Question

You are an anesthesiologist with two decades of experience and are the head of you professional practice firm with six other physicians and numerous other highly trained and skilled professional assistants. The executive director of the hospital where you and most of your associates practice is proposing to set policies that will, in your opinion, severely restrict the collegial atmosphere physicians have enjoyed. While your first impulse is to “pull rank” on this non-physician executive director, you decide to propose methods from various schools of management in an attempt to appeal to her managerial background. Select two or more different management school approaches and explain how they can be used to obviate the need for the intrusive policy changes proposed. Three of the physicians in your practice are not opposed to the policies proposed and make clear their intent to actively support the executive director. Describe how you, as head of the firm would use methods from various management schools to deal with this conflict.

Answer 1

To address the policy changes proposed by the Executive Director and internal conflict within the practice, an anesthesiologist can use approaches from different schools of management, including the human relations, systems, and behavioral schools. This includes fostering worker satisfaction, viewing the hospital as an interrelated system, and applying conflict resolution and open communication strategies.

Step-by-step explanation:

In addressing the proposed policy changes by the Executive Director of the hospital, an anesthesiologist heading a professional practice can utilize various management school approaches to find a collaborative solution. Firstly, employing the human relations school of management can help emphasize the importance of worker satisfaction and cultivate a collaborative environment where policies are shaped by both management and medical staff. This approach fosters a collegial atmosphere by valuing the feedback and emotions of employees. Secondly, the systems school of management could be proposed, where the hospital is seen as an interrelated system. This school of thought would encourage policies that ensure each part, including the anesthesiology department, operates optimally for the benefit of the whole system.

When dealing with internal conflict, such as the three physicians supporting the Executive Director's policies, utilizing the conflict resolution techniques from the behavioral school would be beneficial. This would involve open communication and negotiation to understand the diverse viewpoints within the practice and reach a compromise that aligns with the firm’s vision and respects the professional autonomy of the physicians.

Fostering an environment that accommodates feedback, as seen in the case of the ED of the human services agency, is crucial. By enacting practices that promote open communication and transparency, trust issues and resistance to change can be mitigated, resulting in more productive outcomes. Furthermore, engaging all practitioners in the decision-making process aligns with modern trends towards flat organizational structures, ensuring that every member of the team, regardless of rank, feels valued and heard. This horizontal integration is crucial in managing policy shifts in contemporary medical settings.