Engaging and retaining qualified specialists in the healthcare sector are the practices that are maintained by professional managers effectively. An opportunity to provide subordinates with favorable working conditions is the guarantee that employees will perform their immediate duties competently and will be ready to devote themselves to achieving the ultimate goals of their organization.
Motivational ideas promoted among workers can play an important role in forming opinions about the internal policies of a particular institution and the healthcare system as a whole. For this purpose, it is essential to consider the existing leadership approaches and principles that allow managers to not only retain subordinates but also to control their behavior, which contributes to productive work. Scholarly motivational theories are the significant components of management, and their effective application in practice correlates with the performance and satisfaction of subordinates.
Personnel Retention and Reliable Performance
The factors that motivate medical staff to perform their duties effectively and adhere to appropriate behavior are largely determined by the nature of management approaches. About nurses, the leaders of healthcare institutions often stimulate the activity of subordinates by organizing effective cooperation among them and supporting the system of rewards. Nevertheless, factors affecting productivity and dedication to immediate duties may vary.
For instance, Borkowski (2015) states that there is a direct link between physicians’ “disruptive behavior and nurse satisfaction and retention” (p. 273). Management’s failure to provide a normal interaction mechanism among employees influences their job satisfaction negatively, which, in turn, reduces performance.
One of the most successful mechanisms for achieving high production results is motivation. As Johnson and Rossow (2019) note, leaders’ ability to influence the indicators of subordinates’ interest and utilize the appropriate methods of stimulating working activity characterizes managers’ professionalism and their awareness of assigned functions. In case employees are willing to make efforts and do everything possible to achieve the highest possible results, it affects the overall work process positively. Based on various motivational theories implying work with subordinates as one of the key aspects of personnel management, it is possible to assess the success of specific measures and their importance in the healthcare sector.
McGregor’s Theory and Its Impact
Human resource management requires constant monitoring to achieve high production results. Following McGregor’s theory, initially, employees do not have the appropriate motivation and are not ready to put maximum efforts for the benefit of their organization (Prottas & Nummelin, 2018). In the context of the healthcare area, such an approach is unacceptable since the interest of medical personnel is a significant factor in the success of all interventions and, consequently, public health and safety.
Therefore, Theory X and Theory Y considered is a valuable tool in researching and adjusting organizational behavior. As Prottas and Nummelin (2018) note, it is the framework that facilitates the study of such a phenomenon as an employee interest factor. Therefore, its use in a working environment is a well-established practice.
The interaction of subordinates and managers is a key area of McGregor’s research. According to Prottas and Nummelin (2018), leadership approaches and beliefs maintained in a specific working environment influence the organizational behavior of employees directly. Any actions aimed at increasing productivity and engaging in certain projects are analyzed by subordinates, and the relevance of proposed changes serves as a key background for the formation of specific behavioral decisions. In other words, if the management makes objectively competent and logical decisions, it will necessarily stimulate subordinates’ activity. Therefore, McGregor’s concept is significant in the context of studying organizational behavior.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
The individuality of employees is a significant criterion that determines their interest in performing direct duties and following the plans of a particular organization. In this case, the application of Maslow’s theory related to the distribution of needs is a relevant technique that allows focusing on subordinates’ priorities and their behavior in the workplace. In their study, Liu, Aungsuroch, and Yunibhand (2016) consider this model in the context of the nursing profession and use Maslow’s approach to assess the ability of healthcare institutions to meet the needs of employees at different levels. Using such a framework helps to determine which conditions are optimal for nurses so that their activity in the workplace could be as productive as possible.
Initial Stages
Satisfying subordinates’ needs at different levels of Maslow’s pyramid can be accomplished by applying appropriate management strategies. For instance, the lower two stages related to physiology and safety may be realized in a comfortable working environment. According to Liu et al. (2016), “when nurses are satisfied with their working conditions, burnout, work stress, absenteeism and intention to leave are often reduced,” which, has a positive impact on performance outcomes (p. 89). The need to belong to a specific social group is also satisfied by maintaining relevant managerial activity in keeping nurses as a separate medical community.
Final Stages
Confidence and self-esteem can be met by offering subordinates to participate in various refresher courses and experience sharing workshops. Finally, the highest level of needs implying self-actualization may be satisfied by encouraging employees’ activity and their career success. An opportunity to provide the considered conditions characterizes the management of a particular medical institution as qualified and seeking to improve the motivation and organizational behavior of subordinates in the workplace.
Conclusion
Using appropriate motivational theories in the field of healthcare and, in particular, among nurses can make it possible to satisfy the needs of employees, which, in turn, influences their productivity positively. McGregor’s concept allows the management to focus on the organizational behavior of subordinates and control their performance. Maslow’s theory helps to determine the range of needs that employees have and contributes to increasing productivity in the workplace through leadership skills to meet employees’ specific requirements.
References
Borkowski, N. (2015). Organizational behavior in health care (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Johnson, J., & Rossow, C. (2019). Health organizations, theory, behavior, and development (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Liu, Y., Aungsuroch, Y., & Yunibhand, J. (2016). Job satisfaction in nursing: A concept analysis study. International Nursing Review, 63(1), 84-91. Web.
Prottas, D. J., & Nummelin, M. R. (2018). Theory X/Y in the health care setting: Employee perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. The Health Care Manager, 37(2), 109-117. Web.