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Cultural Change, Motivation, Communication and Team Effectiveness: Case Analysis
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A Collective Assignment on Cultural Change, Motivation, Communication and Team Effectiveness
Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines
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Referencing Style: APA / Word Count: 1210
A Collective Assignment on Cultural Change, Motivation, Communication
and Team Effectiveness
This assignment herein takes a closer look at three case studies, namely, Santorini Hospital, The Day After and the Breath. It consists of four parts that provide answers to the four questions being asked based on the above three cases and the classroom lectures.
Part 1
Santorini Hospital - The Case Analysis
Motivation, Employee Satisfaction and Cultural Change
Nancy Jankowski, the new CEO of Santorini Hospital tries to address various tensions at Santorini Hospital right in their budding stage before they become actual problems. Based on the Herzberg’s two factor theory that states that two sets of factors, namely, Motivation (as intrinsic factors) and Hygiene (as extrinsic factors) decide the working attitude and performance levels of the employees in any organization (Yusoff et al., 2013), Jankowski proactively reinstated the laid-off employees and also ensured paying back for their layoff periods to ensure their job satisfaction. She also initiated bargaining talks between SEIU and Santorini’s administration along with bringing out cultural change which is more transparent as per the demands and needs of the employees of the hospital (Boongaling and Myrtle, ….). It means that adhering to the Motivation theory of employee satisfaction, she brought out the necessary changes sought by the employees of Santorini for their workplace satisfaction. She also emphasized on enhancing the communication among employees.
Organizational Culture and Employee Performance
Jankowski’s changes were found to be effective in taking the organization forward and enhance organizational performance as she directly focused on changing the culture of the Santorini Hospital. Since a strong culture in an organization raises the employees’ commitment to achieve common goals of the organization, it also enhances the employee performance to reach those goals (Shahzad, 2014). The individual performance of employees working towards a common organizational goal eventually enhances the performance of the organization. Therefore, making changes in the culture through the nurses, physicians, and hospital staff led to individual performance enhancement as well as led to taking the organization forward.
Part 2
Case of Santorini Hospital - Self-learning versus Scientific Management
Nancy Jankowski tries to bring transformational change at Santorini Hospital by implementing a self-learning model. It is an approach by which the individuals carry out learning on their own (Kapur, 2019). It is different from Scientific Management school of thought in the sense that the Scientific Management works on the concept of enhancing productivity of any organization on the basis of enhancing the efficiency of its workers (Paramboor et al., 2016). Whereas Self-directed learning is directed towards instigating a dialogue with the individual, securing resources, assessing their outcomes and inspiring use of an individual’s critical thinking (Kapur, 2019), Scientific Management fails to recognize the role of motivation and morale in terms of enhancing the productivity of employees at the workplace (Daniel, 2015).
Self-Directed Learning and Employee Development
In self-directed learning, factors like motivation, self-efficacy, support and performance play a pivotal role (Kapur, 2019). It means that not only does self-directed learning develop willingness and curiosity to explore new things, it also makes an individual view problem as potential challenges and makes them more involved and take pleasure in one’s learning (Kapur, 2019). It makes them more responsible and take ownership of their learning thereby making them self-disciplined, self-oriented, motivated and persistent (Kapur, 2019). Nancy Jankowski can bring out transformation at Santorini Hospital by inducing the self-directed learning in employees and transferring their learnings among them through teamwork. She began the implementation of self-learning model at the top-level management such that the talented people were screened and were made to incorporate self-learning management style and once they learn self-management, they would transfer it to the mid-level managers (Boongaling and Myrtle, ….). Gradually, the self-learning management style would be transferred to the supervisors, medical staff and to all the employees of the organization (Boongaling and Myrtle, ….). To make this model effective, the role of team effectiveness comes into play. The effectiveness of a team can be achieved through the processes of deliberation and reflexivity, collective competence, relational coordination, and psychological safety.
