Reflection Paper
Poor communication
As mentioned in the case study, there was a breakdown in communication between the bottom level employees and the top rank. Communication is one aspect that can never be ignored in any organization despite its size. The breakdown in communication meant that instructions were poorly passed and most probably delayed. Poor performance is expected from employees when they are not given a platform to express themselves within an organization. Therefore, a breakdown in communication channels can be pointed out as one of the primary factors that could have contributed to poor performance among the employees at St Jude’s Hospital.
Too many patients
At St Jude’s a patient can be admitted whether or not they have an insurance cover. This means that anyone is allowed to go to the hospital which leads to a high number of patients which can outnumber the employees. In the process the number of patients are out of control, the morale of the employees go down as they get exhausted working extra hours. It is possible that the employees were forced due to unavoidable circumstances such as emergencies to work beyond their capabilities which can be a contributor to poor performance.
Lack of promotion
According to the case study, St Jude’s Hospital did not have a performance evaluation strategy. In every organization, there must be a method that ensures that higher performers are recognized and rewarded. Rewards and promotions boost the morale of employees leading to higher performance. It can be concluded, therefore, that employees at St Jude’s Hospital did not perform as per the standards because there were no promotions and maybe poor salaries.
Performance behavior that could have been applied to St Jude’s employees
Communication
Having a smooth flow of communication between the management and the employees is one of the best ways to ensure appraisal among the St Jude’s Hospital employees. Employees should be given an opportunity to express their views concerning the challenges they pass through and what they propose as the solution to such challenges. St Jude’s Hospital should come up with a commonly accepted channel of communication such as memos or emails where a decision passed reaches all the stakeholders as fast as possible in a format easy to understand. In the event St Jude’s Hospital could have used communication as a tool to appraise its employees, they could not have faced the challenge of poor performance.
Interpersonal relationships
Providing an environment where employees can interact freely and share their views, feelings and emotions is one way to appraise them. Since it was noted that one reason for failure was tiresome activities and a high number of patients, the hospital needs to offer a more relaxed environment free from pressure. Additionally, the management should also be polite in the manner they address the employees and ensure that all the employees are served to the best of their expectations.
Job knowledge
Poor performance among the employees sometimes can be as a result of lack of knowledge in particular areas. St Jude’s Hospital is not an exception when it comes to the paradigm shift in the field of healthcare. Change is inevitable; therefore, St Jude’s can only ensure that they appraise their employees through ensuring they are constantly trained in the areas which need to be addressed.
Competency
Competency in an organization can only be ensured through providing standards. Employees feel motivated and appraised when they have standards to follow which makes them competent in all the activities they undertake. St Jude’s Hospital should have come up with standards which employees should meet either as an individual or as a team. This is one appraisal behavior that not only ensures that quality is delivered but also makes the employees feel satisfied with their work.
