Overcoming cultural barriers to changeSandra Hill; Des McNulty
1998 Health Manpower Management
doi: 10.1108/09552069810196577pmid: 10346302
This article is a case study which focuses on organisational and cultural change associated with the incorporation of a college which provided pre‐ and post‐registration nursing and midwifery education into a much larger institution within the university sector. Among the issues addressed is whether transformational change, such as that represented by incorporation or merger, can be used by managers to successfully refashion the culture of the organisation, making more effective than traditional or discipline‐based management structures. It examines the barriers to change and the various considerations that arose in determining the fit of managerial styles and assesses the outcomes of the process of change.
“It’s just like somebody’s turned on a light”: an NVQ success story from the voluntary sectorAnne Fearfull
1998 Health Manpower Management
doi: 10.1108/09552069810196586pmid: 10346295
This paper reports the findings of an original piece of case study research conducted in a voluntary sector organisation engaged in the provision of care in the community. The organisation caters for three client groups: the elderly; people with learning disabilities; and people suffering from mental ill health. The aim is to promote a good quality of life through personal dignity, individuality and self‐determination; and to provide a high standard of nursing care and social support within a homely environment. The organisation employs both professionally qualified nurses, i.e. Registered General and Registered Mental Nurses (RGNs and RMNs), and non‐professionally qualified staff, i.e. care/support workers, in order to achieve those aims. The circumstances leading to the decision to introduce the NVQ in Care is examined, as is the level of success with regard to how candidates, their assessors and their managers perceived enhancements in candidates’ work performance.
The logic of job‐sharing in the provision and delivery of health careMohamed Branine
1998 Health Manpower Management
doi: 10.1108/09552069810196595pmid: 10346296
By definition the practice of job‐sharing starts from the premiss that there is a full‐time job to be shared by those who want to balance their work with other commitments. In a public sector institution, such as the National Health Service (NHS), where most employees are female, it seems logical to believe that a job‐sharing policy would be able to promote equal opportunities, to increase employee job satisfaction and to reduce labour costs. Hence, this paper attempts to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having a job‐sharing policy, and to analyse the reasons for the limited number of job‐sharers in the NHS despite the apparent benefits of job‐sharing to both the employees and the employer. This study was carried out in 15 NHS Trusts in northern England and Scotland, by the use of questionnaires and interviews, and found that most NHS managers did not see the practice of job‐sharing as a major cost‐saving opportunity or as a working pattern that would enhance employee satisfaction and commitment. They saw job‐sharing as just a routine equal opportunities request which did not deserve such managerial attention or long‐term strategic thinking. It is argued in this paper that job‐sharing is a potentially useful option against a background of demographic and other social and economic changes which require the development and use of long‐term strategic policies. Therefore it is concluded that, in the NHS, there is a need for a more active and creative approach to job‐sharing rather than the reactive and passive approach that has dominated the practice so far.
The changing context of employment in the NHS: some legal implications of changes to employment contractsTerry Desombre; Richard Benny
1998 Health Manpower Management
doi: 10.1108/09552069810196603pmid: 10346297
The NHS has undergone and continues to undergo rapid change. As a result of this the duties and responsibilities of employees will also change. Managers within the NHS have a responsibility to ensure that appropriate contracts of employment are held by employees and that, where required, variations in these contracts are documented. This paper uses the example of the changing role of the executive nurse director to highlight the importance of this need. It concludes by warning that failure to consider both the legal duties placed on employers when implementing contractual variations and the legal implications of adopting an unlawful method of variation, might lead to large legal bills and a demand on managerial time dealing with any legal claim against the employer.
The secret of good conversation ‐ investing in successJocelyn Ryder‐Smith
1998 Health Manpower Management
doi: 10.1108/09552069810196621pmid: 10346299
Organisations are created by conversations. They are key in all decisions. Negative conversations are familiar and a big investment in failure. We can learn to have positive and creative conversations and to make them even more effective by understanding differences and “talking each other’s language”. There are two models for successful conversations which the author uses in organisation and team development: The Mobius Model (Stockton, 1996) and the Myers‐Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The Mobius maps the six stages of effective conversations and enables teams to identify strengths and gaps in how they work. The MBTI provides a logical framework of personality difference which increases mutual understanding, supports the different stages of Mobius conversations, and enables people to identify and respond positively to others who are unlike themselves. The impact of learning these models can be ‐ and frequently is ‐ dramatically improved outcomes.
Skills required for healthy commissioningSue Jackson
1998 Health Manpower Management
doi: 10.1108/09552069810196630pmid: 10346301
There can be no doubt that literature regarding healthcare commissioning is on the increase. In particular, documentation is continuously emerging on the innovative models which have been designed and implemented to secure effective healthcare for the future. However, the literature tends to focus on the processes that have been designed rather than any required changes in human skills and outlook. While this article examines some of the organisational issues surrounding healthcare commissioning, it also covers the changes and demands required of the personnel practising within the purchasing arms of the National Health Service.