Introduction
This paper focuses on the hospital as an institution. One thing that is important to realize is that the hospital is a macro-unit that entails many micro-activities. The failure of one or a couple of micro-activities in a given hospital might paralyze the entire operation of a given hospital as a business enterprise. This brings about the idea of proper management, self-drive among employees, and adequate supervision. Though activities at times might seem to be perfectly sound, it is important to understand that some people are overworked because of some conflicts that exist within the hospital labor force which eventually affects the quality of work and the overall productivity of every employee.
This paper narrows down to the nursing workforce. Some of the key elements that this paper intends to address include the role of conflict in determining the output of this group in the hospital environment. This paper also looks at the communication barriers that exist within the nursing profession and how this affects the quality of services that are extended to patients. In addition, this paper goes further to look at the lack of cohesiveness among the nursing workforce and how this affects team work and the effects that arise from this lack of cooperation. Finally this paper looks at how nurses relate with other employees outside their profession who work in the same hospital as a business Unit. This relationship would include the relationship of nurses with doctors, clinical officers, and the hospital administration.
Purpose of Assignment
This assignment intends to provide a brief background report of some of the key problems that faces the hospital as a business unit. In order to enhance the thoroughness of the task, this paper focuses on the nursing workforce as a micro-entity within the hospital as a macro-unit. One of the key things that the reader should understand when reading this report is the idea that the nursing profession is essential for the effective running of any hospital. There are no activities within the hospital as a business unit that can progress unless the nursing department is in place. This is because nurses are involved in both the overseeing of inpatient and outpatient services as well as assisting doctors in some roles bearing in mind that doctors are confined to a tight schedule which at times would call for emergency measures. This would mean that minor activities like the administering of drugs to some patients are left in the hands of nurses who are directly answerable to their doctors.
Role conflicts within groups
The nursing profession is one of the most demanding careers in the world today. The activities and situations that nurses find them in on a daily bases sometimes causes a lot of strain and stress within the nursing workforce. This means that for any individual to consider themselves as being successful, one has to employ endurance in their line of duty. This endurance is a virtue that might not be shared across the whole nursing work force. The strain and stress involved in the nursing profession sometime leads to inter-conflicts between nurses.
One of the major sources so of role conflict within the nursing profession is the amount of working hours that a nurse should be entitled to. This problem is caused by the fact that not many people around the world are interested in joining the nursing profession. This has led to the shortage of nurses in many countries causing them to rely on importing of workers from overseas to be able to meet the high demands of nurses in the domestic health care markets. Some of the reasons as to why fewer people end up in the nursing profession were caused by the fact that many nurses are subjected to large amounts of work and yet the amount of pay received for their jobs is not comparable to the quantity of work that many nurses are required to do. Nurses are sometimes called urgently to deal with emergencies. For the quality of work that to be held up to a high standard, it is necessary for a clear outline and consensus between the work force and the administrators about the quantity of work that nurses should be subjected to. Due to the lack of a clear articulation about the extent to which a nurse should work, there is frequent conflict between nurses and the administrators.
The second source of conflict in the nursing profession is caused by the fact that the strain that is involved among nurse’s affects the relationship between nurses. In order to be able to handle the large amount of stress that is involved in the nursing profession. Some nurses indulge in substance abuse so as to be able to reduce the effect of the stress and fatigue that result from working for long hours. Some of the drugs that are abused by nurses include alcohol and other hard drugs that are capable of motivating them to work for a long time without feeling tired. It is important to understand that working under the influence of alcohol reduces the quality of work that nurses are able to offer. This would involve the keenness that is required in detailing with patients are well as keeping track of daily schedules. The use of substances to reduce the stress involved in the nursing profession is a key problem that causes conflict between nurses and their administrators. This is because for hospitals as business entities to be able to remain in business, they have to be able to provide quality services so as to attract more clients.
The other major cause of conflict in the nurses is based on sex. As much as many countries have made tremendous strides in making sure that affirmative action and other forms of equality, the fact remains that harassment in the workplace is still existence in the society today. Some of hospitals tend to have the nursing department occupied people from one sex. This means that if for example a given nursing workforce is predominantly women, which would include supervisors. It is more likely that men working in the nursing field are going to experience some form of difficulties. This is because men for example would be required to meet the standards set by their female counterparts. This might at times prove difficult which may at times affect the level of cooperation among the nursing workforce.
Looking at the three sources of conflict discussed above, it is clear that the role of conflict within the hospital is the fact that conflicts lead to the reduction of the quality of work that is given by nurses in a given hospital. This is caused by the fact that conflicts affect the smooth running of activities within the hospital which affects the potential of the nursing workforce (Gulanick, 2011, p.21). In addition, the reduction of the quality of work delivered by nurses is caused by the fact that conflicts act as an obstacle to a the provision of a good working environment because it adds to the level of strain that is experienced by nurses based on the amount of work that nurses are subjected to. Conflicts arising from harassment at the work place sometimes discourage people from joining the nursing profession.
