Reference no: EM133992677
Assignment:
Read and reflect on Chapter 2 in the text (Supervision: Concepts and Practices of Management 13th Edition by Edwin C. Leonard , Kelly A. Trusty ). Remember to make your decisions about the You Make the Call!
Casee:
You are Dee Sikora, supervisor of housekeeping services at the Benevolent General Hospital, a 300-bed hospital located in Tennessee. You are responsible for the overall housekeeping services. You have several assistants (work-ing supervisors) who report to you. There are 60 full-time and 22 part-time workers in your department.In recent weeks, rumors had been circulating about a major organizing campaign being undertaken by the Service Employees International Union. SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the United States with a focus on healthcare and healthcare properties services. There have been union or-ganizers reported at several of the hospitals in the area, but you have not noticed any union organizers at your hospital and there has not been any word or discussions about this from the hospital administration.The hospital is currently at 60 percent capacity and patients are staying for shorter times. However, the emergency room has a long waiting time most days of the week, and the rooms are filled to capacity most of the time. Early this morning, Charmaine, one of your assistants, gave you a copy of a Boston Globe article that talked about how the North Adams Regional Hospital located in the southwest corner of Massachusetts for the last 129 years would be shutting its doors on Friday. The move came in response to the hospital's worsening financial crisis. The move will create job woes for the 530 full- and part-time employees. The article went on to say that the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the SEIU will fight the decision to close.
You wondered if some-thing like that could happen here.Later in the day, Tom Mays, one of your best employ-ees who has worked for you for seven years, came into your office. This is what he had to say: "Dee, I need your advice. Several of my co-workers have confronted me on three occasions, trying to get me to sign a union authorization card. They're trying to organize all of the housekeeping employees into a union bargaining unit. They are saying that we need a union to protect their jobs, and that we are not being fairly treated, both in wages and benefits, and we need a union to get a fair shake.
They even have been going after me and others while we're trying to get our work done at the hospital. Maybe we do need a union here to protect our jobs. I really don't know who to believe. I know the names of most of the individuals who want a union here at the hospital. Perhaps you can talk to them to see how you can resolve some of their complaints. What should I do in the meantime?"How should you respond to Tom? What should you say and do?You Make the Call!Disclaimer: The above scenario presents a supervisory situation based on real events to be used for educational purposes. The identities of some or all individuals, organizations, industries, and locations, as well as financial and other information may have been disguised to protect individual privacy and proprietary information. In some cases details have been added to improve readability and interest.
Case at the beginning of the chapter before you read the chapter. Try to apply the material covered in the chapter to the opening case as you read through and think about the chapter. After reading the chapter, would you make any other decisions?
1. Identify the major managerial skills every supervisor needs. Why are these skills important? Would you need to work on any of these particular skills to be an effective supervisor?
2. It is often said that planning is the most important managerial function. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Be specific in your responses, and be sure to respond to each part of each question. Give examples or specific ways to apply what you are saying when appropriate.