Introduction
Weak relationships among medical care workers are often found or evidenced by malpractices’ reports by some nursing and medical cases. Unresolved challenges often result to one group avoiding the other with the last persons becoming the troublesome individual or party. Kaluyu memorial hospital in Nairobi, Kenya has been experiencing a related scenario where there are conflicts and tension among doctors, nurses and other hospital employees most of whom avoid tasks given and even looking forward to the end of their shifts. The hospital has been incurring losses that result from the unhealthy relationship among staff members of the organization. There has been poor communication, job specification and division with the available nurses and employees performing many tasks with the credit going to the doctors. Ahamed (2013) postulates that demotivating the workforce of a firm affects the attitude of the personnel towards the tasks given. Different demotivation factors encourage the negative dynamics of Kaluyu hospital.
Demotivation factors
Inappropriate and disruptive behaviour by doctors
Turning to the work of Parviz Alavinia and Reza Sehat (2012) one finds that poor relationship between physicians and nurses in the prevailing condition of nursing shortages, usually have different impacts within the healthcare setting. Research indicate that inappropriate behaviours by doctors decreases job satisfaction among the employees and increase the level of nurse burn-out due to overloading. At Kaluyu memorial hospital, physicians take part in the minor operation and running of the hospital processes and allocate most cases to nurses and other working staff. A weak relationship exists between doctor and work staff, and most nurses start having a sense of shelving their occupation.Studies show that Kaluyu is also a referral hospital receiving many and different medical cases including accidents and other communicable diseases. The doctors of the institution allocate the challenges to their juniors without being actively involved in the operations. Weak, abusive distractive and inappropriate acts by the physicians serve as a demotivation factor to the hospital working personnel. Failure of the management to collect the wrangles can increase the cost of the organization through increased drop outs, and reduced attitude towards performing the assignments
Unrealistic workload to nurses and employees
Dararat and Mahāwitthayālai Thammasāt (2015) argue that for an organization to maintain its productivity and profitability in operations, the staff members should be assigned reasonable workload. Allocation of more activities to the workers reduces the efficiency and attitude towards the work given. A study byTracy(2013) indicates that high workload among the hospital staffs make them feel dissatisfied shown by high turnover among employees and increased desire of completing the working shifts. The management of Kaluyu memorial hospital allocates more tasks to the staff members that have resulted in reduced efficiency and morale by the workforce towards the functioning of the hospitals. According to toTracy (2013)the management of an organization should keep checking the demands and expectations placed upon the workforce. Overburdening workers make them feel stressed, disillusioned and lose motivation in performing the assignments issued. Kaluyu memorial hospital should allocate the appropriate workload to the employed individuals. Failure of the management to take collective measures in assigning work can lead to weak performance, increased employee turnover and losses associated with limited operating personnel.
Poor working conditions
Working condition in an organization affects the attitude and motivation of workers(Dararat & Mahāwitthayālai Thammasāt, 2015). A good working condition that includes clean environment, proper working tools, and equipment among others encourages people to work improving the success and productivity of the firm. Poor hygiene in the enterprise such as malfunctioning apparatus demotivates workforce. The refrigerators of Kaluyu Memorial Hospital are not valid and reliable that the working mothers can store milk. The new female workers use bathrooms to pump milk for the infants.
Conflict between doctors and nurses
Dararat and Mahāwitthayālai Thammasāt, (2015) perceptively state that conflict and vices among staff members in the working place is detrimental. Wrangles existing among physicians, nurses and other workers act as a demotivation factor. Study at Kaluyu memorial hospital shows that the working relationship between nurses and doctors is unhealthy for the latter feels overburdened while the credit goes to the seniors.
Parviz Alavinia and Reza Sehat (2012) states that appropriate conflict resolution measures and rules governing the working relationships among the employees in an organization motivate the workers contributing to overall productivity. If the management of Kaluyu hospital does not take the measure to control conflict and misunderstanding among the medical professionals, it can lead to increased cost to the hospital through increased turnover and decrease in performance. Furthermore conflict would result in greater collaboration challenges between the professionals.
