Unit 12: Managing Human Resources

Objectives

By the completion of Unit 12 you will be able to

describe how to interview candidates using appropriate questions.
articulate methods to motivate staff and facilitate staff development.
identify types of evaluation methods used for performance evaluation.
describe manager’s responsibilities related to discipline and termination of staff.
identify and manage potential staff problems such as absenteeism and substance abuse.
describe the meaning of key terms used in collective bargaining discussions.
discuss professionalism in the context of unionization.
define career planning and development.

I. Opening Reflection - So Now You Are the Boss

Unit 12 is a longer unit as it deals with the many aspects of managing human resources. For this reason it is suggested that you spend two weeks on this unit. In addition, the application exercise at the conclusion of this unit will give you an opportunity to synthesis your learning from this unit with what you have learned throughout the course.

View this short video titled "BeOutstanding - Employee Motivation Principles of Greatness" located at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj0LMfRZf9Q

Keep the principles articulated in this video in mind as you complete this unit. Are there other principles for a new manager/leader you would add to this list? Perhaps you could compile a list of "Principles that Guide Leaders" in the Unit 12 Conference. Leaders/managers need to be especially principled when dealing with human resources issues.

II. Essential Elements

Required Reading

Kelly, P., & Quesnelle, H. (2016). Nursing leadership and management (3rd Canadian ed.). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.

Chapter 22: Collective Bargaining
Chapter 23: Career Planning and Development: Creating Your Path to the Future

Learning Activities

Remember – select the learning activities that are meaningful and useful for you and your learning.

Activity 1 - Interviewing and Being Interviewed

Review this website https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/job-interview-tips-how-to-make-a-great-impression for some practical advice about being interviewed or conducting interviews. Make some notes in your course notes under the heading Interviews and refer to these next time you are involved in this important human resource process.

Activity 2 – WebShare – What is Your Favorite Interview Question?

Perhaps you would find it informative to share your favorite interview questions with your classmates in the Unit 12 Conference.You might also discover some new and useful questions you can add to your interview guide.

Activity 3 – Conversation with a Staff Development Coordinator

In your organization there is probably at least one person whose primary responsibility is staff motivation, career planning, and staff development. Make an appointment with this person and conduct a conversation focused on themes such as the following:

How do you discover what motivates individuals?
How do you identify staff learning needs?
What strategies do you use to motivate staff?
What methods have been most successful to assist staff members to achieve their full potential?

Compare what you learn in this conversation with the course reading. Summarize your findings in your course notes.

Activity 5 – Performance Evaluation

What type of evaluation method is used to assess your performance? Is it a traditional rating scale, an essay evaluation, a forced distribution evaluation, a behavior-oriented rating scale or a performance assessment focused on results? Read about each of these in your course textbook and obtain a copy of the performance assessment policy/tool used in your organization.

What is your experience with this performance evaluation? Can you make any recommendations for change or improvement in the performance evaluation process based on the knowledge you have gained in this course? Consider sharing your ideas with those in your organization who develop and support performance evaluation processes.

Activity 6 – Employees with Problems – Vignettes

Consider each of the following vignettes and determine what problem the employee in the vignette might be experiencing. It is very important to view each case cautiously and to never draw conclusions without careful assessment. Yet a manager must be aware of potential problems employees may experience and take action to assist the employee and protect the patients if a problem does exist.

Vignette 1 – Everyone calls Jackie RN a type A person. She is always the first one to comment at a staff meeting when you ask for ideas regarding how to deal with a problem on the unit. You frequently observe her critiquing other staff members and telling them exactly how to deal with a patient or family member. Often she speaks loudly (and confidently) while doing so. You notice others avoiding Jackie and she often sits alone a coffee break (when she takes one).

To see the answer, drag your mouse to highlight the area to the right of the word "Answer:" below.

Answer: ->overachiever or super achiever<-

Vignette 2 – John RN is always complaining! He is often waiting for you when you arrive at your office and comes in, closes the door and sits down to let you know how things are going on the unit. You notice that when John is working, the morale on the unit seems to be negatively influenced. The complaining is contagious.

Answer: ->disgruntled<-

Vignette 3 – Sally RN often arrives for work just 1 or 2 minutes late and on the run. She is usually carrying a coffee and puts her work shoes on during report. She never has time to hang her coat in her locker and it is in the charting room until she leaves for the day (again on the run). You notice her being a little short-tempered with students who ask her questions and she seems to rush in and out of patients’ rooms to get supplies she has forgotten to take along with her.

Answer: ->overstressed<-

Vignette 4 – Jane’s co-workers have started complaining that Jane has become irritable lately. She is often late for work but has very legitimate sounding excuses. You note that she looks tired and has started wearing wrinkled uniforms and her hair is not in a neat bun the way she used to wear it. Last week she asked you if she could switch to a permanent night rotation due to family problems.

