You can find Kamal’s original post here: https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/2018/10/15/organization-and-systems-thinking-week-3-dq-post/
In your discussion of the managerial practices in Fraser Health, Kamal, you referred to the need for communication about performance to be done with consideration for how it will impact the employee. “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” (Badesha, 2018, para. 1). Maintaining high standards is necessary for continued growth of any organization though it seems particularly vital in healthcare! Providing feedback in a manner that facilitates the understanding and subsequent changes in practice or behaviour can be a delicate matter even when people know it is part of good practice. “The starting point of breaking the cycle of low expectations is to assume and listen for the positives” (Lepsinger, 2010, p. 57). In the pressures of the work environment we can often be so focused on results that we fail to do what we know will increase productivity–build up the people! The most powerful effect of behaviour modification is the change it will produce on the leader who is practicing the principles to create change in others. If high expectations deliver higher performances, then leaders should focus on their own need to demonstrate the five leadership competencies mentioned in Lepsinger (2010, p. 59):
- Enhance the other person’s feelings of importance and self-worth.
- Encouraging people to step out of their comfort zones.
- Creating a supportive environment that is safe for risk taking.
- Reinforcing positive behaviours and clarifying what ‘good looks like.’
- Providing feedback that is balanced and constructive.
Even when working with recalcitrant children or children who are not progressing academically, our assessment always begins by listing their strengths. This turns our focus on what they “can do” instead of the deficits. Students perform better when there is something to work toward instead of a list of things to avoid; adults respond similarly, in my experience. There are many times when a kind word, a positive interaction, and a brief respite can empower employees to continue striving for increased results.
Atha mentions the power of the tongue, as addressed in James 3:3-6, which “can introduce small changes to personal or organizational perspectives that can affect/effect the entire outcome of corporate or personal relations; positively or negatively” (Atha, 2018, p. 5). With this kind of power comes great responsibility to use this little but mighty God-given tool for good. Do you find that your positive interactions empower the people you manage, Kamal? Can your comments and conversations send more powerful messages that override the less-than-complimentary conversations that some leaders in your organization have with the employees they are trying to bring to a higher standard? I appreciate your focus on the words we so so often use flippantly, forgetting their long-lasting impact on others. Organizational systems are so interrelated that when one part is negatively impacted, the other parts are also going to feel the effects (Zeeman, 2017, para. 13). I Corinthians 12:12-27 speaks to the importance of all parts of the body working together even though each part has its own place and function. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.” This is how systems should work.
References
Atha, D. (2018). A systems thinking primer: Seeing organizations in action. [Course Notes]. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/unit-3-learning-activities/
Lepsinger, R. (2010). Closing the execution gap: How great leaders and their companies get results. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Zeeman, A. (2017). Senge’s Five Disciplines of Learning Organizations. Retrieved [insert date] from ToolsHero: https://www.toolshero.com/management/five-disciplines-learning-organizations/
Badesha, K. (October 2018). Organization and systems thinking: Week 3 DQ post. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/ldrs501/2018/10/15/organization-and-systems-thinking-week-3-dq-post/