Lincoln Hospital Case

1. If you had been called by Lincoln’s president to help resolve the problems described in the case, how would you have carried out the contracting and diagnosis stages? Considering this is a large organization with so many levels, this case requires preliminary data. The preliminary data are necessary to get a better insight of all the issues that is plaguing the hospital. This entailed probing hospital records and conducting interviews with the chief of staff, Don and OR director, Mary. I will also interview everyone from the president, vice presidents, administration, doctors, and nurses. The staff all plays a central role in the case. I will need preliminary data to provide with a clear picture of what I am dealing with and to pinpoint

the issues within the hospital (Cummings & Worley, 2009). Once I present the data to the Present of Lincoln hospital, the contracting stage will begin.
1. First, the client and the OD practitioner need to discuss everything from having common expectations, discussing time and resources, and creating a set of rules for their business relationship. The contracting process requires a well-defined contract that results in either verbal or a written agreement (Cummings & Worley, 2009. p. 325). The client and the OD will clarify to one another what is expected from their business arrangement. The client must have a clear grasp of the service that they will receive. Whereas, the OD practitioner will go into detail of what they expect from the service that they are providing. The client and OD practitioner should have similar expectations regarding the change that will take place within the organization.
2. Next the client and I will focus on our expectations about our business relationship, and the entire process as a whole.
3. In order to provide my client and their organization to a successful change, I must dedicate my time and the necessary resources to perform my duty. My client and I must communicate about the amount of time and resources should be allocated.
4. Lastly, the client and I will settle on a reliable and proper interventions. I will facilitate change to make Lincoln hospital operate efficiently and more productively. Interventions alter features of the organizations environment resulting in changes in the employees and changes in the organizational (Coleman, 2009).
Of course the diagnostic phase can be a sizeable process. Especially when dealing with a hospital that can be so complex due to all its levels. Therefore, diagnosing will take time to examine the functioning of this type of organization. I will gather information that relates to the issues within the hospital. The information will assist me in locating the problem areas. Once the problem is located, I can examine the source of the trouble and figure out solutions that fits this particular organization. I know as an OD practitioner that effective diagnosing leads to better awareness about the hospital that is required to construct a suitable intervention (Cummings & Worley, 2009).
What would you have done differently than the OD consultant did? In my opinion, the rest of the staff should have had the third-party intervention as well. The case discussed the surgeons having problems with each other. In fact, the doctors and nurses did not get long at all. Therefore, with no unity among the staff, the hospital cannot be successful in reaching their planned goal of change. That is why I feel the staff would benefit from the third- party intervention.
5. Is third-party intervention an appropriate intervention in this case? I believe third-party intervention was a great approach because it is designed in helping one or more individuals in working through and handle their feelings. Third- party works well in situations such as with Don and Mary they were willing to face their conflict head on. That is an aspect that is important in third-party intervention. For example, the exercises helped to confront their issues and to recognize how each of them plays significant roles in the success of the hospital. The approach also allowed them to see the positive traits in one another. Instead of allowing personality clashes and delusions about each other, they learned to respect each other. Other possible interventions? Team building is another possibly for Lincoln hospital. This particular approach can help the hospital staff improve their interpersonal relationships, enhance the team dynamic, and a nicer work environment. Team building is a good way of getting the staff' to bond. Creating a sense of unity and having common goal of enhancing the staff’s teamwork can be done through team building. This is a perfect approach to educate the staff on problem solving skills required to confront any hospital challenges.
6.

How effective was the third party intervention? The third-party intervention was a success for Don and Mary’s relationship. The third-party facilitator had Don and Mary answer three questions.
1.) What does he or she do well?
2.) What do I think I do that bugs him or her?
3.) What does he or she do that bugs me? (Cummings & Worley, 2009. p. 325).
The questions were a great help. It provided the two time to get use to this obviously combative situation before either of them had a chance to tear into one another. The exercise help drive an element of rationality into an already sensitive charged situation (Cummings & Worley, 2009). The answers to the questions required specific responses concerning behaviors, not personal generalizations about personalities. Don and Mary listed specific behaviors about each other that allowed each other to recognize that the things that irritated each other could be changed. They were told to orally explain their responses. Due to the level of the hostility towards each other; it was safer for them to read their responses first to the third party facilitator. However, to understand the other’s perception, each party must hear the others comments. Shockingly, Don was astonished by Mary’s response to the first question. She had nothing but positive comments about him. He always viewed her as the enemy and he expected her to say awful things about him. He was amazed by the respect that she felt for him. Many of his negative feelings about her began to leave, as a result of her remarks. It’s difficult to be enraged by someone that speaks so highly of you. Therefore, he found it to be much easier to listen to the things that he does to irritate her. If you accompanied something positive with negative critiques, is it usually less painless to

accept.
Prior to laying blame each other, the two were forced to observe their own actions. Mary mentioned that she never once thought that her actions could have caused Don to react this way. It became apparent through the oral discussion neither one was intentionally causing conflict for the other one. The discussion also revealed that Don and Mary were more critical of themselves oppose to each other. As a result, the two were less combative towards one another compared to the very beginning. The facilitator next pinpoints the issues for Don and Mary to discuss. Both of them wrote responses to the third question. Some of the issues that were identified could be quickly resolved. Whereas, other problems within the organization would take more time to fix. However, it was clear that the two understood their priorities to make a positive change. Lastly, the two agreed that there must be certain changes implemented in the hospital. Each were able to describe and negotiate their expectations of one another and the responsibilities that they are willing to assume. The facilitator method resulted in Don and Mary equally responsible for fixing every issue and to work together to facilitate the proper change to have Lincoln hospital running efficiently. Don, Mary, and the three vice presidents had four more meeting within that next year. Each person was interviewed prior to the meetings. The facilitator was able to hear reports about the hospital and their progress. It was important in those meetings to have Don and Mary list positive incidents and aspects that they respected about each other. Then they all reviewed everyone ones responses from the prior meeting. The meetings helped to facilitate trust between the two. And any promise that was not carried out, plans were made to complete it by the next meeting. Thus, Don and Mary’s had a positive experience overall. Having to face one another and discuss their issues helped them recognize their own negative behaviors. The exercise also showed that their perception of one another was inaccurate. Ultimately, the third-party intervention created unity between Don and Mary that assisted in bringing change to Lincoln hospital.