Answer: ->substance abuse<-

Activity 8- The Language of Collective Bargaining: A Criss Cross Puzzle

As a manager you will need to be aware of the process of collective bargaining. As you work with the union (or unions) that represent those you employee it will be helpful to you to be very comfortable with the language used. Try to learn these key collective bargaining terms by completing this criss cross puzzle.

Try the puzzle

III. Endnotes – I Wish My Manager Would…

Here is an opportunity for you to do a little action research that will help you as you step into the role of leader/manager.

First, read Melissa Rafffoni's 2010 blog post on "Eight Things Your Employees Want from You" located at http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/03/important_reminders_for_anyone.html

Next, set out to ask people in your life (person and professional) the same question. Did you find some commonalities? What are you going to do when you are a manager/leader? Record your top 10 answers in your course notes.

IV. Assignment Information

Assignment 4, Design an Organization, (worth 25% of your final grade) is due at the end of Unit 12. Please see the Assessment Overview documents for details about the assignment and the marking criteria.

Application Exercise #4 – From Theory to Practice

This is the last of the four application exercises in this course. Please spend some time working through this exercise as it should provide you with a chance to utilize the theory in a practical way that you will take with you into your practice as a leader/manager.

NOTE: To complete this portion of Assignment 5 valued at 5% of your final grade, you need to complete Application Exercise #4 and then make a posting in the Unit 12 Conference. Please review the Assessment document before you make your posting so that you are aware of how your posting will be evaluated. Your tutor will be reviewing your posting to see if you have summarized the key findings you discovered in doing the application exercise. Your posting will achieve the maximum value if it is succinct and insightful showing clearly how you have applied the theory learned in the course to a practical situation.

Being Influential: Leadership in Action

A leader is defined as “...anyone how used interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal” (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p. 45). Sullivan (2013) puts forward the assumption that, “nurses can develop the skills...to become more influential” (p. xvii). In other words, you can become a leader, a person of influence. Hopefully, what you have learned in Nursing 432 has given you a strong theoretical foundation and practical tools to lead. This application exercise is designed to assist you to use what you have learned to become influential.

First – review the section on “Leadership” in Chapter 8 of the Kelly and Quesnelle course textbook. Pay particular attention to “Kouzes and Posner’s Five Leadership Practices” on page 180 of your course textbook (Kelly & Quesnelle, 2016).

Second – read

Sullivan, E. J. (2013.) Becoming influential: A guide for nurses (2^nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Chapters 1, 2, 13, and 14.

Third – Review advice on building a professional network. One example for review is https://careerprocanada.ca/10-tips-building-professional-network/

Fourth – Put your influence to work. Which exercise you chose will depend on where you are on your career-path Do one of the following –

Prepare a Powerpoint Presentation – focused on Leadership in Nursing incorporating the key lessons you have learned in this course and offer to share it with someone or a group in your network.
Build or Add to Your Resume – redo your resume giving it a leadership/management focus to prepare yourself to apply for a leadership role (or for a higher level role if you are already in a leadership position). Ensure that you include a statement of your philosophy of leadership and emphasize aspects of your past employment that utilized leadership/management skills. Share you revised resume with someone in your network.
Complete an Honest Self-assessment - read the "Considering Your Next Job" section on pages 172 - 174 in Sullivan (2013). Pay particular attention to the components of a self-assessment. Spend some time in doing this self-assessment and reflect on your current situation and on how you plan to improve. Prepare your own " Personal Board of Directors" - a "group of people we turn to for advice" (Sullivan, 2013, p. 186) to help you with your improvement plan.
Mentor Review - think of all the people who have helped you get to the point you are at in your career and make a list of these people. Specifically record what they taught you and how they contributed to your learning. Contact some of them to thank them and to discuss with them their influence on you. Look for opportunities to share these leadership lessons with others you encounter.
Make a Conceptual Quilt – decide which major concepts, theories, ideas and metaphors in this course made an "impression" on you and are worth holding onto and incorporating into your practice. You might discover many of these in your course notes. Could you array these into a quilt pattern using Paint or a similar program?

Finally – share the major insights you gained from this final application exercise in the Unit 12 Conference for assessment by your tutor.

References

Barclay, J. (2018). 10 tips for building your professional network. Retrieved from https://careerprocanada.ca/10-tips-building-professional-network/

Indeed. (2020). 21 job interview tips: How to make a great impression. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/job-interview-tips-how-to-make-a-great-impression

Kelly, P., & Quesnelle, H. (2016). Nursing leadership and management (3rd Canadian ed.). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd.

Profiles International. (2011). BeOutstanding - Employee motivation principles of greatness. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj0LMfRZf9Q

Raffoni, M. (2010, March 4). Eight things your employees want from you. [Web blog post]. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2010/03/important-reminders-for-anyone

Sullivan, E. (2013). Becoming Influential: A guide for nurses (2^nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Sullivan, E., & Decker, P. (2009). Effective leadership and management in nursing (7^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.