Herzberg’s model of motivation
Various motivation theories influence the way an organization manages the workforce to obtain motivated workers. The models demonstrate reasons why individuals behave and act in the way they do and propose the factors that should be employed to encourage employees in performing the assignment given. Herzberg believes in a two-factor model of motivation. He argues that there are factors that an organization can apply that would encourage the workforce to work hard. Also, Herzberg argues that there are factors that demotivate employees if absent but does not help the staff members to work harder when available. These factors are known as hygiene factors.
Motivator factors concern the job and include the opportunities it offers for additional responsibility, promotion and recognition (Fox, 2014). Health factors surround the task performed and include workload given to employees, working condition, the level of compensation and security in the workplace. Reference toFox (2014), Kaluyu memorial hospital should use a democratic approach in motivating the workers and improving the content and nature of the responsibility performed. Herzberg motivation model applies to Kaluyu memorial hospital because the demotivation factors in the organization can fall under motivators and hygiene. Inappropriate behavior by doctors towards the other members of staff is a health factor as it affects the employees' productivity but the absence does not result in the employee working harder. The presence of conflict in the hospital can cause a turnover and increased operational cost however the lack of conflict cannot encourage an employee to increase their working level because it is a hygiene factor.
Furthermore, the model applies because it provides the different ways that the hospital can motivate the employees such as dividing the endeavours among nurses and other workers. The standard specifies the importance of assigning appropriate workload to the staff members. The theory encourages the management of the firm to establish an efficient communication system to encourage employees to contribute by giving their views concerning the work, working conditions and other factors that hinder the productivity of the hospital. The model helps the management of the hospital in providing hygiene and intrinsic factors relating to the tasks performed in an attempt to motivate employees and increasing the profitability. Moreover, the model encourages job enrichment in the Medicare and supports the occupation to have enough challenges to utilize the full potential of the workers. The theory also applies to Kaluyu Memorial Hospital by dictating individuals who should be given more duties and responsibilities depending on the levels of capability. The method helps the organization to use fully the employees' abilities without overloading or demotivating them.
Communication system
Ahamed (2013) defines communication system as a collection of persons, communication channels, terminal equipment and transmission systems that facilitate sharing of information in a given area. There are three types of communication systems that a firm can apply, the networks are; communication system by media, technology and application area communication systems. Communication system by application area can have a great impact on improving and reducing demotivational factors in Kaluyu memorial hospital. The system is designed to meet the changing requirements of tactical conditions and changing external state(Ahamed, 2013). The system provides secure communication and encourages negotiation among employees, nurses, and physicians. The system provides means that the workers can communicate to the seniors. The system will include the employees in making the decision of the organization helping to point out areas that hinder their operations and efficiency and the measures that can be applied to improve their motivation.
Turning to Ahamed (2013) one finds that the system helps in distributing information considered vital by the workers of the hospital such as a change in the focus of the organization, changes expected in the labor force and also the tasks to be handled by the staff members. The system encourages honest communication between management and workers there for establishing good working relationships that can help the employees to achieve full productivity.
Conclusion
Different internal and external factors influence the success of any organization. Motivation among employees in the company or organization plays a significant role in determining the efficiency and profitability of the firm. In Kaluyu memorial hospital, the major demotivational factors have been found to be inappropriate and destructive behaviors by the physicians, overloading the employees and nurses of the organization, poor working conditions, and conflict among the staff members. Herzberg model of motivation classifies the motivational factors as either motivators or hygiene and helps in outlining leading causes of demotivation in most corporations. Communication system by application area helps in improving the relationship among the staff members and changing the behavior towards the task allocated.
References
Ahamed, S. V. (2013). Intelligent networks: Recent approaches and applications in medical systems. New York: Elsevier Science & Technology.
Dararat, C., & Mahāwitthayālai Thammasāt. (2015). An investigation of motivational factors of Thai employees: A case study of Panasonic Management (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand: Language Institute, Thammasat University.
Fox, J. (2014). The game changer: How to use the science of motivation with the power of game design to shift behaviour, shape culture and make clever happen.
Parviz Alavinia, & Reza Sehat. (2012). A Probe into the Main Demotivating Factors among Iranian EFL Learners. Canadian Center of Science and Education.
Tracy, B. (2013). Motivation. New York: AMACOM, American Management Association.
