Managing immature, irresponsible, or irritating employees.

Most managers can remember employees who were immature, irresponsible, or very irritating. They also recall how difficult it was to direct these individuals. This article discusses attitudinal problems and counterproductive behavior that can lead to lower quality performance. The consequences of these actions for the organization, managers, coworkers, and patients are examined. A variety of managerial approaches for solving these problems are considered.

Inappropriate selection of first-line managers can be hazardous to the health of organizations.

Inappropriate selection decisions that occur when individuals are hired or promoted into first-line managerial positions without full consideration of their qualifications can create major problems for health care organizations. This article examines the perceptions that employees may have regarding new managers who are ineffective and the problems resulting from inappropriate selection decisions and offers suggestions for avoiding these problems.

Managing health care volunteer programs.

This article examines the salient aspects underlying effective volunteer programs in health care organizations. Volunteers are generally unpaid "employees" performing a variety of functions. Reasons for volunteering ranging from altruism to political are discussed. Considerations in establishing a good volunteer-to-organization fit are covered. Finally, motivational and reward considerations are explored.

The department manager and effective human resource planning: an overview.

Department managers in health care organizations play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of human resource (HR) planning. This article describes HR planning and its importance to the organization and department managers. Organizational support necessary for effective HR planning is also covered. The HR planning process is examined. Managerial responsibilities such as interviewing and performance appraisal and their relationship to HR planning are discussed.

Delegating decision making in health care organizations.

This article explores the realm of delegation from the behavioral standpoint. Delegation is defined as well as reasons why it fails. The limitations of decision making as related to delegation are covered. Ways in which health care organizations can improve managerial decision making to make a positive impact on delegation are explored. Finally, considerations for managers to engage in effective delegation are delineated.

Improving retention of older employees through training and development.

This article explores the needs and interests of older employees in training and development efforts which can result in higher retention rates. Managers may be reluctant to train workers close to retirement age for various reasons. Managers also use certain practices to avoid training older employees. When training is offered, accurate performance feedback is essential for desired training outcomes to occur. Finally, areas are proposed which are more appropriate to include in training and development endeavors for older employees versus younger ones.

Improving safety management in health care organizations.

This article explores reducing workplace accidents and resulting injuries through the introduction of better safety management programs in health care organizations. It examines the benefits of such programs and discusses causes of accidents. It presents components considered necessary for inclusion in an effective accident prevention program.

A critical examination of formal and informal mentoring among nurses.

This article focuses on how mentoring among nurses can help them to better serve their profession and health care organizations to more successfully achieve their goals. Specifically, it addresses how formal and informal mentoring can yield benefits to both the nursing profession and health care organizations. It presents some advantages and disadvantages of formal and informal mentoring. Finally, it delineates some important considerations that should be carefully analyzed before establishing a formal program.

Improving productivity through more effective time management.

Effective time management has become increasingly important for managers as they seek to accomplish objectives in today's organizations, which have been restructured for efficiency while employing fewer people. Managers can improve their ability to manage time effectively by examining their attitudes toward time, analyzing time-wasting behaviors, and developing better time management skills. Managers can improve their performance and promotion potential with more effective time utilization. Strategies for improving time management skills are presented.

Workplace deviance: strategies for modifying employee behavior.

More than ever, today's health care employees must perform their jobs as efficiently and effectively as possible. Job performance must integrate both technical and necessary soft skills. Workplace deviant behaviors are counterproductive to good job performance. Various deviant behaviors are examined. Areas and strategies of managerial intervention are reviewed which will enable the prevention or modification of undesired employee behaviors.

Personality conflicts and objectivity in appraising performance.

A daunting challenge for any health care manager is to be involved in a personality conflict with an employee and then maintain objectivity in appraising that employee's performance. This article explores the relationship between personality conflicts and performance appraisal. Types of perceptual problems, such as recent behavior bias and horn effect, are discussed. Methods for involving input from appropriate individuals other than the manager and ways managers can improve objectivity in appraising performance are covered.

Managing effectively in the downsized organization.

Many health care institutions have downsized in recent years for a variety of reasons including cost savings and the need to be proactive in restructuring the organization for more effective performance. In a downsized organization, top management must develop new strategies to enable line managers at all levels to operate effectively. New policies for human resource strategic planning, selective hiring, employee empowerment, training and development, reduction of status distinctions, sharing of appropriate information with employees, and paying for performance must be implemented.

A macro perspective of non-clinical student internship programs.

Internships are advantageous to both health care organizations and students. Intern employers benefit in many ways such as completing meaningful backlogged projects, savings on benefits, using internships as a recruiting tool, and becoming a partner in the educational process. There are drawbacks to internships such as increased managerial time to supervise interns and monitor projects, contingent workforce issues with which to deal, and assignment of routine tasks only. Indicators for administration of meaningful internship programs as well as evaluation concerns are discussed. This article addresses college and university internships excluding applied health care clinical rotations.

Managerial competencies necessary in today's dynamic health care environment.

The traditional functions of management--planning, organizing, leading, and controlling--continue to be the key activities used to enable the organization to accomplish its goals and objectives. Though significant changes have occurred in all organizational structures, processes, and managerial styles, these traditional functions remain a constant. What has undergone significant change, as this article examines, are the skills and competencies within each function, which managers must develop and employ if they are to be successful practitioners in today's dynamic health care organizations.