Communication problems among group members
For any institution to successfully execute its intended activities there has to be proper channels of communication from the top to the bottom of a particular organization. One thing that is important to realize is that the hospital takes care of diverse needs. These needs range from emergency medications, outpatient needs, consulting among others. This means that for these activities to be conducted and coordinated effectively the levels of communication and accountability has to be well structured.
One of the ways that proper communication channels within the hospital structure can be improved is through the creating of a well-articulated top-bottom hierarchy. This means that every employees within the hospital as a macro-unit should know who she or he is accountable to. This hierarchy ensures that any emergencies or other issues that need immediate attention are addressed in the best pace possible. A well-articulated hierarchy in the hospital entity ensures that the super-visors are able to monitor the activities of their subordinates. This allows supervisors to be able to motivate those working under them to maintain a given standard of work. Employees who do not measure up to the standards of their supervisors face the risk of losing their jobs or undergoing other punitive measures that are outlined in the work ethics of a given hospital (Roussel, 2012, p.78). This supervision makes sure that the overall quality of work that is delivered to the patients and other clients that require the assistance of a hospital remain high so as to continue attracting more clients to the industry.
The second form of communication problem that exists within the hospital is the fact that hospitals especially in the developing world are not well supplied with modern communication technologies. This means that works that require urgent feedback take a longer time than they should take. One thing that is important thing to realize is the fact that though modern technology poses the risk of reducing the work force that is required to work in a given hospital unit, the fact remains that modern technology makes communication faster and easier. This is because modern technology increases the speed at which employees within a given department are able to get particular information. This means that the amount of time that was initially used attending meetings or sending a messenger to pass information from one department to another is reduced. This time can be dedicated to important activities to the hospital that can both improve the quality of services delivered to the patients as well as increasing more profits for the hospital as a business unit. Another thing that is important to better communication within the hospital has increased the security of the hospital as an institution. This is because through modern devices of communication, security personnel and administrators can be able to track all the activities that are taking place within the hospital unit (Daniels, 2004, p.41).
In addition, it is essential to understand that communication at the micro-level is the most important with the hospital as an institution. This is because if people are able to relate well from a micro-level it will be easier for them to have a sound relationship as a department which would be transcended to the hospital at a macro-level. Lack of proper communication channels sometimes results into issues of blame because it is not clear who should have been accountable for a given act. However, with proper channels of communication, it is difficult for a given person to evade his or her own responsibility because the roles are well spelt out and every person understands what is expected of them.
Lack of Cohesiveness in groups with diverse members
The lack of cooperation and team-work within the hospital unit is caused by a number of factors. First of all, employees within a particular department within the hospital should receive equal treatment. This means that some employees should not receive special treatment which is not extended to their counterparts. Granting these special treatments selectively creates a situation whereby some employees might see some of their counterparts as not being at their level. This causes them not to want to cooperate with them because there is a difference in terms of identity.
The second cause of lack of cohesiveness within the hospital work force is caused by the lack of motivation among the employees. Employees are motivated by the presence of incentives which encourage them to work harder so as to achieve and benefit from these incentives. Some of the incentives that hospital workers for example nurses lack is the issue of raising of salaries(Carpenito-Moyet, 2008, p.56).Hospital workers and employees are involved in works that puts them at a greater risk of contracting diseases or other forms of ailments that can be transferred from the patients that they handle. This means that such employees are entitled to benefits that can compensate for any of the risks that might face them in the future. Hospital administrators that do not extend these benefits cause employees to lack a form of cohesion because these employees like a similar purpose or goal that they aim at achieving.
Excessive Intergroup Conflict
Excessive intergroup conflicts in hospitals are rare. This does not mean that excessive conflicts do not happen. The mechanisms that are used to handle such conflicts sometimes mask the reality that these conflicts do happen. Some of the factors that lead to these excessive conflicts include the idea of lack of timely payments (Baer, 2002, p.43). This affects the relationship between the employee body and the employees. Failure to respect the contract agreements by the administrators may at times lead to excessive conflicts between employees and administrators. This would include overworking of workers and failing to cater for overtime hours that are incurred by employees during emergencies.
Another source of intergroup conflict is the lack of clear boundaries between the roles of a given group in relation to another. For example, nurses may sometimes overstep into roles that are specifically intended for doctors. If an error ends up occurring in such an incidence, it is likely to spur excessive intergroup conflict among the hospital employees involved.
Suggestions based on knowledge of Group Dynamics
One of the recommendations that I would give is the idea that hospitals have to give incentives to their labor force if they intend to improve the quality of the work delivered by their employees. Some of these incentives would include promotions or money which would be in terms of salary raise (Ackley, 2006, p.34). Another important thing to note is the fact that hospital employees like nurses have difficult tasks that entails a lot of stress and strain. Therefore, administrators should devise strategies to increase the motivation of the employees and also ensure that they work as a team for the better good of the hospital as a business unit.
Conclusion/Summary
In conclusion, the hospital as a business unit handles diverse needs. However, addressing these needs is a challenge to the administrators of the hospital as a macro-level entity. Some of the problems that face the hospital include the lack of cohesiveness among employees, lack of proper communication channels, and intergroup conflicts. The ability of a hospital management to be able to address these challenges determines the success of a hospital as an institution.
References
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