Nurse managers' bookshelf最新文献

Negativism, complaining, underachievement, game playing, passive-aggressive behavior, and workaholism constitute a repertoire of problem employee behaviors that impact on the productivity and morale of the work environment. Responding appropriately to the employee who presents with any of these behaviors is a formidable challenge to the nurse manager. Understanding the etiology of unmet needs, psychosocial dynamics (as discussed in Chapter 1) and variety of interventions can empower the nurse manager to achieve success in these difficult interactions.

Group dynamics play a significant role within any organization, culture, or unit. The important thing to remember with any of these structures is that they are made up of people--people with different ideas, motivations, background, and sometimes different agendas. Most groups, formal or informal, look for a leader in an effort to maintain cohesiveness of the unit. At times, that cultural bond must be developed; once developed, it must be nurtured. There are also times that one of the group no longer finds the culture comfortable and begins to act out behaviorally. It is these times that become trying for the leader as she or he attempts to remain objective when that which was once in the building phase of group cohesiveness starts to fall apart. At all times, the manager must continue to view the employee creating the disturbance as an integral part of the group. It is at this time that it is beneficial to perceive the employee exhibiting problem behaviors as a special employee, as one who needs the benefit of your experience and skills, as one who is still part of the group. It is also during this time that the manager should focus upon her or his own views in the area of power, communication, and the corporate culture of the unit that one has established before attempting to understand another's point of view. Once we understand our own motivation and accept ourselves, it is then that we may move on to offer assistance to another. Once we understand our insecurities recognizing staff dysfunction as a symptom of system dysfunction will not be so threatening to the concept of the manager that we perceive ourselves to be. It takes a secure person to admit that she or he favors staff before deciding to do something to change things. The important thing to know is that it can be done. The favored staff can find a new way of relating to others, the special employee can find new modes of behavior (and even find self-esteem in the process), the group can find new ways of interacting, and the corporate culture can boast of a leader with new views at the helm. In marriage, it takes only two; in a group, it takes a lot more. The dynamics of many people interacting may present difficulties at times; however, the birth of the bond of that group is well worth the effort. Ask any manager.

In summary, unproductive behaviors of employees have long been thought of as necessitating discipline; however, successful managers use a positive approach to discipline rather than a negative approach. A key feature of positive discipline views the final responsibility for behavior change as resting on the employee rather than on the manager.

The management of problem employee behaviors is often the most difficult component of the nurse manager's role. Discipline is viewed as a negative task rather than as an opportunity to refocus employee energies or modify unworkable behaviors. The nurse manager must deal with his or her own reactivity toward the employee who exhibits problem behaviors. The nurse manager's approach will have a major impact on determining the outcome of the interventions. The use of confrontation, refocusing, or modifying problem employee behavior are general strategies to assist in optimizing employee resources to meet the mission of the institution and the functioning of the unit.