Introduction
It is hard to disagree that numerous organizations in different fields may sometimes have specific issues that prevent them from being successful in providing their clients with quality services. In such cases, the rational decision-making process is extremely important and useful as it helps the leaders to plan and implement the needed changes. However, these modifications and the selected steps need to be thought through in order not to worsen the situation by choosing wrong options or having most employees be against the plan. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the provided case and those mistakes that the Director of Quality Initiatives at a large hospital made while implementing a program to help prevent medical errors.
Summary of the Case
Before outlining and discussing the main mistake made by the director, it is essential to provide some details of the case. In order to improve patients’ experiences, the Director of Quality Initiatives decided to adopt the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s “20 Tips to Prevent Medical Errors.”1 The staff was required to sign postings to demonstrate that they agreed with the tips and also to wear buttons that would remind them to wash their hands.
However, some quality and experienced employees considered these innovations humiliating and demeaning. According to them, these requirements could indicate not only the desire to improve but also an admission of committing medical errors in the first place. Therefore, despite the director’s desire to improve the hospital’s outcomes and help the medics be more responsible, some weaknesses in the decision-making process made it go wrong.
Applying the Rational Decision-Making Model
Even though all managers have to make certain decisions, they may differ in the systems and models they use, and some leaders do not follow any process at all. At the same time, there is an extended number of effective methods, and the rational decision-making model is one of them. According to researchers, the rational decision-making model is based on the concept of methodical and careful steps, and it is required from the manager and the staff to follow these steps strictly and carefully in order to maintain the rationality of the process.2
The Main Issue in the Case
It is possible to say that the main weakness of the model chosen by the Director of Quality Initiatives, as well as the key problem, is that not all factors were taken into account when planning and implementing the system. According to researchers, “the rational method might entirely discount factors that are of known and obvious value, such as emotions and feelings, experience, or even ethical principles.”2 In other words, when selecting and approving precisely this model, the director did not consider the fact that the new requirements may hurt the feelings of some workers. Indeed, if the director paid closer attention to the phycological traits of the long-term employees, they would think of the possibility of a part of the staff being offended by the new rule, seeing it as a distrust of them and a hint of their incompetence.
Additionally, the manager should have considered other options and alternatives that would immediately begin to be implemented if the initial one appeared to be ineffective. Therefore, unpreparedness is another issue in the study case. Finally, it is also quite dissatisfying that, when numerous staff members refused to follow the new requirements and demonstrated their resistance, nothing was done in order to make the situation better and solve the issue. These are the factors that resulted in the appearance of the problem and thus poor results.
Kanter’s Ten Classic Reasons People Resist Change
Fortunately, there is a list of common reasons that are explained by Kanter, and the explanations of how to address these reasons are also quite helpful.3 The possible reason for some employees to resist the new requirements may be the fact that they were suddenly imposed on the staff, and none of them had time to get used to the idea itself.3 In this case, the hospital’s management should discuss the necessity of the new rules with all employees and ensure then that these changes will not have a negative effect on them. Another possible reason is that the long-term staff members feel some kind of loss of face. For example, they perceive the modifications too personally and believe that they are responsible for the initial reason that required the changes. If this is the real case, the director should honor the efforts of all workers and mention that, since the situation still worsens, this is just another way to deal with it.
Proposing an Alternative Solution
It is possible to suggest that if the manager adopted another plan or decided to add alternative solutions, the hospital would have better results. For example, it would be beneficial to use the employee involvement model. In this specific case, the management, the organization itself, and its workers have the same goals and values, the main of which is to provide the patients with quality care by avoiding medical errors. If the director provided the staff members with all information about the seriousness of the situation and frequency of medical errors, those employees who are now resisting the modifications would probably accept them. They would not feel that the requirements were demeaning because they would appreciate their management’s trust and readiness to share the decision process with the workers.
Benefits of the Proposed Alternative Solution
Certainly, the alternative implementation plan suggested above is quite promising and beneficial. For instance, adopting the employee involvement model can increase the level of trust and respect in the organization and prove that its workers are talented and can be trusted with severe and challenging tasks. What is more, it can allow the management to look at the current issue from another perspective. The created synergy would allow to generate better and innovative solutions, while the employees would also become more determined to achieve the common goal.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that choosing a decision-making model is a quite crucial step that can have a drastic impact on the whole situation. If selected incorrectly, it is possible that the method worsens the specific case and prevents the organization from achieving quality and high outcomes. Additionally, when there is an evident mistake in the adopted model, it is necessary to eliminate it right away so that it does not have time to develop into something more severe. For instance, if a part of the staff members is dissatisfied with the new rules, managers need to learn why and then suggest some alternatives. This is the key to mutual trust and respect between the leaders and employees and successfully implemented changes.
References
20 tips to help prevent medical errors. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Web.
Rational decision making vs. other types of decision making. Lumen. Web.
Kanter RM. Ten reasons people resist change. Harvard Business Review. Web.