FEATURE LABORATORY MANAGEMENT
pathologists to the couriers is part of the team. This is not difficult to achieve if the team as a whole has a compelling direction. Put simply, each team member knows and agrees on what we’re supposed to be doing together, namely, producing accurate and reliable test results that ensure patient safety. Our formal accreditation helps us to keep this goal in focus at all times. A successful team will also have an enabling structure. A team that has vaguely designed tasks, the wrong number or mix of members, or non- standardized procedures will invariably get into trouble. Another important factor
“Communication skills do not seem to come naturally to many laboratory professionals”
for a successful team is a supportive organizational context. Our team would not work without support from HR and IT for example. It also could not meet accreditation standards, a costly endeavor, without the financial support of our hospital administration. Another key to a successful team is a focus on coaching the team as a group. As laboratory managers we often tend to focus more on individual performance (which is reasonable since we want to make sure each team member is competent) but this should not be done at the expense of teamwork coaching. Although effective teamwork has been
consistently identified as a requirement for enhanced clinical outcomes in the provision of healthcare, there is little formal training in teamwork skill development in undergraduate or postgraduate health professional education programs. Teamwork skills are largely learned on-the-job. A laboratory manager has the added challenge of managing a multicultural laboratory team. One of my most rewarding and enriching experiences of working in Dubai is to meet and work with people from many different cultures. I did manage to discover that in one particular culture saying ‘yes’ actually means ‘maybe’. And in another culture, it is impolite to say ‘no’ so instead you hear ‘I’ll try’. It is OK to be late in some cultures and so on.
Laboratory managers working within this context cannot afford to deny the real differences that exist. But these differences don’t have to stand in the way of managing a successful laboratory team. The first step is to open up the channels of communication and establish a comfortable relationship with employees.
THEART OF COMMUNICATION I am weary of generalizations but here is one that has proven accurate, at least in my own experience. Communication skills do not seem to come naturally to many laboratory professionals. Often people working in the laboratory are there because they wanted to be in healthcare, but not necessarily work closely with other people! It becomes even more important to communicate properly, avoiding vagueness. There is a difference between telling a technologist that ‘the new method validation is very important’ and telling her that ‘you require the new method validation to be completed by close of business on Friday’. It is not within the scope of this
article to discuss in detail the various personality types. But a manager should at least be aware of personality dimensions and how to best communicate with different individuals. Attending a course on personality types might help, but ultimately it is about doing the hard work of getting to know your team members. Only then will you recognize any differences in their core values. With time you’ll know who is optimistic, who likes to push boundaries,
Figure 1: Kolb’s learning styles
Concrete Experience Feeling
Accommodating (feel and do) CE/AE
Diverging
(feel and watch) CE/RO
who is predictable, who is a perfectionist… A coffee cup (or tea if you prefer) can be an excellent management tool! Here is another reminder about cultural differences. Having grown up in Australia, the books about communication instructed me to ‘maintain eye contact’. This may be considered disrespectful in a particular culture. Learning to communicate in the context of cultural differences is very useful but it is also important to avoid stereotyping. When communicating with staff, your attitude is just as important as your words. Remember that listening is also a communication skill. Finally, do not overdose on memos or overuse email especially if you have to communicate negative news.
THEART OF MOTIVATION In 2008 a Wall Street Journal article claimed that 70% of people don’t like their job and many felt there was no trust or loyalty in their workplace and they must constantly watch their backs. I suspect this is still largely true today for many employees especially considering the recent global economic challenges. So what is it that makes people actually like going to work every day? The literature abounds with writings on the psychology of motivation and it is indeed a complex subject. I do not pretend to offer any easy answers, but I have found Herzberg’s theory to be useful. He distinguished between factors that produced job satisfaction (motivators) and factors that
Active Experimentation Doing
Processing how we
Continuum do things
Reflective Observation Watching
Converging (think and do) AC/AE
Abstract Conceptualisation Thinking
MedLab Issue 3 2011 17
Assimilating (think and watch) AC/RO
Perception Continuum how we think about things
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40