Case Study 2: A Response to Change As business office manager of Group HMO, Inc.
ID: 392669 • Letter: C
Question
Case Study 2: A Response to Change
As business office manager of Group HMO, Inc., Dana Smith was responsible for the work of approximately 45 employees, of whom 26 were classified as secretarial or clerical. At the direction of the HMO president, a team of outside systems analysis consultants was contracted to make a time study and work-method analysis of Smith’s area to improve the efficiency and output of the business office.
The consultants began by observing and recording each detail of the work of the secretarial and clerical staff. After 2 days of preliminary observation, the consultants indicated that they were prepared to begin their time study on the following day.
The next morning, 5 of the business office employees participating in the study were absent. On the following day, 10 employees were absent. Concerned, Smith sought to find reasons for the absenteeism by calling her absent employees. Each related basically the same story. Each was nervous, tense, and physically tired after being a “guinea pig” during the 2 days of preliminary observation. One told Smith that his physician had advised him to ask for a leave of absence if working conditions were not improved.
Shortly after the telephone calls, the head of the study team told Smith that if there were as many absences on the next day, then his team would have to delay the study. He stated that a scientific analysis would be impossible with 10 employees absent. Realizing that she would be held responsible for failure of the study, Smith was very concerned.
Questions
3. What steps should Smith take to get the study back on track?
Explanation / Answer
Smith needs to ensure that the study is back on track and that is possible once the number of absentees are reduced. The steps that smith needs to take to ensure that the study is resumed are:
1. Communicate the importance of this activity to all the employees and make them aware that the organization is quite serious regarding the same and they are expecting the same from the employees as well.
2. She should also state that considering the hardships the employees are going through, the organization has decided to make the process a gradual process that will be slow and will take time to progress.
3. The organizations has invested a lot in conducting this study in order to improve productivity and efficiency of the organization and therefore this is a priority activity from the organizational perspective and there should not be any exception regarding the same.