Organization and Systems Thinking Week 3 DQ post

I currently work for Fraser Health Authority and have been working with this healthcare organization since 2003, since my student nursing years.  There are the number of hierarchies starting from the board of directors, CEO, president etc. to frontline staff.  I am a coordinator and I receive orders from my manager, who receives orders from the director, the director of the executive director and it goes on.  Fraser health believes in “Better Health, Best in Health Care”.  It takes a lot of organization and structure to share a common vision in such a big health care authority as Fraser health.  I believe while manager and directors along with frontline staff work their hardest to maintain and practice a common vision, and thinking there are always challenges.  As for systems thinking principle, I can comment on my managers and on areas of Fraser Health where I have worked.  I believe managers are aware of the co-relations of actions and how one has an impact on the other.   As mentioned by Lepsinger 2010, “High expectations for performance appear to affect both the leader and the employee.  It causes managers to treat both employees differently and provide support and feedback.”  While this is necessary, I believe the manager has to be careful how it is communicated to the employee without coming across as minimizing their effort and belittling them.  Communication is one of the barriers at times and which leads to a negative outcome.  While there are some great managers in Fraser health I believe it could be improved and changed in others.

Team learning is one of the other 5 laws stated by Senge which has been the focus in one my previous workplace and current, once again in Fraser Health organization.  Team environment has a tremendous impact on the outcome of performance for both employees and leaders.  Within my organization, we do team retreats.   During team retreats, we organize outings, presentations, potlucks, etc.  While spending quality time outside of workplace with co-workers presentations has been focused on learnings, such as motivational dialogue with our mental health clients, or how to improve communication with team members, documentation etc.  The focus of team retreats is usually to connect with one another in a different environment other than typical workplace and ensuring we learn at the same time.  Thus, along with fun and activities the learning via presentations is organized.  As stated by Senge’s team learning the law, “The working environment should be safe where honest mistakes are forgiven. Otherwise, no learning can be experienced”.  A team retreat gives the employee and management the opportunity to be vulnerable, share personal vulnerabilities and not be afraid of being judged.

While, Fraser Health is doing the best they can at serving patients, residents, families, I think there is still more that could be done to recognize employees.  “A supportive environment encourages people and makes them more comfortable with trying new behaviors and taking on challenging assignments.  The existence of this type of environment is directly related to the leader’s behavior” (Lepsinger, 2010).  This is one of the learning disability I would say which is ongoing and management can always improve on creating that supportive environment for employees.  Employee recognition is still lacking and frontline or direct care staff feels unappreciated at times.  Although management does not intend to minimize employee performance, they don’t make much effort to ensure employees know their importance as much either.  Sometimes management forgets to understand the emotions and values of direct care staff.  Northouse, 2016 suggest, “Transformational Leaders involves an exceptional form of influence that moves followers to accomplish more than what is usually expected from them”.  The management team must lead by example.

If I had the opportunity to speak with the higher management team within Fraser health I would highly recommend as stated in Lepsinger, 2010 they create a supportive environment and catch employees doing something right as opposed to always seeking what they might be doing wrong.  Recognition goes a long way.  Simple rewards, encouragement, and motivation may lead to exceeding performance by employees.  It is important to let employees know their opinion matters.  They matter, their voice is being heard.  Hughes et. Al, 2014 states, “People come together and bring multiple perspectives, different sets of data and information, and different experiences”.   Sometimes, management forgets to seek opinions of those who are in direct care and make changes without knowing how it may impact the employees.  This causes resentment by employees towards management.   This later creates a toxic environment and leads to a decreased performance by employees.  This kind of environment will have a negative impact on our patients and residents.  Management thus needs to be mindful of this, and remember that a simple recognition of employees and listening to their voices will have long-term positive results.

Critically thinking, I ask you if anyone has experienced similar work environments and felt employees were not being heard or perhaps management could improve.  What are some strategies you could share which may help create a supportive environment?  What are the boundaries, how much is too much and how much is too less when recognizing employees, for example, how can it be done safely and respectfully without creating a sense of entitlement in employees as well?

References:

Galbraith, J. R. (2014) Designing Organizations: strategy, structure, and process at the business unit and enterprise levels. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hughes R., Colarelli-Beatty K. & Dinwoodie  D. (2014) Becoming a Strategic Leader. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Second Edition.

Lepsinger  R. (2010) Closing the Execution Gap. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Senge’s Five Disciplines of Learning Organizations. (2018, May 20). Retrieved from https://www.toolshero.com/management/five-disciplines-learning-organizations/

Ungerer, M., Ungerer, G., & Herholdt, J. (2016). Navigating Strategic Possibilities: Strategy Formulation and Execution Practices to Flourish. Randburg: KR Publishing.