Part 3
Types of Communication Networks: The Day After Case Analysis
Upward, Downward and Horizontal Communication
A communication network is a system which informs how the information flows in any organization (ntgc.in, n.d.). The information flows in a managed, structured and regulated manner. On the basis of direction, communication can be categorized into upward, downward, and horizontal. In upward communication, information flows from subordinates to their superiors (ntgc.in, n.d.). The benefit of upward communication is that it is a problem-solving method and that since the problem brought in by the subordinates to the superior staff, there is less likelihood that the problem will recur (ntgc.in, n.d.). Downward communication is the reverse of upward communication in which the information flows from superiors to subordinates (ntgc.in, n.d.). There are both advantages and disadvantages involved with downward communication. It is beneficial as far as constructive feedback to the junior is concerned (ntgc.in, n.d.), it becomes disadvantageous when the feedback retrogressively affects the subordinate. Horizontal communication, also known as lateral communication, entails communication between co-workers. It can be within the same department or between different departments (ntgc.in, n.d.).
Horizontal Communication and Charlie Jones
With regards to Charlie Jones, the horizontal communication would have enhanced his power base. Since he is at the top-level management, understanding the problems and dilemmas of medical staff and sorting the issues out would have been beneficial for him to get votes. Also, it would have given a chance to better understand the perceptions and difficulties of various departments to make better inter-departmental relationships. Since his discord with the radiologists (Johnson, …), although he had facilitated the communication between the board and the radiologists, had he understood the points of both the stakeholders and made a way out of the situation, things would have been easier for him and he would not have been fired from his job.
Part 4
Breath: Case Analysis
Mike’s story, Breath involves a situation in which Mike finds his dream of going to mountains getting shattered due to radiation-oncology he would have to undergo because of the cancer that would lead to a decrease in his lung’s capacity. A mountaineering enthusiast, the physician tells Mike that there could be significant reduction in his lung-capacity and that would not make it suitable for him to go to high altitudes. The main barrier to communication in Mike’s story is that of psychological and attitudinal barriers.
Psychological and Attitudinal Barriers to Communication
Psychological barrier is that barrier that becomes a hinderance to effective communication owing to the receiver’s personal worries or stress (ntgc.in, n.d.). In Mike’s case, the worry that he would not be able to go mountaineering post his radiation-oncology became the reason for his stress which hindered him to listen to the entire dialogue of his doctor. Also, the Attitudinal barrier which is a communication barrier that prevents effective communication between people owing to the behaviors or perceptions that may result from resistance to change, or due to lack of motivation (ntgc.in, n.d.) also led him to be reluctant to listening to what his oncologist was communicating to him. Once these barriers were broken by his doctor and he convinced Mike with the evidence-based research that despite lower lung capacity, he could pursue his dreams with the willingness and motivation that can make the dreams come true. It made him fight this difficult situation and win over challenges. The story ends with him undergoing the procedure and pursue his dreams.
Conclusion
The above case studies looked into the concepts of motivation, the importance of cultural change, communication and team effectiveness. It also discussed barriers to communication and how the barriers to communication can be broken by assertiveness and convincing.
References
Boongaling, R.R and Myrtle, R.C. (…) Santorini Hospital.
Lang, M (2017) Breath - Mike’s Story. Available at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Fkzwq3pBY
Daniel, E. C. (2015) A Review of the evolution of Management schools of thought. University
Of Port Harcourt. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313878345_A_Review_of_the_evolution_of_ Management_schools_of_thought
Johnson, R. L. (…) The Day After.
Kapur, R. (2019) Significance of Self-Directed Learning. University of Delhi.
Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335096519_Significance_of_Self- Directed_Learning
Ntgc.in (n.d.) Unit 111 - Communication Network. NTGC University. Available at
https://ntgc.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Psychology_RS_COMMUNICATION- NETWORK-SEM-IV-..pdf
Ntgc.in (n.d.) Barriers to Effective Communication and Managing Communication. NTGC
University. Available at https://ntgc.in/wp- content/uploads/2020/06/Psychology_RS_BARRIERS-TO-EFFECTIVE- COMMUNICATION-and-MANAGING-COMMUNICATION.pdf
Paramboor, J. et al. (2016) Scientific Management Theory: a Critical Review from Islamic
Theories of Administration. Scientific Management Theory. Available at
Shahzad, F. (2014) Impact of organizational culture on employees’ job performance.
International Journal of Commerce and Management. DOI:10.1108/IJCoMA-07-2012- 0046 Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280180812_Impact_of_organizational_culture_ on_employees'_job_performance
Yusoff, W.F.W. et al. (2013) Herzberg’s Two Factors theory on Work Motivation: Does it work
For Today’s Environment? Global Institute of Research and Education. Available at