Case Study: The New Director

[Guest guest]

Here is the next is our case study series. Please read it and respond.

You may also use this case study in sessions with staff or students as long

as you cite to copyright appropriately.

This is a very good case for novice managers or manager wannabees.

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The New Director

The Scenario

Mr. Fred Dwyer has been director of PT and Rehabilitation at St. Issac

Hospital for six weeks. He has 10 years experience as a manager and 15 as

a PT. Prior to Fred accepting this position, it had been vacant for 12

months after the previous director was terminated. Fred is not completely

aware of all the circumstances leading to the previous director's dismissal.

St. Issac Hospital is a 250 bed community hospital in suburban Chicago.

Physical therapists at St. Issac are involved in treating patients on the

medical/surgical units, the 20 bed adult rehab unit, and in the outpatient

department.

Suburban Chicago has been a very difficult recruitment environment for

quite some time. There are many PT jobs available and not enough PTs to

fill them. Currently St. Issac has 8 full time PTs but 4 additional

positions are open and have been for over 8 months.

Fred reports to Jan , Vice President of Professional Services who

hired Fred. Jan believes that PT, like all of the services under her

should be productive, growing and fully staffed. Jan often considers PTs

as technicians in the same category as housekeeping and maintenance

personnel. Fred has repeated explained that PTs are much more like medical

staff members in their autonomy and ability to produce revenue and positive

patient relationships for the hospital. Fred is sure that Jan is unswayed

by his arguments.

Upon his arrival, Fred decided to be sure he knew what was going on in the

department before he changed anything. Fred found no managerial hierarchy

within the department. Each staff member reported directly to him. There

were no differentiated duties or expertise recognized within the

department. Volume within the department is increasing steadily but so is

staff frustration, complaints and use of sick time. Staff are currently

treating 12-15 patients each day, including at least two rehab patients.

Fred is also seeing a full load of patients to help keep up. Staff morale

is low and there are rumors of a possible mass staff exodus if the new

director " did not fix things quickly " .

The Crisis

This morning, after 6 weeks on the job, Fred was called to Jan's office

because members of the staff had written a letter to Administration to

complain.

During the brief meeting Jan would not show Fred the letter, but told Fred

that it came from most but not all of his staff. The complaints that Jan

related to Fred include the following (in the order that Jan mentioned them):

The work load is too high for quality treatment.

Things are no better with the new director than they were when the

position was open.

There is no program development occurring.

Morale is terrible.

The director is not available to staff because he spends too much of his

time on unimportant " political " issues.

No new staff has been hired to help.

When problems are brought to the new director, he " doesn't solve them for

us " but says " let's work this through together " . Then he expects the

staff to solve the problem themselves.

No one knows how they are performing. No one says thanks.

Rumors are out of control.

If things don't get better, a large percentage of the staff will leave

very soon.

Jan told Fred to " fix this now. I don't want any more of this kind of

letter. "

When Fred asked for suggestions, Jan suggested that that was his job, but

to keep her apprised in writing.

Fred is now sitting in his office reviewing the events of the past six

weeks and his possible actions.

1. Is the situation resolvable?

2. Is this unexpected after 6 weeks on the job?

3. What symptoms are present?

4. What are the real problems here?

5. What actions should Fred take with the Staff?

6. What actions should Fred take with Jan?

7. What actions should Fred take with the department as a whole?

8. Should Fred be treating a full case load at this point? If not, how

much time should he devote to patient care versus managing the department?

Will staff lose even more respect for him if he doesn't help with patients?

9. What will be different in 6 months if Fred is successful in turning

things around?

Copyright 1995-8 KovacekManagementServices, Permission is granted for

non-commercial use. Questions regarding use should be directed to the author

R. Kovacek, MSA, PT

KovacekManagementServices, Inc.

The FOCUS Group, Inc.

20225 Danbury Lane

Harper Woods, MI 48225

Fax

Email Pkovacek@...

<http://www.theFOCUSgroup.net>

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