CASE FOR COMPETENCY DEVELOPMENT Peachtree Hospital “The administrator and the human resource (HA) dector of a large hospital were discussing problems of the hospital's organi- zational structure. Ithas been their practice to mest at least bi "month to review the hospitals operations and stafing. The hos- pital had been open for less than a year, and the staf had spent the better part of its time recruiting and training employees. Tho ‘administrator belioved that sufficient “shake down” time had lapsed that hospital staf and organizational problems encoun- tored would be “exceptions” to policies on the books. The admin- istrator, however, was concerned with the high turnover (over 45, percent for nurses and licensed practioners), absenteeism, un- Cleanliness of the wards, and loss of medical supplies. The HR director felt that these problems stil reflected “start-up" conditions and would be solved within another month structure and policies. The results were tabulated, and a sum- mary was prepared for the administrator. The following were ‘some of the important findings. 1. ‘Twenty-five percent of the orderlies and maintenance em- ployees felt that there was uncertainty concerning the na- ture of their jobs. 2. Thirty percent ofthe orderties and maintenance employees felt that they often had difculty obtaining job-related infor- ‘mation trom their supervisors. 3, Thirty percent of all employees could not name thei inn diate supervisor. 4, Thirty-five percent of the administrative staf felt that they were not given authority consistent with their responsibilty (of $0. The administrator, who believed that the organization's charts, job descriptions, and policy manuals clearly covered all areas, couldn't understand the problems. Furthermore, all the Personnel had been trained by the hospital, and many had sev= ‘eral years' experience at other hospitals before coring to this hospital ‘The HR director agreed with many of the points raised by the administrator but added that formal organization charts and job descriptions didn’t ensure that employees would behave cor- rectly. However, the HR director did agree to conduct a survey 10 determine the extent to which employees understood the or- «ganization and its policies. Neary all 1,200 of the hospita’s administrators, doctors, hurses, technicians, maintenance workers, and others com- pleted the questionnaire. It contained more than 150 items dealing with a varlely of issues concerning the organization's 5. Twenty percent of the nurses did not know their decision- making rights. 6. Forty percent of all employees did not know whether they wore performing line or staff functions. ‘The hospital administrator was shocked when she read these statements Questions 1. What would be your response to the administrator if you wore the HR director? 2. What are some ofthe authority and responsiblity problems at Peachtree Hospital? How might the administrator determine whether the current structure ofthe hospital was the most effective?