Hospitals today need all the help from their employers in different areas such as the care and safety of patients, the mistakes that they make, and the care that they provide to the employees. The case study involved an assessment of the safety needs of the patients and other organizational management technique that is often applied by managers in hospitals. The feedback from the analysis indicated top nine patient safety errors that are frequently reported. The feedback aimed at helping managers to assess and solve problems so that the safety of patients has been maintained in the healthcare environment.
Manager's Use of Group Behavior Feedback
Feedback is considered to be one of the most effective tools in any group and when applied effectively then it can be a tool that gives direct reports which have valuable information relating to individual behavior which results in good assessment. Feedback involves measuring the target behavior changes in a group and giving information. Feedback can be in the form of a percentage, frequency, and rate. From the analysis of the case study, group behavior feedback is useful in finding any medical error at the hospital and the way the errors were followed up and managed by the managers. The result of the assessment was to specifically respond to the patient safety errors in treatment or procedure and witness to falls.
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It is worth noting that behavior-based feedback is linked with job-related behavior that is observed and is vital because it concentrates on observations or tangible data. In this case, subjective feedback often sets the group and directs the feedback up to debate ( Morrison-Valfre, 2012). Basing the feedback on the observations and facts often removes the subjectivity that is linked to the actions which the reports are demonstrating. The most common kind of performance development feedback is considered to be behavior based that involves the observations that were made so as to direct the actions of the report.
An increase in the use of group behavior-based feedback by managers is also important because its focus is on actions and behaviors, and not on the person. It means that this form of feedback concentrates on the actual behaviors and thus reduces the likelihood that workers would feel defensive when it comes to feedback.
It is worth noting that to ensure that the feedback is effective then it needs to be constructive so that it can change the behavior of the group in a positive manner through the process of suggesting better methods of doing something. Constructive feedback does not make people feel bad and aims at making workers be more successful. In addition, timing should be considered to ensure that feedback is effective. When feedback is provided in a timely manner then the workers are able to understand the feedback and are also able to link the feedback with the action that they have just performed. The strategy will ensure that meaningful results have been obtained.
Enhancing Group Effectiveness
The success of any group depends on its effectiveness. Group leaders have the objective of enhancing the effectiveness of their groups in various ways including making sure that there is better team communication. Communication is vital in any team and involves ensuring that there are clear communication channels and understanding between team members which are the most important factors needed for success. Every aspect of the life of a group needs to be clear to every person who is involved. The instructions and expectations especially need to be clear and information sharing needs to be encouraged. Team leaders can encourage catch-up chats and status meetings on a regular basis that would encourage information sharing (Cunningham, 2011).
The next strategy that group leaders can use in enhancing the effectiveness of the team is by creating a culture that encourages learning. A culture of learning is considered to be a valuable asset to any effective team. Through the creation of an open culture, the team is able to feel comfortable in putting their hands up and also in sharing then they require help or in cases where they have made a mistake. The strategy also provides the opportunity for team members to improve their skills on a continuous basis and improve their performance (Nieva, 2003). Learning can be encouraged through sensitizing the employees on online courses and by sponsoring learning courses.
One of the most effective ways of enhancing the effectiveness of a group is through recognition and incentives. The performance of team members often improves when they work towards achieving something that they have been promised such as a reward. These individuals are usually motivated to engage in healthy competition while in the team and at an individual’s level. Simple recognition of the efforts that have been put by a group and celebrating the achievements made can result in the success of the organization.
The Motivational Theory Applicable To Sustain the Results in the Case Study
One of the most vital factors in achieving success in any organization is the ability of the leaders to motivate the employees. It is worth noting that workers in a team are different and thus it can be challenging to understand what motivates them. There are various motivational tools that can be used in the organization, but the one which is applicable in sustaining the four results in the case study is the Maslow’s theory.
The Maslow’s theory indicates that people are often motivated to satisfy different kinds of needs, some of which are considered to be more powerful than the others ( Bratton, 2015). The theory further argues that until the most pressing needs of an individual are satisfied, then the others have little effect on the behavior of a person. It means that people start by satisfying the most pressing needs and then they progress to the less pressing needs. The theory provides a representation of prepotency of needs in the form of a hierarchy. For example, self-actualization is where a person reached the maximum potential. In this case, reports of the events types that were targeted increased in the first month of the intervention and continued to decrease in the following months ( Nieva, 2003). The decrease was an indication of increased employees’ sensitivity as a result of the intervention and thus there was a need to report close can and then learn from them.
From the hierarchy, esteem is the respect from other people, recognition, and self-respect. In this case, managers used this concept to increase the use of group and individual feedback during the intervention phase. There was also a decrease in the application of no intervention which was a big improvement in the process of managing the patient safety errors. The use of group feedback was significant because they felt that the efforts were being recognized.
Conclusion
Just like any other organization, hospitals need to manage their employees effectively to prevent errors from happening. An effective management tool is the provision of feedback. An increase in the use of group behavior-based feedback by managers is also important because its focus is on actions and behaviors, and not on the person. It is worth noting that to ensure that the feedback is effective then it needs to be constructive so that it can be motivated. Motivating team members also ensure the effectiveness of a team. There are various motivational tools that can be used in the organization, but the one which is applicable in sustaining the four results in the case study is the Maslow’s theory.
References
Bratton, J. (2015). Introduction to Work and Organizational Behaviour Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Cunningham, T. R. (2011). What do healthcare managers do after a mistake? Improving responses to medical errors with organizational behavior management : Journal of Communication in Healthcare, Pp. 70-87
Morrison-Valfre, M. (2012). Foundations of mental health care . St. Louis: Elsevier.
Nieva, V. F., and J. Sorra. (2003) " Safety culture assessment: a tool for improving patient safety in healthcare organizations ." BMJ Quality & Safety 12.suppl 2: ii17-ii23.
