Collective Bargaining
Modern organizations had to work in extremely complex environments characterized by a high level of rivalry, new demands to the quality, and pressure from society. For this reason, they have an increased sophistication of relations between various departments, coworkers, and managers. It means that there is a critical need for effective management tools that will be useful in organizing the work of the unit and guaranteeing satisfaction and outstanding performance among the employees. Collective bargaining can be taken as one of the methods that can be utilized by the employees with the primary goal to ensure that all current needs are met, and specialists can continue their professional and personal development within this very organization.
The wide scope of the issue preconditions the existence of multiple definitions. In general, collective bargaining can be described as a process of communication and negotiation between employers and employees that is focused on the achievement of some agreement to regulate working conditions, salaries, benefits, or other important aspects of work that might affect all members of the staff (George, Ingle, & Pogodzinski, 2018).
The central advantage of this approach is the existence of the opportunity to remain in contact with all workers, monitor their states, and guarantee that the beneficial conditions for their functioning are created. In small organizations, it is possible for all specialists to communicate directly with their manager in various ways, including informal ones (George et al., 2018). However, in larger firms or companies, there is a need for special bodies or groups that will represent the interests of all collective and protect some vital aspects needed for their work. In such a way, various unions can emerge to avoid disregard of critical elements and touch the most problematic areas.
Traditionally, in organizations, collective bargaining is a potent and important tool that is necessary for raising standards and improving working conditions. There are some basic laws and rules that introduce limits and regulations needed to organize the work of companies; however, via this approach, the mechanisms in which these laws will be implemented are discussed (George et al., 2018). It means that workers acquire an opportunity to negotiate the basic conditions under which they will cooperate and create a climate that is pleasant for them. Because of the existence of big organizations, the interests of employees are often represented by unions that consist of representatives of various groups that want to achieve a certain result.
For the healthcare sector, collective bargaining remains an important tool as workers’ satisfaction and beneficial conditions are essential for outstanding results and effective care delivery. That is why in the majority of modern health units, there are groups or units that negotiate with the top management to discussed problematic issues and find a compromise to solve them. In Westchester General Hospital in Miami, collective bargaining is also represented in some ways as employees have a chance to discuss issues that might be challenging or difficult for them and attain some success by introducing new approaches that might work better.
In such a way, collective bargaining remains a powerful tool that can be used in companies with the pivotal aim to create an environment and working conditions beneficial for workers. It helps to solve some problems and guarantee that there is a positive climate within a collective, and employees have an opportunity to evolve both professionally and personally.
Shared Governance
Another important concept that regulates the work of various companies is the model of shared governance. The fact is that the work of multiple organizations no more depends on the decisions of one person. On the contrary, the improvement of the effectiveness and outcomes can be achieved by the effective delegation, distribution of authority, and distribution of power between employees who can accomplish particular tasks in the best possible ways. Especially important this scheme becomes for the healthcare sector as it critically depends on the quality of the provision of care and outcomes. Under these conditions, shared governance becomes a fundamental aspect of the functioning of hospitals and effective collaboration between members of the collective.
The given concept can be taken as one of the most common approaches in modern healthcare focused on the improved collaboration between all its members. It can be determined as a dynamic staff-leader partnership that fosters cooperation at all levels, contributes to the improvement of shared decision-making and accountability with the primary goal to achieve a better quality of care, safety, and working conditions (Leask Capitulo & Olender, 2019).
The primary reason for the increased popularity of the practice is that it stimulates workers to discuss the most problematic areas and find some appropriate solutions by delegating tasks or engaging in beneficial partnerships (Leask Capitulo & Olender, 2019). Moreover, statistics show that healthcare organizations promoting employee engagement have better showings in such spheres as job satisfaction, nurse retention, performance, and profitability (Buch, Kiellberg, & Holm-Petersen, 2018). Under these conditions, the practice of shared governance becomes a must in the majority of modern hospitals.
As for my personal experience, my current workplace, Westchester General Hospital in Miami, also fosters collaboration between leaders and workers with the primary goal to achieve better results and guarantee that all workers will be satisfied with the current conditions. First, the dominating paradigm in the given health unit is the cultivation of relations between all specialists regardless of their status, experience, and occupation.
Due to the given method, individuals have an enhanced understanding of how to work together to achieve better results as there are certain guidelines that should be followed (Buch et al., 2018). Moreover, regular meetings are used as one of the main ways to promote shared governance and ensure that all members of the collective are engaged in the decision-making process. It helps to guarantee that all current problems are discussed and find the most effective solutions that can be utilized to ensure the provision of outstanding care to all clients.
Altogether, the model of shared governance can be considered a critically important approach that should be utilized by the majority of current healthcare facilities. The complexity of tasks nurses and therapists perform, along with the unique diversity of patients, preconditions the need for flexible approaches and collective decision-making. Under these conditions, the discussed paradigm becomes an appropriate option that fosters cooperation at all levels, helps to collect information about problematic areas from all specialists, and formulate a unified approach in the course of debates (Buch et al., 2018).
It also helps to minimize mistake rates and ensure higher satisfaction levels among all staff members, which is fundamental for the current healthcare sector. Regular meetings with leaders and top managers help to avoid the accumulation of problems and contribute to their in-time resolution, which is the desired outcome for any health facility.
References
Buch, M., Kiellberg, J., & Holm-Petersen, C. (2018). Implementing integrated care – Lessons from the Odense integrated care trial. International Journal of Integrated Care, 18(4), 6. Web.
George, C. E., Ingle, W. K., & Pogodzinski, B. (2018). Exploring the politics of collective bargaining and unions in education. Educational Policy, 32(2), 143–151. Web.
Leask Capitulo, C., & Olender, L. (2019). Interprofessional shared governance and relationship-based care: implementation and lessons learned. Nursing Management, 26(5), 28-34. Web.