they determined that the priority right now is the diversity issue because we have the opportunity to improve outcomes for both employees and the community. Workplace Incivility
This is part of an email I got from the clinic director last week:
“. . . after careful examination of all aspects of the organization and talking with some neighborhood leaders we have concluded that residents in the community do not feel comfortable coming to the clinic. It seems the staff are lacking the ability to develop a trusting relationship with the residents primarily because they do not understand the cultural values and norms. The neighborhood residents, which you know are predominantly Haitian, often feel their beliefs, values, andhealth practices are not understood
When staff members were hired, we only considered their past work experiences, education and potential. We may have failed to fully consider their ability to work with diverse populations.“
Hopefully, the information gives you a better understanding of the issues to be addressed. Time to get started as things need to move quickly. I want you to assemble a committee to clearly define the problem and ultimately provide guidance on solutions. Before introducing you to the clinic director and executive team, I want to review your approach specific to leadership style and collaboration. I want two things from you in a written document. The first part is just for me, but the second part I intend to share with the clinic director.
First, identify and describe a leader you would choose to lead a project like this and explain why. It can be anyone that is qualified, even someone famous. Your choice will tell me a lot about your leadership approach and priorities.
Next, select one of the characteristics that make them successful and compare it against your leadership skills. The second item is related to leading and fostering teamwork and collaboration among a group of interdisciplinary professionals. We are looking for 4–6 members to serve on a committee who will be considering the diversity issue and ultimately making a recommendation on how to address it. Workplace Incivility
I want you to: Describe your role and approach to leading the group. How will you lead and communicate? Will you be an authoritative, collaborative, democratic, servant, or transformational type of leader? Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your approach in the context of this project.
- Describe how you would facilitate collaboration to maximize team effectiveness. You might consider
Communication technologies.
Practices (accountability, decision making, delegating).
Techniques for sharing information and ideas.
Any others ideas you might have. Remember this information will be shared with the clinic director so keep it clear, focused, and professional. Creativity is important; however, we want to be sure that your ideas and approaches align with current health care organization trends and practices, so include references from current academic or professional resources to support your points. APA
