What are specific ways to limit the potential for power abuse in health care organizations?
Health care organizations are managed and governed by leaders. Just like in other private or public organization, leaders are perceived to possess sources of power by virtue of their role, position, and responsibilities in the organization . When there is power, there are potentials for abuse. As emphasized, “the abuse may take the form of a demeaning attitude, ridicule, off-color jokes, sexual harassment, or even physical violence” . The recipients of power abuse could be various stakeholders in the health care environment: employees, patients, health care practitioners, and third party affiliates.
phone skills) and people skills” .
What specific human resource strategies and transparency mechanisms could be created within hospitals or physician practices, for example, that would help prevent any stakeholder, particularly the top leaders of an organization, from pursuing self-interested goals in suspect ways?
The specific human resource strategies and transparency mechanisms that health care organizations should create starts with effectively designed policies and procedures, as well as a code of discipline which integrates addressing and preventing abusive, disruptive, or intimidating behavior. Top leaders of an organization could be prevented from pursuing self-interested goals through explicit definition of ethical guidelines and standards that communicate behaviors which undermine a culture of safety. As emphasized, these policies and procedures should integrate a system of rewards and punishments that effectively address identified behavior. The Joint Commission stipulates standards requiring “that the hospital have a “code of conduct” that defines acceptable, disruptive, and inappropriate behaviors, and has a process that manages disruptive and inappropriate behaviors” . In addition, through encouraging patients, family members, and clients to accomplish customer surveys, appropriate feedback on performance standards would be communicated to management. The transparency mechanism includes encouraging stakeholders to report incidences of abuse and inappropriate behavior in the most objective and confidential manner. All incidences of abuse or inappropriate behavior should be appropriately investigated by a team of health care practitioners on the reliability and veracity of the information disclosed. Finally, through effective enforcement of explicitly defined sanctions (in cases of violations or infractions), health care personnel would be affirmed that management is committed to ensuring conformity to the highest ideals of quality and professionalism in the work setting, subject to ethical, moral, and legal standards.
References
McShane, S., & Von Glinow, M. (2015). Organizational Behavior. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from McGraw Hill Education: http://www.coursesmart.com/1259338932/firstsection#X2ludGVybmFsX0J2ZGVwRmxhc2hSZWFkZXI/eG1saWQ9MTI1OTMzODkzMi9paWk=
Ramsay, M. (2001, April). Conflict in the health care workplace. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1291328/
Schyve, P. (2009). Leadership in Healthcare Organizations. Retrieved November 22, 2014, from jointcommission.org: http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/wp_leadership_standards.pdf
