I need some help responding to this discussion

The management style at Riverside State Hospital most closely resembles classical management. According to the text, classical management is characterized by methodical routines and strict rules, limited communication between levels, and few workers' rights. (Eisenberg, et al., 2017, p. 90) The hospital has an inflexible structure, with higher-ranked employees issuing orders and lower-ranked employees following the orders without question or feedback. Departments are disconnected, and rewards are given systematically. Blame is passed to those with less power.

In this case study, the perfunctory routines and lack of employee interaction were disastrous. Nobody listened, little thought or care was put into how tasks were executed, and the communication breakdown caused a patient's death.

For example, the director of resident life commanded her secretary to sign forms for her, which the secretary did, without reading the material for important details so she could notify her supervisor about issues. The secretary obviously felt overworked and disregarded, as did the groundskeeper. They didn't believe they were valued and they didn't expect to be heard, so they failed to speak out.

Additionally, those responsible for the safety and care of facilities and patients didn't read vital reports or communicate with each other about patient behavior, facility maintenance, or employee morale. Nobody really knew what was going on, and problems weren't fixed.

Organizational communication could have prevented the death. Thus, the hospital should update its policies to ensure something like this doesn't happen again. The correct people should be held accountable for reading and signing reports. These reports and other issues should be discussed in interdepartmental meetings so that knowledge is shared and solutions can be found. Subordinate personnel should be encouraged to provide feedback and input, raising morale and prompting organizational loyalty. Likert's principle of supportive relationships emphasizes open communication between departments and support within groups to stimulate employee participation. (Eisenberg, et al., 2017, p. 88) This emphasis would definitely benefit Riverside State Hospital.

References

Eisenberg, E. M., Trethewey, A., LeGreco, M., & Goodall Jr., H. L. (2017). Organizational Communication: Balancing creativity and constraint. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.